We gather for worship each Sunday at 10 AM
at Haymarket Elementary School
15500 Learning Lane, Haymarket, VA
Worship is an opportunity for us to encounter God and each other. In worship, we seek to meet God and be transformed so that we can live lives of love for God and others each day.
What Can I Expect?
At Haymarket Church you can expect to encounter friendly people who are passionate about worshiping God, growing in faith, caring for each other, and living lives of love.
Our worship style is modern and relatively informal. Our regular Sunday worship includes (among other things) individual and communal prayer, music and singing led by our band (guitar, piano, drums, etc.), readings from Scripture, a sermon that helps us explore how what we believe about God shapes our daily lives, and opportunities to respond to God’s love.
Each Sunday (and during some other special services) we celebrate the sacrament of Holy Communion (also known as the Lord’s Supper or the Eucharist). This is a holy meal in which we remember God’s love for us in Jesus and give thanks for (and experience) God’s continued presence in our midst.
We celebrate an open table, which means that everyone is welcome to receive communion, no matter who you are or whether or not you are a member of any church. As long as you seek to follow Jesus and encounter God’s love, you are welcome to participate in this holy experience with us. Our children return from Children’s Church and receive communion first. If you have food allergies, we have (gluten-free) communion wafers made with potato and rice flour – Jesus welcomes all of us to his table, so just ask and we will make sure that you receive communion in a way that is safe and healthy for you!
At times throughout the year, we celebrate the sacrament of baptism, in which new Christians are welcomed into the church and we are all called by God to join in God’s work. Baptism is something that God does in our lives, and not something that we earn, and so all people who seek to follow Jesus are welcome (and encouraged) to participate in this holy experience. If you would like more information about baptism, please contact Pastor Brian at Brian.Johnson@HaymarketChurch.org.
Each week during worship children are invited to the front for a few moments with one of our worship leaders. After that, as we prepare for the sermon, the children (3 years old through 5th grade) are invited to join one of our many amazing teachers in one of our classrooms for “Children’s Church.”During this time, while Scripture is read and the sermon preached in our main worship area, the children will explore Scripture and dive into God’s story in a way that is tailored to their age, learning styles, and developmental needs.
There is nursery care available for small children during worship – although you are certainly welcome to keep your children in worship with you.
Finally, you can expect God to be present with you. You may not always feel it, you may not always know it, but we believe that wherever people gather and call upon the name of Jesus, God is with us, ready to meet us. So, when you come to worship you should expect (and look for) signs of God’s presence.
What Should I Wear?
Our worship attire is pretty casual – even our pastor wears jeans (though he also sometimes wears a tie and what he calls his “preaching sneakers.”) When you come to worship with Haymarket Church, you will probably see some people wearing shorts and flip-flops, some people wearing dress clothes, and lots of combinations in-between. While most people are dressed casually (jeans and khakis tend to rule the day), you will see just about every clothing option you can imagine (except tuxedos – there aren’t many of those). So, wear something that makes you feel comfortable, but don’t worry too much about it. As we read in 1 Samuel 16 when David is anointed as king over Israel, “the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” We want to be like God in this regard – we aren’t concerned with your appearance, but instead are glad that you want to worship God with us.
Where Is Worship?
We gather each Sunday at Haymarket Elementary School (15500 Learning Ln., Haymarket, VA). Park in either parking lot, enter at the front door (next to the big “Welcome” banner) and a greeter will help you find your way.
You Worship in a School?
Haymarket Church is what is often called a “church plant,” meaning that we are a new church that has been established in order to help new people connect with God (and others) and grow in faith. Because we are new, we don’t have a traditional church building. We have space for events during the week at our Ministry Center (see more here), but that space can’t hold all of us when we gather for worship on Sundays. And so, we rent space at an Elementary School each Sunday. We worship in the gym, have a nursery in the reading room, and have children’s activities in various classrooms. We work very hard to make the space feel holy and welcoming (so that it feels like you’re going to church!), and our setup team does an amazing job setting up and putting away all the stuff that is required to “do church” each week. We are incredibly thankful for our partnership with Haymarket Elementary School and for the continuing opportunity to worship there. Whether or not you’ve ever tried “church in a school,” we encourage you to give us a try – we think it feels like church and we are confident that God is there
I Have Children – What About Them?
We believe that children learn to worship God by actually doing it, and so we encourage children to participate in worship with their families. Children (preschool through 5th grade) worship in the main worship space for the opening portion of our worship service, and then, after a brief Children’s Time, head back to a classroom with their teachers in order to encounter Scripture in ways that are tailored to their distinct learning needs during Children’s Church. They return to our main worship space for communion, before returning to their classrooms (where they will be picked up by their parents).
When you arrive, make sure to check in your children at our children’s registration station by the front door so that we can best care for them. Checking them in also helps us ensure that they stay safe and are checked out to you when worship is over. In particular, be sure to note if your child has any food allergies or other medical needs so that our teachers can be ready to care for them as well as possible. If you have any questions, our greeters will be there to help you register your children.
And, of course, you are always welcome to keep your children with you in our main worship space, if you prefer. We offer Children’s Church to help children grow in faith, but all people (of all ages) are always welcome to worship God with us.
What If I'm Not Sure What I Believe?
At Haymarket Church, we believe that everyone who is looking to encounter God or follow the way of Jesus is welcome with us. We consider ourselves a “big tent” of faith, meaning that we have lots of people with lots of different faith perspectives, and we think that’s a good thing! We have some beliefs that we think are very important, but not all of us believe all of those things all the time – there’s no membership test or checklist of required beliefs before you can take part in worship. Part of what it means to be part of a church is that we are figuring this stuff out together. Sometimes what we do is believe things for each other – so, when you aren’t sure that you can believe that God is real or a part of your life, there are people here who can believe it for you, help you figure it out, and take care of you while you struggle with your faith and wrestle with your doubts. We have people at all sorts of ages and stages of faith, and you are welcome and encouraged to explore yours with us – whoever you are and whatever you believe.
To learn more about what we at Haymarket Church believe, visit our What We Believe page.
New Here?
Whether it’s your first time at Haymarket Church, your first time back after some time away, or your first time at any church in years, we want to get to know you so that we can welcome you. Feel free to ask questions and make sure to introduce yourself to Pastor Brian or one of our greeters at the end of worship. This is God’s church, and everyone who wants to follow Jesus, encounter God’s love, and find their place in God’s story is welcome here. Visit our I’m New page for more information about your first visit.