| 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
the Pastor will share it in love, and in ways that are interesting,
engaging and relevant to your daily life. 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 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
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.
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. 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?
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. 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.
In the 9 a.m. Traditional service our music is a mix of classical, traditional, and an occasional contemporary anthem.
In the 11 a.m. Praise service we use a blend of musical styles to give thanks to God. Our full band including drums, guitar, keyboard, bass, and vocals use a great mix of new and old—plenty of songs you know and love from popular contemporary Christian music, original compositions, old gospel favorites and an occasional hymn jazzed up a bit!
Regardless of musical styles, 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 Nichols at 830-303-7729 to ask your questions and explore
the purpose, vision, and mission of Friedens (Peace) Church!
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