OUR CULTURE

Leesburg Grace is a small (90ish), family-oriented church. No single demographic dominates our worship services, but there are a growing number of small children who run around with punch stains on their outfits. If you are not greeted at the door with a bulletin, you will find people congregating around the snack table to catch up.

Typically our services start a few minutes late (10:20) and the sermons run long (11:40). In spite of our informal style of dress, music, and teaching, we share a deep affection for Jesus and one another. We have three different worship teams, both which blend contemporary music and hymns. Most people stand during the singing, but several rest weary knees and backs. Clapping is rare, but folks shuffle their feet and often raise their hands. Children remain with their parents during the singing, and then the youngest attend a classes (3-7; 8-12) during the sermon time. Every Sunday two volunteers staff a nursery.

Following the songs, the congregation is called to partipate by sharing testimonies, prayer requests, interviews, or interacting with the mission of the church. A wireless microphone regularly makes its way around the room, committed to hearing from the body "a song, psalm, or spiritual song, or word of encouragement" (1 Cor. 14:3, 26; Eph. 5:19).

Preaching is Bible-centered. Pastor Tim typically speaks from the New American Standard Bible, but makes references to translation differences in the NIV and ESV. He engages the congregation with stories, visual aids, Prezi (when it works), a flurry of literary references, cultural rants, and an occasional outburst of song. The goal of each sermon is transformation. Applications are both personal and corporate, belief-based and practice-oriented.

Body life continues in the dialogue fostered after the service. Many people linger for thirty minutes to connect and make lunch plans. Every few months a service blitz, communion meal, or meeting will follow the worship service. However, our leadership is committed to keeping Sunday a sabbath--meetings are kept to a minimum. Fortunately, throughout the week many opportunties to grow and serve together exist. Four small groups, ministry teams, and friendships sustain our family culture.

OUR MISSION

Every Christian becoming Full in Christ, United in Love, Strong in Service

OUR VALUES

• biblical truth/theology: The Bible is our standard of knowing, living, and being  --we seek to know God and center our life on His truth.
• love/friendship: We are a community, committed to one another by encouragement, sacrifice, time, and care--we seek to be intimate, honest and trusting.
• worship: Music is a regular expression of our faith in God, one of many corporate responses to His grace--we seek to honor God in word and deed.
• prayer: Prayer connects us to the heart of God and provides His vision for our direction--we seek to meet God in prayer and consider His desire before ours.
• family: We are a spiritual family dedicated to supporting individual families through sharing, feeding, teaching and caring--we seek to nurture diverse families.
• service: Love and leadership are demonstrated through labor and acts of kindness--we seek to attend needs within our greater community.
• stewardship: The resources of our church, physical and spiritual, are gifts from God--we seek to handle our resources with wisdom and respect.

Our church agrees with the Statement of Faith of the Charis Fellowship.

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