Whether you have gone to church many times, or never before, going to a strange church can be a bit intimidating. That’s why, here at Avon, we try to help you feel as welcome and comfortable as possible. When you walk in the front doors of our church there will be someone there to greet you. If you’re looking for a place to hang your coat, or for a washroom, there are hallways both to the right and the left where these are readily available. There is also a nursery down the hallway to the right.

When you enter our auditorium an usher will hand you a program with announcements about things that are happening at the church. You can sit anywhere you like, although we do have special seating to the left for families with young children. We like to think of ourselves as a family and child-friendly church, and we really don’t mind if the kids colour or sit on the floor during the service. Many parents will bring along colouring books and small toys for their kids, and if you’d like to do that we’d encourage you to do so. There is a staffed nursery for children aged 0-23 months immediately off of the sanctuary, and an unstaffed toddler room down the hall towards the parking lot for children ages 2-4 years. About 20 minutes into our worship service we dismiss all kids between the age of 2-6 to go to a ‘Sonshiners’, a program just for them. It is entirely up to you whether or not your child takes part in any of these opportunities.

Our service begins with some singing, which is most often accompanied with guitars, drums, piano (although sometimes it’s just the piano and us). We sing everything from hymns to more modern songs, all projected onto a screen. If you’d rather just listen please feel free to do so. After a few songs a volunteer from the church who is the worship planner for the morning will welcome everyone. We’ll take an offering, and since you’re new to us we do not expect you to give anything at all. The children will be invited forward for a children's story, after which they will be dismissed to go to ‘Sonshiners’. Then either Herb, a guest speaker or one of our volunteers will give a message for about twenty-five minutes – this message will focus on making practical connections between a story from the Bible and our daily lives.

After the message people are given an opportunity to share what God is doing in their lives, as well as share a joy or concern they have. Another volunteer will pray, then we’ll have a few announcements, sing a closing song, and either Herb or the worship planner will give the benediction that sends us out and ends the service.

The service is normally about an hour and a half in length, after which people are invited to stay for coffee if they wish. There is adult and children’s education time as well from 11:00am to 12:00pm which you can stay for if you choose. Hope you join us! We’ll do our best to make you feel at home.