Wonderful Visit to Orchardville

This morning we had the chance to visit Orchardville Community Church. Orchardville is a rather small community nestled in Wayne County. Over the past 10 years this church has exploded in growth. The last time I was there the church attendance was probably less that 100. They now have a sanctuary which seats over 500, and it looked full to me!

The amazing church growth that has occurred here should be studied. I’m rather sure there are a number of factors that have contributed to this growth, one of which being their tape ministry. Before we began our search for a new church, this was something that I really had a heart for. Although it failed rather miserably for me, it is nice to see a place where it has succeeded. I have also been told this church placed a strong emphasis on prayer prior to their growth. One can assume they do still.

Okay, so what did we think? Well, first of all, we got to the church early, but quickly found a friend who showed us around. We were offered coffee from the coffee bar, and introduced to several people. We were shown the nursery, and introduced to the nursery staff. There were forms to fill out asking if it was okay to give Cassidy food, and whether or not she had any allergies. Cassidy did not want to stay in the nursery, but later on did go to children’s church. At this time, Amy was given a pager to notify us if Cassidy became distressed. This is a great idea! We also read in the bulletin that parents were asked to remove their children if they became noisy. It has been my experience that many parents don’t know to do this.

We attended a Sunday School class for new people, where the lesson focused on the church beliefs. We were informed about baptisms, communion, and general church practices. We had the opportunity to ask the pastor questions about the church. The class lasts for three weeks, and then repeats with a new group. The room was packed! This is yet another great idea for a growing church.

After Sunday School, we went into the sanctuary where we enjoyed a wonderful worship service. The music was good, and very professional. After the music, the pastor delivered a good sermon. It challenged me to want to be a better person, and was very encouraging to Amy as well. Alter time was given for people to pray, and special prayer was given for the people in the path of Hurricane Katrina.

All in all we had a very good experience. Visiting a church this large can often cause one to feel lost in the crowd. However, our friends helped us to feel welcome, and even invited us to lunch afterwards.