What is the mission of Journey Covenant?
At Journey Covenant, our Mission is to journey together toward Christ-likeness by making Christ-like disciples who
Worship→Connect→Serve
Worship: we open ourselves to love, celebrate and value God above all else.
Connect: we open ourselves to love, celebrate and value others in the church body.
Serve: we open ourselves to love others in action.
What should I expect during my visit?
You’ll be welcomed by some of our friendly folks as you walk in the door—they’ll be sure to shake your hand and help you get oriented by showing you how to get to the Worship Center, the restrooms, the Kid’s Zone, the nursery, etc. There’s coffee available at the SoulCafe (located inside the Worship Center—feel free to keep your cup during the service). There’s some information about our church freely available on a table in the entryway. You’ll know it’s time for the service to begin when our praise team starts playing the opening music. As you walk into the Worship Center another Journey member will hand you a bulletin, which includes some announcements and other information as well as an outline of the sermon. Also stuffed in the bulletin is a Communication Card that we’d like you to fill out and place in the offering basket or the boxes by the Worship Center doors. That way, we’ll know who has been visiting and how we can best serve you. (Don’t worry, nobody will come knocking on your door… unless of course, you ask us to.) The short form includes some space for you to tell us about any prayer needs that you’d like to share.
Feel free to sit anywhere – our Worship Center is all general admission, with no reservations required. After the first introductory song, our praise leader will invite the rest of us to join in the worship. Our music is, for the most part, upbeat and modern. The lyrics are prominently displayed on two large screens; feel free to tap your foot or clap or raise your hands or whatever comes naturally. There will be a brief break at some point during the service for us to greet one another and introduce ourselves, some announcements, then the kids (ages kindergarten through fifth grade) will be invited to follow the teachers to JourneyKids. The pastor will preach for about 30 minutes, bringing a message that is biblically- focused, relevant and encouraging (occasionally humorous too).
We provide a nursery for children 4 years old and younger. Your children can stay in the nursery during the entire service, or you can keep them with you in the service, but feel free to take them to the nursery any time they get restless.
On the first Sunday of each month we celebrate communion together. You do not need to be a member of Journey Covenant Church, or the Evangelical Covenant Church, in order to participate in communion. Bread and grape juice, symbolizing the body and blood of Christ that was broken and shed on the cross, are provided at the front of the sanctuary for adults. We often celebrate communion in a participatory style that involves each of us offering the bread and juice to the next person in line (there is a printed “cheat sheet” posted at each communion station, so you’ll know what to say and do). Grapes, representing the work of the Holy Spirit in the hearts of children who are loved by Jesus, are provided for the kids.
After the service, we’d love for you to hang around for awhile to enjoy some snacks and chance to get to know each of you better.
That’s it – nothing painful or embarrassing, and no surprises.
Will my kids be bored?
No! That’s the short answer. Here’s the longer answer: Children join their parents during the first part of the worship service, which includes songs they can catch on to and enjoy singing. Following the singing, children (ages kindergarten through fifth grade) are invited to gather at the back of the Worship Center with their teachers and follow them to JourneyKids.
For younger kids, we have a safe playground area right outside the entryway (you’ll probably see the green-and-yellow awning from the road). The playground is fenced in so that no little ones can wander off.
What time are your services, and where do you meet?
Our Sunday morning worship gathering begins at 10:30 a.m. (feel free to arrive as early as 10 a.m. for coffee) and is finished before noon. Our church is located near the intersection of Highway 69 and 33 near Liberty. More information (including a map and directions are available at this link. JourneyGroups (small groups) meet once a week, usually in the home of the small group host. Learn more about Connections at this link.How should I dress?
Dress is comfortable and casual. Some folks wear shorts and sandals during the summer, jeans and tennis shoes year-round. Women wear dresses or skirts or pants or whatever is in fashion.
Suit and tie are allowed, though admittedly unusual.
Will I be asked to give money?
We would no more ask you to give us money during your visit than we would expect a donation if you were a guest in our home.
We believe offering of our resources is part of our worship. For those who call Journey Covenant their church home, giving of their resources is how we collectively support the ministries of our community and the world.
What kind of music to you sing?
As noted above, most of the time our music falls in the contemporary worship genre. We do enjoy occasional hymns, however, and we like to change up the style. We might even learn a new original song composed by one of our praise team leaders. The lyrics are prominently displayed on two large screens; if you happen to listen to a contemporary Christian radio station, you might even know some of the songs already. Our praise team includes acoustic and electric guitars, bass, drums, keyboards and vocalists. You can listen to MP3 selections of our worship music at this link.Will I meet anybody I know?
That’s likely, since our people come from Liberty, Kansas City, Gladstone, Excelsior Springs, Kearney, and elsewhere. We’re a church for the Northland and seek to draw members from throughout the area. Our members include teachers and school administrators, nurses, auto employees, government bureaucrats, stay-at-home moms, college students …
Are you a part of a denomination?
We are a congregation of the Evangelical Covenant Church – a group of more than 800 churches in the United States and Canada. Founded by Swedish immigrants in 1885, it is a voluntary covenant of churches committed to the affirmation of historical Christianity regarding the Bible as the Word of God and the only perfect rule for doctrine and conduct. The Covenant Church emphasizes the Bible’s witness to new life in Jesus Christ expressed in a day to day walk with the Lord.
What makes the Covenant unique from other denominations is the fact that while it strongly affirms the exploration and clear teaching of and obedience to the Word of God, it allows believers the personal freedom to have varying interpretations on issues of belief and practice where the biblical and historical record seems to allow for a variety of interpretations of the will and purposes of God. We in the Covenant Church focus on what unites us as followers of Christ, rather than on what divides us.
You can visit the denominations Web site at this link. www.covchurch.org You can find our more about what we believe by following this link.Explain what you mean by “Simple Church”?
We describe our ministry as a “Simple Church” model, meaning that we don’t want to complicate our lives with a burdensome agenda of meetings and causes and obligations. Here’s a simple example from our Pastor. “In the midst of all of the noise, all the rush, all the change, all the busyness, and all the uncertainty, people long for simplicity – not just at work and at home but in their church and spiritual life. People only have so much available time, and we wants to free up time slots for people to be able to connect to that which is essential in life. We seek to promote a simple biblical process for reaching and maturing people in Christ-likeness.”What if I have more questions?
We’re happy to respond to any questions you may have. You can send or email or call one of our pastors, or even arrange an appointment to meet in person. Contact us by following this link.