We know that lots of people have been turned off church in the past because of bad experiences. Because we know this can happen AND because we hope the opposite will happen for you at 5:17 we’ve created this page. We hope it’ll help you feel ok about checking out church – and Jesus – either again or for the first time.
Why the name ‘5:17 church’?
| Our name is a reflection of the time we meet on Sundays (5 for 5:17pm), but also of our great hope and confidence – the truth found in the Bible verse 2 Corinthians 5:17 – “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ he (or she) is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come.” You can read more about what this means on our Discovering God page. |
Why should I come?
| Obviously no-one is forcing you to, but the reason you might want to is to find out more about what Christians believe. We believe Jesus Christ is “the way, the truth and the life” and that life makes the best sense when it’s lived in relationship with him. We’d love you to find this out for yourself through coming to church with us. |
What happens at church?
| In brief, we eat (afternoon tea at 5pm), we sing (about and to God), we pray (to God and for people), we listen (to God as a passage from the Bible is explained for us in the sermon), we take communion (a symbolic ‘meal’ reminding us why Jesus died for us on the cross), we give (money into bags so the church can keep running), and we hang out (as people who enjoy God and each other’s company). |
Do I have to do these things?
| Everything is optional and in fact some things might be better for you not to do. You won’t be personally asked to sing, pray, say something, give money, or take communion – unless you’re already a Christian and you understand and value the meaning of these things. But you’re very free and welcome to sing (out loud) and pray (silently) along with everyone else around you. |
The Specifics:
What should I wear?
| Wear whatever you feel comfortable in; we don’t have a dress-code and our service is casual and relaxed. Steve (our pastor) doesn’t wear robes or dress up formally. |
What time should I get there?
| Just to be different, church starts at 5:17pm – but to make it easy just come at 5pm for some arvo tea and the service leader will tell us when 5:17 ticks round! Church will usually go for about 1.5 hours – till 7pm. |
Where should I park?
| There is on-street parking all along Ryans Rd, as well as some on the cross streets (Sisley, Depper, Armadale, Bellevue). |
Do you have wheelchair access?
| yes, but access to the bathrooms is via a bit of a frustrating outdoor ride |
What happens when I get there?
| When you come in the door there’ll be someone there saying hello to everyone, and they’ll hand you a news-sheet and a welcome form to read (and fill out, if you’re happy to). Depending on what time you arrive, there’ll be afternoon tea on or you can just walk through to find a seat. We use chairs rather than pews, and there’s no official or unspoken reserved seating! |
Do I need to bring anything?
| No, just yourself. You can bring a Bible if you’ve got one, as reading the Bible and hearing a portion of it explained in the sermon is the centre of what we do, but we hand out Bibles to guests to borrow (or keep) if you don’t have one. |
More questions?
We’d be happy to answer them. Please contact us!
