Church search: A survey of local options

Kristen Oxley & Amanda Moore
 Reporters

September 16, 2005

 

 

Many first-year students find it hard to adjust to life at Milligan College, particularly during the beginning of the semester. While trying to figure out what class is where with which professor, students are making new friends, buying the appropriate books, organizing their belongings into half of a 10x17 room and adjusting to living with a complete stranger.


After things calm down, students often begin adjusting to the community around Milligan. Trying to navigate around Johnson City, locate the closet Wal-Mart, figuring out which restaurants offer student discounts. This adjustment also includes finding a church.
When trying to figure out which church to attend, students consider several factors including opportunities for involvement, worship, distance and service times as well as the church’s values and beliefs.


To help give students options for local area churches, The Stampede is highlighting four churches that Milligan students and faculty attend.

Photo By: Cassie Lomison

Photo By: Mandi Mooney

Photo By: Ryan C. Harris

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photo By: Jason Spencer

Grace Fellowship Church

Service Times
Saturday at 6 p.m.
Sunday at 8:30, 10 and 11:30 a.m.

Service Style
All services are contemporary and identical. The services combine a mixture of teaching, music, media and drama to communicate the message.

 Worship Style
The worship style varies to include a full band or only a piano.

Mission
“Building a Community to Reach a Community”

 Communion
Communion is served periodically throughout the year. The congregation is asked to come forward to take communion and then return to their seats to partake of the elements individually.

Distance from Milligan/ Transportation
GFC is about 15 minutes from Milligan and is located behind the campus of East Tennessee State University in Johnson City.
GFC does not provide transportation

 How many Milligan students attend GFC?
Roughly 70 students

 What kind of opportunities are there for students to get involved?
Community groups - take the place of Sunday school and meet weekly in various homes
Intership opportunities - a variety of internship options are available for Milligan students


Contact info
http://www.gracejohnsoncity.com
(423) 928-5601

 Hopwood Memorial
Christian Church

Service Times
Sunday at 8:30 and 11 a.m.
Sunday school begins at 10 a.m.

Service Style
Two services offer identical traditional styles.

 Worship Style
The worship style at Hopwood is traditional, using hymnals during worship time instead of a PowerPoint screen.

Mission
Senior Minister Tim Ross notes, “At Hopwood … distinctions get set aside as we try to pay attention to the Word of God, the Lord’s Table, prayer and life lived in community.”


 Communion
During communion, ushers pass the communion plates around the church as the congregation takes the elements individually.

Distance from Milligan/ Transportation
Hopwood is a small church located behind Derthick on Milligan’s Campus. Most students who attend Hopwood walk to the church.


How many Milligan students attend Hopwood?
40 to 50 students

 What kind of opportunities are there for students to get involved?
Morning prayer group - weekdays at 7:30 a.m. for prayer and communion
Afternoon prayer group - weekdays at noon to read from the Episcopalian Book of Common Prayer.
Adoration - contemporary worship service on Tuedays at 9 p.m.


Contact info
www.hopwoodcc.org.
(423) 926-1194

 Crossroads Christian Church

Service Times
Sunday school begins at 9:30 a.m.
Sunday service begsin at 10:55 a.m.

 Service Style
Blend of contemporary and traditional style

 Worship Style
Praise band with worship music

Mission
Working on mission statement at this time, but senior minister Clinton Andrews believes that their goal is “to serve the community for Jesus in order to win the community to Jesus.”
Part of proposed mission statement “Empower and equip those who attend Crossroads to have an impact on the people they encounter on a daily basis.”


 Communion
Communion is served every week by passing trays through the aisles

 Distance from Milligan/ Transportation
About 16 miles, or 25 minutes, from Milligan College. Transportation is not provided for Milligan students.


 How many Milligan students attend Crossroads?
Around 30 students

 What kind of opportunities are there for students to get involved?
Common Ground - Wednesday night service
Underground - Young adult fellowship time at 8:15 p.m. on Wednesday
Deeper - Sunday Bible study at 7 p.m.
Social events - Formal events or service projects about once a month


 Contact info
http://www.cccgray.us
(423) 477-2229

 

 Lifehouse Church

Lifehouse is a new church in the area that held its first public service on Sept. 11 in Real to Reel theaters. Approximately 35 people currently attend the church. They consider themselves a marketplace church with a demographic between 18-35 year olds, so they will never have a formal church building but will minister to the needs of an area at the time.
 

Service Times
Sunday at 10 a.m.

 Service Style
Contemporary service with music, drama and teaching to communicate the message.

 Worship Style
Worship includes a guitar and a drum set with a Vespers feel to it.

Mission
Lifehouse values the children and believes they need to strongly invest in them, and they believe that the next generation can be better than the one now. They also value everyone working together to become the body of Christ based on Romans 12:4-5.


Communion
Communion is taken once a month as people come up to the front. They believe that communion has a truer meaning if it is less often and does not just become a weekly tradition.


Distance from Milligan/ Transportation
About 10 minutes away. They do not provide transportation for Milligan students.


How many Milligan students attend Lifehouse?
There are not yet any regular Milligan students, but seven students attended last week's service.

Contact info
Reel to Reel Theatre
(423) 282-3557