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North Point Christian Church

How to be a North Point Newbie

Introductions

It’s always hard to be the “new kid on the block.” We promise not to make you stand up and be introduced or sing your alma mater’s fight song. As a matter of fact, you can be as anonymous as you want to be! Some people might come up and welcome you, but if you keep moving to a seat in the auditorium, it’s usually safe in there. Sit more towards the middle of a row…it’s harder for people to reach you there. Sometimes, we let people say “good morning” to the people sitting near them. It’s pretty hard to avoid this moment, but it passes quickly. We shake hands. Some people hug each other. You won’t be hugged, but if you think it’s going to happen, just start coughing. People will move away.

Dress regulations

We’re pretty informal. Not a lot of ties. It’s not that we’re against ties, though. We actually like ties. Bow ties are cool. In fact, you can wear anything you want. The guys in the band wear sandals. Sometimes they take their sandals off when they’re playing. They say it makes them play better. We think they’re fooling themselves, but what do we know? Hats are ok, too. Wearing them backwards makes you look tough, but you can do it anyway. Don’t wear them sideways unless you listen to hip hop music. Dresses are ok…for girls.

Food in the auditorium

We allow food and drinks in our auditorium. Some people don’t like it, but we do it anyway. You can make friends with those people by offering them some of what you have. If you drink coffee, put a lid on it. Water is always good…and good for you. If you spill your drink, don’t act like you didn’t do it. Get up and clean the carpet. If you bring cookies, make sure you share them. Bags of food are not good. Eat your meals before you come.

Sunday meetings

Things are pretty comfortable during our weekly worship times. Our music is pretty loud. We stand while we sing, but you’ll get to sit down eventually. We don’t have hymnals, even though we sing some hymns. In fact, we’ve figured out that a lot of hymns sound pretty good with drums and electric guitars! Some people sing loud. Some probably shouldn’t, but we’re glad they sing anyway. We have communion every Sunday. Like…every Sunday. You are always welcome to join us. The same goes for offering! We have a sermon every Sunday too. Mike tries real hard… Bibles on iPads and smartphones outnumber the paper versions. And it’s okay to text during the meeting…as long as you don’t mind being called out if someone sees you.  And turn off your ringer…unless it’s a cool ring tone.

“Starting on time”

We would strongly encourage you not to follow in the footsteps of those North Pointers who drag in late to the things we do. There are great advantages to showing up on time, or even a little early. You get the prime parking spaces. You might get a donut that one of our middle schoolers hasn’t touched. You can have your choice of seats and not run the risk of having to sit in the front row. And remember, the door prizes always go to the first ones who arrive!

Church “membership”

We would love to have you become a member of North Point. Really. But there are some steps. First, you need to get on the North Point mailing list. Just give us your email address and we’ll send stuff to you. No strings attached. And not too much.  We’ll keep you up-to-date on all things North Point and you don’t have to do a thing! Second, you need to get your name on the NP phone list. The only requirement is that you come regularly and you have a phone. It will make you look like you’re part of the team and every now and then you’ll get a text asking you to do something. You can always ignore it, but it will still make you feel special. If you want to “make it official” give us a call at the church office and we’ll set up a time to meet. We prefer that meeting to take place at an eating establishment like Cabana or Starbucks, but you can make the call on that one. As soon as we make it official, we can teach you the secret handshake…

Our infatuation with the sporting world

It probably won’t take you too long to notice that we are way into sports around North Point. Here are a few tips for navigating through it all: First, pick a team. Any team. Any sport. And then blindly support them. Think, talk, act like your team can do no wrong and can never be beat under any circumstances. Until they lose. When they do, make excuses. The more lame, the better. It will make you look like a true sports fanatic. Second, join in our sporting activities when they are offered.  Being able to actually play the sport is not a prerequisite. Whether it’s golf or bowling or whatever, when it comes time to play, just show up dressed like you are an athlete. You will be immediately accepted into the circle.

Kids

If you are new to North Point, one of the first things you will notice is that there are a bunch of young people around. If you don’t like kids, this probably is not the place for you. Sorry. On the other hand, if you like kids and/or have a few of your own, you may have found your spot! A few words to the wise… When you walk into the auditorium, always be ready to duck. There may be a foam projectile coming at your head. When you are standing around, make sure your footing is solid…when a kid runs into you at 20mph, you are less likely to be knocked to the floor. When approaching one of the young natives, offer something sweet. They like it and will, in turn, like you.

sunday lunch

If you’re looking for a “Newcomer’s Class” or a traditional “Pastor’s Class”, you probably aren’t going to find one any time soon.  We do ours a little different.  It’s called lunch after church. There’s always a group of people that go out for a cheap lunch somewhere and this is a really cool way to meet some new people and find out what we are really like.  And the great part about it is if you are a little reserved, all you have to do is keep shoving tacos in your mouth and nodding your head!  It’s a total win-win.