What to Expect
Welcome
Thank you for checking us out! We’d love to have you come to one of our Sunday meetings or “services”, which are open to anyone and everyone*. A typical Sunday includes time before and after each service for us to get to know each other (“fellowship”), times of singing and prayer to help us focus on Jesus (“worship”) and a challenging teaching time with practical application to our lives (“sermon”).
It’s a laid back, accepting environment and we are a quirky bunch! The perfect place to learn about and get to know Jesus and the amazing life He has for every single one of us.
Meeting / Service Times
| Sunday Schedule |
|---|
| The Lord's Supper 9:45 am - 10:35 am |
| Family Service & Sunday School 11:00 am - 12:00 pm |
| Prayer & Praise 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm |
Note: On special occasions such as Christmas, our regular schedule may change. Please check our Events Calendar to confirm.
Location & Parking
You can find our church at 950 Eagle Street North, Cambridge, right near the corner of Eagle and Concession. (Click here for map.)
Parking: We have a parking lot behind the church building on Shettleston Street.
Come As You Are
When you come in don’t be surprised if someone comes up to introduce themselves. We are a pretty friendly bunch.
If you’re worried about what to wear, don’t be! Come however you feel comfortable — whether shorts and sandals or shirt and tie; it’s all good... just make sure you have SOME sort of shirt and bottoms on!
Public Health
The Waterloo Region bylaw requires everyone to wear a face mask that covers the nose, mouth and chin. You may use your own mask, or you may take a disposable mask provided at the door when you come in. Masks must be worn at all times indoors.
When you arrive, please write your name on the clipboard at the door and initial both columns to indicate you don't have COVID or symptoms, and that you haven't travelled recently or been in contact with someone at risk. Please use a separate line for each person in your group.
Please use the hand sanitizer provided as you come in.
The bylaw limits how many people are allowed in the building, and seating arrangements for appropriate social distancing mean we have to pay attention to more details than before. If you intend to visit, could you please contact us ahead of time to let us know. That way we can prepare for you and your family, reserving a place for each visitor.
Attend Virtually
We also offer the opportunity to connect remotely on Zoom. If you'd like to participate in our services but attending in person isn't feasible, contact us and we'll email you the Zoom link so you can join in from home.
The Lord’s Supper
The Lord’s Supper Service begins at 10:00 am (or shortly after) and runs for approximately half an hour.
The Purpose of the Lord's Supper
Jesus himself began this memorial on the night before he was put to death on the cross.
The apostle Paul afterwards wrote:
For I pass on to you what I received from the Lord Himself. On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took some bread and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and said, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this to remember me.” In the same way, he too, the cup of wine after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people – an agreement confirmed with my blood. Do this to remember me as often as you drink it. For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are announcing the Lord’s death until he comes again.” (1 Corinthians 11:23-26, New Living Translation)
The bread and the wine are symbols of the life of Jesus, which he gave for us, when he died and took our punishment on himself so that we could have a new relationship with God. The phrase “until he comes again” reminds us that Jesus didn’t stay in the grave but that he rose to life three days later and is coming back again someday.
The purpose of the symbols and memorial is to remember the importance of Jesus’ death for us and, in remembering, we honour and worship Jesus as he deserves.
When the church first started they did this on a weekly basis.
Communal Remembrance
We have chosen to set aside approximately 25 minutes each week before taking the bread and wine to reflect communally on Jesus. This could take the form of singing, a passage of scripture, a prayer, or even thoughts and poems! In keeping with the instructions of 1 Corinthians 14:26, 34-35, this time is publicly led by the men.
Participating in the Lord’s Supper
The Lord’s supper consists of bread and wine (or grape juice) which we share. Note: in keeping with public health requirements we are using individually packaged wafers and grape juice portions in lieu of the traditional loaf and cup.
To participate in the Lord’s Supper you are saying that you identify yourself with Jesus’ death (1 Corinthians 10:16); in other words, the bread and the wine only means something for Christians. Sharing in the bread and the wine is a statement that you belong to Jesus Christ and that you are going to Heaven because of him. If you are not sure about this, we would be happy to speak with you and, for now, you can simply abstain.
Christians are also warned about taking the Lord’s Supper in an inappropriate way (1 Corinthians 11:27-30). If we are treating each other wrongly, or disobeying God in other ways but still taking the Lord’s Supper as though nothing is wrong, we are acting wrongly and disrespecting what Jesus has done.
The time before you eat the bread and drink the wine (or juice) is a valuable opportunity to examine yourself, recognizing again the significance of Jesus’ death for you and to restore your relationships with God and with others. If we confess our sins to him, God faithfully forgives us and cleans our hears of our sins.
If you find yourself free to participate, we welcome you to join us! Please take one of the wafer and juice packages from the tray at the door when you come in.
Family Service
The Family Service begins at approximately 10:30 am and runs for about 45 minutes.
Music
Our Family Service gets started in our sanctuary with some singing. The songs may be old hymns, contemporary worship songs or classic choruses. But regardless of the song, it is always meant to take our focus off ourselves and the distractions of life and help us focus on God; who He is and everything He has done.
Announcements
There are usually a few minutes taken to let everyone know what is going on at Eagle Street Christian Fellowship in the upcoming weeks.
Kids (ages 0-12)
Ordinarily there would be a separate teaching time available for the children down in our Sunday School area while the adults listen to the message in the sanctuary. However, current public health requirements mean that everyone gets to stay together in family groups in the sanctuary.
The Message
Our goal is that our Sunday messages be based on Biblical truth, while being relevant, clear and understandable whether you have church experience or not. Our speakers are generally not professionally trained and may include a mix of people from our church or guest speakers from other areas of the country or the world.
We depend on God to inspire both the speaker and those listening with His truth.
After the Service
When the meeting is over, feel free to strike up a conversation with someone around you. Because public health requires social distancing of at least six feet, it may be easier to chat outside in the parking lot (depending on the weather, of course). It can be intimidating coming in to a group of complete strangers for the first time, but our hope is that you will feel a part of the family whether it is your first time or your hundredth.