Worship at Gateway Church has come along way in my time here. When my wife Lindsay and I first arrived in Findlay (from Nashville, TN) in November of 2004, Gateway was meeting in the small cafetorium of Wilson Vance Elementary school. Our first impression was that the style of music was about 10 years behind the modern curve we had experienced in our Nashville church community. What I liked was that I could see where they wanted to be and the direction the church was heading stylistically. There was a lot of sacrifice of comfort and convenience to make this worship service happen and that spoke volumes to Lindsay and me.
It didn’t take long at all for us to declare Gateway our new church home and it wasn’t because of the Pastor’s “Keen” sense of humor (wink). We were drawn to a community of believers who sincerely desired to enter a place not their own and transform it into a house of worship. A place where people could come together, hear about, and connect to Jesus Christ and to one another.
That was twelve and a half years ago.
What change have I seen since then? We no longer meet in a cafetorium, we are no longer 10 years behind the modern curve in our worship style, our attendance has grown exponentially, we are a multi-generational community of believers and we are about to become one church in two locations! Praise God!
What has not changed? The Pastor’s “Keen” sense of humor (wink,wink), a worship service devoted to Christ-centered preaching and worship music. Additionally, we continue to be a passionate community of believers coming together to transform an empty space into a house of worship.
That’s an important point so don’t miss it. It’s not the building that God calls the church; it’s the assembling of the saints to praise Him that is THE CHURCH. IT is not “THE CHURCH”, WE are.
As THE CHURCH, we are on mission to see people connected to Jesus Christ and to one another.
In order to do that we have chosen a methodology which incorporates modern worship music as well as modern technology to accompany it. Advancements in sound, lighting, and video have been adapted into the church which utilize timely methods to communicate a timeless truth, which is the Gospel. When I talk about methodology and adaptation, that can sometimes be a source of frustration for some. It can sometimes lead to people claiming, “that was not good worship” or “that ruined my worship”. Whether it’s the flow or style of the service, what makes it “good worship” is whether or not it was Christ-centered, not the methodology, but the theology of the service.
I am so blessed to be a part of a church family where so many are sacrificing their preferences to see others connected to Jesus Christ and to one another. I wholeheartedly believe that a healthy worship experience is not without sacrifice of some kind. Whether it’s sacrifice of a preference, sacrifice of self, or of idols. Sacrifice is what helps us fix our eyes on Jesus and Him alone. It helps us identify with Him and I see a lot of that in the saints at Gateway Church.
So I am encouraged, humbled and excited to see what the next 12 years have in store as we passionately pursue connecting people to Jesus Christ and to one another.
In so doing, we want to provide for you, on a weekly basis, the worship set for that week. It can be used in many ways, like to familiarize yourself with the worship songs or to prepare your heart for that week’s service or even to share with others as a means of evangelism.
Our prayer is that you would be blessed by this and share it with others.
Thank you and God bless you.
Greatly To Be Praised (Citizens & Saints)
The Rock Won’t Move (Vertical Church Band)
This I Believe (The Creed) (Hillsong)
No Longer Slaves (Jonathan David Helser and Melissa Helser)
Stories, news, and resources for things happening at Gateway Church.
