FAQs

I am Catholic (or Baptist or Lutheran or Methodist or….), can I still come?

Absolutely. You are our guest. Many people – in fact most people-- who visit New Life Five Points were raised in another denomination which they had considered their ‘home’ denomination—even if they hadn’t really been active for some time. Welcome. You are indeed our special guest at NLFP. Not many of us were actually Presbyterians when we came. I didn’t even know what a Presbyterian was when I first started attending a Presbyterian church in the early 80s. NLFP has people who came from a wide variety of other homes; Catholic, Mennonite, Baptist, Lutheran, Assemblies of God just to name a few.

Perhaps you are currently an active member of some other church or denomination. If this describes you, we strongly recommend that you contact your priest/minister for their guidance. But—having said that, we welcome you as well as our special guest. You are on what I call jokingly as a ‘church field trip’ of sorts. Enjoy your time with us. In fact, some people regularly go to their church/mass during another time slot and then come to get fed here as well.

You may or may not know that historically there haven’t always been a confusion plethora of denominations and churches. In fact, virtually all major Western denominations would have their roots in the Roman Catholic Church. The Presbyterians were one of many reform movements that were originally birthed within the RCC. Our predecessors never wanted to form something new outside the RCC, but only sought to reform the historic church. Many of us today still refer to ourselves as reformed Catholics.

I don’t have much of a Biblical background. Will I be lost or feel stupid?

Honestly—maybe a little. But that’s OK, come as a student. We don’t have certain pat expectations that you have to know certain things before you come. There are no knowledge hoops for you to jump through. We intentionally try to avoid ‘religious-speak’—but we would admit that it slips through sometimes. My advice is for you to humbly come as a willing student and be bold enough to ask questions. This is a great place to lay a fresh foundation—though I would admit that we are not going to water the stuff down for you. Try to pick up new things every week. Jump in the water. We will work with you to bring you up to speed. Remember that Jesus almost always spoke to a confused crowd. It was the disciples who asked questions.

You may be interested in attending ‘Christianity Explored’. It is a 10 week intro course to historic Christianity. We are beginning a number of them – probably one near your home.

I don’t want to be on a mailing list.

It is up to you if you want to get church info. There is a tear off info slip in the bulletin that invites you to participate at your comfort level. We will honor your space.

I have kids. They are not really used to sitting still for over an hour.

We are very sensitive to our children. We very much want worship to be a positive experience for the children as well as the adults. We provide a quality nursery for 0-2 year olds. It is opened at 9:15 and goes through the service. Your infant is in good hands. For children ages 3-6, we offer a wonderful worship time for children called “Children & Worship”. It is brilliant. Barb DiBlasi coordinates that time and we get rave reviews from kids and parents. We are also beginning a ‘Junior Church’ time for 6-11 year olds. For both of these age groups, we dismiss them after the worship portion of the adult service to another room. In this way, we hope that they are exposed to adult worship in a positive way (and amount) and then invited to participate in something that is age specific.

Can I raise my hands in worship?

Absolutely.

Can I say ‘amen’ to Pastor Bill’s comments?

Only the good ones.

Can I share prayer requests?

We would be honored. Often, the worship leader will ask for prayer requests. This invitation is open to anyone present. You may also send prayer requests, even confidential ones to the Session.

Can I come even though I don’t believe in God?

You are very much our honored guest. We love people like you who are truly asking questions and seeking real answers.

I am not what you would call a ‘good’ person and have done many things that are not Christian. Can I still come?

Come as you are. That is what I do. Jesus receives you as you are. Jesus didn’t come for good people, but for those in need.

If you have any other questions, give us a call or email us. 215-412-5372. nlfp@comcast.net.