First Impression Comments by visitors and friends indicate a variety of first impressions: “Friendliest church I’ve ever been to” “Very traditional but not in a stuffy or boring way” “I’m amazed at the quality of the choir” “So glad to see so many children and youth.” “Such gracious hospitality” “Finally, a church without a praise band!” “I can tell you make a big impact on the community.” “The messages are biblically based and applicable to our modern lives.” “No dogmatic pronouncements on what I have to believe in this church. Instead, you seem to welcome me, accept me for who I am, and provide a safe place to learn for myself.” Smiling Greeters to Welcome You We’ve all heard stories of people attending a church for the first time and went unacknowledged. Or, the opposite is true, a visitor is singled out and made to feel uncomfortable. When you arrive, we have a well trained greeter waiting in the narthex who will formally welcome you and get some basic information if you choose to share. She will give you a packet that has some detailed information about us as well as a few tokens of our appreciation for joining us. Pastor David always likes to greet new visitors, too. Infants and Children – What about them? Our littlest members are cared for by a loving staff in the nursery right outside the sanctuary. Infants and Toddlers to age three are never too young to learn about the love of God through the care they receive in the nursery. The greeter will give you a brief overview of the nursery and introduce you to the nursery volunteers. If you have children Kindergarten – 3rd grade, our greeter will give you a brief tour of the classrooms upstairs where our older children and youth attend our lively Sunday School classes following the Children’s Sermon during the first part of the worship service. We all understand that some children are hesitant about new people and places, so please know that children are always welcome to stay in the sanctuary if that works better for you and your family. Why We Joined Providence: When we first visited Providence, we were warmly greeted by the congregation as well as Pastor David. We were very comfortable and thought we would be happy there, but felt we should visit several other churches before making our decision. After doing so, we found our way back to Providence where we felt the same warm feeling we experienced on our first visit. Each Sunday we feel very excited to have found Pastor David and a friendly and vibrant congregation that has a strong affection in community service. ~Walt & Eilene Long