Are you considering attending Friedens (Peace) Church, but don’t know what to expect? We realize that visiting a new church can be a little intimidating so we have provided this space to answer some common questions.

How do I get to Friedens Church?
Friedens (Peace) Church is located in Guadalupe County, near the community of Geronimo. Services have been held continuously at our facility for over 100 years! We are only 40 minutes south of Austin or 45 minutes East of San Antonio conveniently located near the cities of San Marcos, New Braunfels and Seguin.

What time do your services start?
W e have two services. A traditional service that begins at 9:00 a.m. and our new contemporary service, New Connections, beginning at 11:01 a.m. We also have Home Groups, Bible studies, and Youth and Children’s Ministries that meet throughout the week.

Do I have to dress up?
No, you don’t. We always encourage people to come as they are, to dress comfortably. For some folks, that may mean dressing up but for most that means wearing casual clothes. Contrary to church tradition, the New Testament clearly teaches us that the church building is not the "house of God." It is nothing more than a building. The New Testament simply instructs us to dress modestly and decently, so we do not burden people unnecessarily by requiring them to dress up in fancy clothes they do not normally wear just to "go to church." We want everyone to come, be comfortable, and enjoy learning about God together.

Will I have to stand up in front of people?
We do not want to draw any unnecessary attention to our guests, we will not have you raise your hand or stand up to introduce yourself. While we are genuinely interested in getting to know you our goal is to make sure that we welcome you with love and not embarrass you in any way. You can relax and meet folks during the “passing of the peace” a time in the beginning of the service when we invite folks to stand and say hello to one another. Moreover, we ask you to fill out the Guest Communication Slip (located in every worship service program) which will allow us to follow up with you via mail and e-mail to tell you about the exciting ministries here at Friedens (Peace) Church.

What’s the Message or Sermon like?
You will not fall asleep. You will laugh, you will cry, you will hear and be affected by the Word of God. The message will share God's Word without watering anything down, but Pastor John will share it in love, and in ways that are interesting, engaging and relevant to your daily life. For instance, Pastor John will use drama, multimedia, film clips, and other teaching tools to engage the congregation in learning and hearing the Good News. The emphasis will be on the Gospel or Good News that God loves us, has a plan for our lives, and we can join with God in making His will a reality here on this earth! That is to say, the overarching theme of the entire Bible that Pastor John will emphasize is God's unconditional love for all humankind, as is shown by God sending His precious Son, Jesus, to pay the price for our sin. If you attend one of our services, you will hear the truths of God's Word presented passionately, clearly, and lovingly in ways that will make sense to you. But why not find out for yourself? Go to our Messages Online section now. (Hear Travis can we have a link to the Message part of the website)

Where will my children go during the Service?
Your children will love Friedens (Peace) Church! One of our key strengths is the fun, hands on activities and lessons every Sunday morning designed especially for them. We also provide a safe, cozy nursery for your infants up until the age of three. All of our nursery workers are background checked and CPR certified!

Generally, the children will accompany their parents to church at 9:00am and then go forward for Children’s Moments with Pastor John. After Children’s Moments the children are dismissed and led by our Children’s Ministry Leaders to Children’s Church located in our Children’s Ministry Wing. At this point the children will engage in lessons, singing, arts and crafts, and fun hands on activities! Our Children’s Ministry Leaders are parents just like you and they will love every child and treat them with utmost care and attention.

What kind of music do you have?
Currently our music tends to favor the classical or traditional scope of Christianity. However, as our worship service options grow and as we add variety to each service, the music will vary. Within churches worldwide, the music debate has been huge. The number one issue churches have conflict over is music. We believe that God has inspired people throughout the ages to write hymns and songs of praise and that He continues to inspire musicians from all generations to write music that praises Him and brings glory to His name. We believe that debates regarding styles of music are more a matter of personal preference than anything else. In short, it says more about the person’s tastes than it does about God. In appreciation of that, we want to give worshippers an option to choose the style of worship they prefer. Which is why we as a church are moving towards building a contemporary service.

Currently, our traditional worship service praises God with great church hymns of both past and present, in a formal setting. Offerings of praise and thanksgiving are expressed through timeless music led by our choir and organist. Worship services are enhanced with very talented soloists, and other instruments.

In the future, our contemporary worship service will use a blend of music styles to glorify God. In our contemporary service you will hear a great mix of new and old music - plenty of songs you know and love: popular contemporary Christian music, original compositions, old gospel favorites, and some traditional music. The setting will be more casual and led by a worship leader and band! The focus of all of our worship services is to bring glory to God and to support and encourage every worshipper in their journey of faith.

What denomination is Friedens (Peace) Church?
Friedens (Peace) Church is in covenant with the United Church of Christ. We are a connectional church, connected to our brothers and sisters who are also in the denomination and together we can impact the world and spread the love of Christ more effectively than if we fly solo! However, the beauty and strength of the United Church of Christ is that each local congregation has great autonomy in terms of theology, church government, and general structure of the church. We don’t always, nor have to agree with everything that our National Body says or does. That is to say, we recognize that just as individual churches contain great diversity in terms of thoughts, practices, and theology, so the diversity amongst churches in the United Church of Christ also exists. It is a big umbrella and there is room for all of us at God’s table! For more on the United Church of Christ you may visit the national website at: www.ucc.org

I still have questions?
Great. We are glad you are exploring! Please consider contacting Pastor John at 830-303-7729 or consider attending one of the New Partner BBQ’s to ask your questions and explore the purpose, vision, and mission of Friedens (Peace) Church!