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Dress up if you want... |
"What do people wear to your church?" is probably our most frequently asked question! You'll find a quite a few of us in coats and ties (or heels and pearls), but you'll also find plenty of folks in blue jeans and tennis shoes. Like most of North Idaho, we're pretty casual. |
...or just throw on some jeans! |
We're fairly easy to get to from anywhere in Post Falls or the surrounding areas. Check out our directions and map. There is plenty of off-street parking available right in front of the church.
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There are two entrances, one with steps, and the other with a ramp (to your right as you face the church). |
Our Sunday morning Worship Services begin at 8:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. and there will be someone in the lobby who will greet you and offer you a bulletin. He or she can direct you toward the sanctuary (the room where we meet).
In the lobby, you'll also find men's and women's restrooms, a drinking fountain, coat racks, as well as a bulletin board and tables with informational posters and brochures.
There is plenty of seating available in the sanctuary, either on the main floor or upstairs in the balcony. Sit wherever you like, there aren't any reserved pews. Assemblies of God facilities are generally functional and practical, and our church is no exception. We have a raised platform that also serves as an altar, and the spot from which singing and prayer are led and the word of God is preached.
Guests are never singled out or embarrassed. We won't ask you to stand, wear a name tag, make a donation, or anything like that (although there usually is a time when everyone stands and shakes hands... we're generally a pretty friendly bunch.)
While it's certainly not required, we do appreciate your completing the visitor form attached to your bulletin and placing it in the offering basket.
One thing you should expect is a personal, uplifting worship experience. Our services are geared for participation. We typically worship just as we live, with enthusiasm.
You'll find that each person is a little different when it comes to worshipping God. No sincere worshipper needs to feel out of place at Lifeway Chapel. Each expression will blend without disruption into the flow of worship.
Some people are quiet and reserved; some shout with joy; others are simply tender and openly emotional during times of praise or preaching. The service may include quiet times of prayer or contemplation. Other times may be really vocal as worshippers are invited to spontaneously express love and adoration to God.
In everything, a flow of worship should be evident and, despite the spontaneity and excitement, a certain properness and order. You'll find that most Sundays we start with singing and prayer
Music is a big part of our Sunday worship service, and we sing all sorts of songs, including traditional hymns, clap-along gospel songs, contemporary compositions, or reverent choruses. We use an LCD projector with PowerPoint to display the lyrics on the wall or read from the hymnbooks (found in the backside of the pews).
Usually several people will play instruments (including guitar, piano, keyboard, drums, etc.) and one or more people will lead the rest of us, but we make music more than a performance; it’s the music of worship.
A special time in the service is devoted to prayer. Needs from inside and outside the church family frequently are made known. We believe it is both our privilege and our duty to bring to God both our concerns and gratitude in prayer.
Specific prayer may be offered for the sick. They will be invited forward to be anointed with oil (James 5:13-16) and have believers place their hands on them and pray (Mark 16:18). Sometimes, when the afflicted person is not present (hey, they're sick), a friend or relative may stand in his/her place.
Sometimes we'll pray in small groups, or the congregation may pray together. All may pray aloud but conclude with a single voice, the pastor, worship leader, or other designated person praying in behalf of all.
During the service, donations will be received. Our members feel giving the tithe (the first tenth of income) and offerings declares that God comes first. It recognizes His blessing, expresses faith and seeks His guidance in every matter in life.
We honestly don't expect our guests to put anything in the offering plate, though you are certainly welcome to if you would like.
An interesting aspect of our worship is the operation of spiritual gifts. The planned service order may be suspended as individuals speak or share as prompted by the Holy Spirit, under the supervision of the pastor (1 Corinthians 12:14).
One person might speak out in an unknown tongue, a Spirit-guided language other than that of the congregation. Another individual, or perhaps the same one, will then give the interpretation.
On occasion, the Spirit may prompt someone to speak out, to prophesy, in plain English. The gift of prophecy, the gift of tongues and the gift of interpretation, and other spiritual gifts bring the church immediate challenge and confirm Bible truths.
The service continues with the preaching of God’s word, the Bible, and an invitation for hearers to respond. The messages are often fervent, inspiring, and practical.
The pastor or speaker may close with an invitation for those who need forgiveness in their lives to come forward and accept Christ as Savior. Those who feel a need to rededicate their lives to Christ or to pray about other concerns are also invited to come. Believers may be urged to ask God for the baptism in the Holy Spirit to further empower them for Christian service. Often everyone is invited to come pray during the altar service.
Deep emotion and excitement may or may not be demonstrated at the altars, but everyone who calls on God in faith receives something. Please feel free to come to the altar and pray, or ask for prayer.
If you’ve wondered what a Pentecostal service is like, we invite you to observe and experience God’s joy and a peace that defies description. And when you visit again, come expecting. Expect God to move, not only in the service, but also in your life. We think you’ll agree that the comfort, help, and strength he gives are better experienced than explained.
Children go to the Sunday morning worship service and then are dismissed after the music to go to Children's Church or Nursery. However, if you prefer, you may certainly have your children remain with you in the sanctuary.
Nursery: A nursery is provided for infants and toddlers. This loving, comfortable atmosphere helps show children at the earliest ages that church is a good place to be. Child care also frees parents to listen to the message with fewer distractions.
Children’s Church: Bible-oriented activities are provided for children ages 4 through 10. At this level, young children are taught to sing, pray, memorize scripture and learn important Bible truths. They are instructed and led in worship at their own levels.
Youth (Jr. High and High School Age): Youth attend worship along with adults. You may wish yours to sit with you, although like most teenagers, our regular youth tend to sit together away from their parents!
We're glad you asked! Lifeway Chapel is made up of a wide diversity of people, who enjoy learning, worshipping, serving, and just being together in any combinations from small groups to mass events like district-wide retreats. We're a friendly bunch, and we'd love to help you find where you'd fit in.
Attending Adult Sunday School, or one of the other group meetings is a great way to get to know people and make friends since they're smaller than the worship services and have lots of relaxed, open discussion.
On Wednesday evening we also have a Bible study for adults, along with many activities for youth and children.
If you are interested in participating with others of your age or gender... well, that's covered. We have active ministries of all sorts ranging from children, youth, men, and women, through to seniors. Please see our services schedule and activities information for more ideas, or contact the church about upcoming events.
If you want to find a place and a group of people who can help you learn and grow personally and in your relationship with Christ, you'll find that at Lifeway Chapel.
Our mission statement says we are "to be a Spirit-filled body of believers, ordinary people serving an extraordinary God, meeting people at the point of their need in Post Falls and beyond." That's not just a nice thing to put on the stationary, it's our real focus.
The obvious ways to learn more are to continue to explore this website and to come visit us. While we're delighted that you're visiting our website, there's no such thing as "cyber-church." Behind everything you see here are real live flesh and blood human beings. That's what church is really all about.
So, we hope you'll move from cyberspace to real space and drop in and be our guest sometime at worship or at any of the other activities that may have caught your interest. We believe you'll enjoy what you find here. Come... be our guest. Be as outgoing or anonymous as you like. You're always welcome at Lifeway Chapel.
