Haymarket Church Worship
At Haymarket Church we believe that Faith and Life Connect.
We gather for worship each Sunday.
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 connects to real life and helps us listen to God, and opportunities to respond to God’s love.
We continue to offer a variety of worship options – so that everyone can find a way to connect with God and community in a way that feels comfortable/safe for them. We worship weekly indoors at Haymarket Elementary School, weekly online, occaisionally on the playground, and occasionally at the park.
Indoor Worship
Due to the recent changes in guidance from the CDC, masks are optional in our worship space for people who are fully vaccinated against Covid-19. Because we have many folks whose medical and family situations put them at higher risk, we also have a reserved “masks required” seating section. While folks who are wearing mask can sit anywhere in our worship space, only folks who are wearing masks can sit in our “masks required” section.
Nursery care is provided, and activities are offered for children from 6 weeks through 5th grade during worship. Masks are required for everyone (adults and children, regardless of vaccination status) in our Kids’ Ministry Space until August 21. This policy is in response to concerns from parents with children under 5 years old (who do not yet have access to a Covid-19 vaccine) and is a way to care for families who feel left behind and unseen at this stage of the pandemic. This policy means that a fully-vaccinated child could have their mask off in our worship space at the start of worship, and then would need to put their mask on to attend kids’ ministry. See below for details on coming changes.
In addition, our Children’s ministry continues to provide videos and activities for families to do at home.
Please note: if you are vaccinated but would prefer to continue masking, we fully support that decision. Please do not assume that someone who is wearing a mask is unvaccinated – we all have differing levels of comfort with social gatherings at this time, and we want to make space for everyone to engage comfortably.
Kids Ministry Update:
Beginning on Sunday, August 21, masks will be optional in Kids’ Ministry at Haymarket Church. (This date was chosen to coincide with the start of the school year AND because it gives parents time to complete a full regimen of the vaccine for their children.) As always, if guidance from the CDC and public health professionals changes, we will respond to that guidance and update our masking (and other mitigation) policies as is appropriate.
Haymarket Elementary School
15500 Learning Ln
Haymarket, VA 20169
Online Worship
We have two options for Online worship.
Online Worship (9 AM) is a simple service designed for an online congregation. It includes a sermon, music, and prayer.
Livestream Worship (10 AM) is a livestream broadcast of our 10 AM in-person worship service. This service is designed for the in-person worshiping congregation, and the online experience feels more like watching what’s happening in-person. This service allows you to watch things like the Children’s Message and Holy Communion.The video quality is slightly lower for 10 AM Livestream Worship than for our 9 AM Online Worship service, due to limited broadband access at our indoor worship location.
Some people worship online live on Sunday morning, while others worship later during the week.
All of our online offerings are simple services that focus on content rather than showy production.
Worship on the Playground
An outdoor, socially-distanced worship service focusing on Scripture, music, and communion.
WE HAVE PAUSED OUTDOOR WORSHIP FOR THE WINTER!
From time to time we worship on the playground at Haymarket Elementary School at 8:30 AM. This service is designed for families. Our Haymarket Kids wander and play while we experience outdoor worship together.
After outdoor worship services, we host activities for children.
Masks are not required for outdoor worship.
Haymarket Elementary School Playground
15500 Learning Ln
Haymarket, VA 20169
Sunday Morning Schedule
9:00 AM: Online Worship
10:00 AM: Indoor Worship, Livestream Worship, In-Person Kids’ Ministry
*For the purpose of worship policies, “Vaccinated persons” includes all persons who have received both doses of the Moderna or Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine, or the single dose of the Johnson&Johnson vaccine, and have waited the two weeks after their final dose. “Unvaccinated persons” includes anyone who has not met this requirement.
Communion & Baptism
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’re looking for God, you’re welcome to participate. Our children return from Kids’ Ministry 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! For a full list of ingredients in our communion elements, click here.
At times throughout the year, we celebrate the sacrament of baptism. 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.
For Kids
Note: In accordance with guidelines from the CDC and Virginia Department of Health, masks are required for all persons age 2 and over during Indoor Worship. Children under 2 are not required to wear masks. Each week during worship children are invited to the front for a few moments with one of our worship leaders. After that, as the rest of us 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 “Kids’ Ministry.” 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 fun for them and 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.
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 virtual greeters in the chat via Facebook, YouTube, or Vimeo. You can use our online attendance form to let us know you are new to Haymarket Church as well.
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.
Worship on Sundays!
Our in-person worship location is at Haymarket Elementary School. Beginning on September 12, we gather for worship each Sunday at 10 AM at Haymarket Elementary School, 15500 Learning Lane, Haymarket. You are invited to come and discover the presence of God during this time.
We also worship online at 9 AM and 10 AM each Sunday morning.
Why do 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 reach new people, build a new community of faith, and help those folks connect with God and others. 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. So, we rent space at Haymarket Elementary School each Sunday (in non-pandemic times).
We worship in the cafeteria, and have a nursery and space for 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?
Haymarket Church is passionate about helping kids and families grow in faith. We have opportunities for kids to grow in faith every Sunday morning. In the midst of the current pandemic, we offer a variety of Virtual and in-person resources of Kids’ Ministry. For more about our our Kids’ Ministry, including digital resources, visit our Kids’ Ministry Page.
We work hard to offer amazing kids’ ministry opportunities every Sunday morning when you arrive to worship. Our Kids’ Ministry is fun and includes content that is tailored to help kids encounter God and grow in faith in ways that are appropriate to their age, learning styles, and developmental needs. And, just as importantly, we strive hard to teach children (through our words and through our actions) that they are loved (by God and by Haymarket Church) no matter what.
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 Kids’ Ministry room with their teachers in order to encounter Scripture in ways that are tailored to their distinct learning needs during Kids’ Ministry. 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 on Sunday morning, make sure to check in your children at our children’s check in station (by the door to our worship area) so that we can best care for them. 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, a member of our Kids’ Ministry Team will be there to help you check in 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 Kids’ Ministry 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, everyone who is looking for God is always welcome. 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 come to 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.