Everyone is welcome at Gateway! If you’ve not been to Gateway before or never been to church, here’s an idea of what to expect.

 

WHAT TO WEAR

We’re a bunch of down-to-earth people and there’s no dress code at Gateway. Come casual or come a bit dressier, it’s up to you and what you feel comfortable in!

CAR PARKING

When you arrive at Gateway Mackenzie you’ll always be able to find a carpark. If there are lots of other people coming to the service as well, we’ll have carpark attendants to help you.

WHERE TO COME

8am & 10am: Our Sunday morning services are held in the main Auditorium. Enter the main building and walk through the foyer. Our Welcome Team in blue shirts will welcome you at the auditorium doors.

5pm: Our Sunday evening service is held in the Main Auditorium. Our Welcome Team in with Gateway lanyards will welcome you out the front of this building.

KIDS IN CHURCH

If you have children who’d like to join in our Sunday morning kids and youth activities, find out more here. Otherwise your children are very welcome to come into the main service.

The Auditorium and Loft have seats which are pram accessible, and space at the back of the room where you can supervise your kids playing during the service. If your child is unsettled there are places outside the Auditorium you can take them to settle them or play with them.

8am & 10am: A Parent Lounge and Feeding Room at the back of the Auditorium is a place you can take your young children and still hear the service. Baby change facilities are also available.

WHAT TIME TO COME

Our services always start on time, but don’t worry if you’re running late. You will enter through doors at the back of the room, and if our seating is getting full someone on our Welcome Team will help you find a seat. If you come with other people we will help you sit together.

WELCOME TEAM and WELCOME DESK

As you enter the Auditorium our Welcome Team (they’ll be easy to spot in their blue Welcome Team shirts or Gateway lanyards) will greet you with friendly smiles. They may be handing out information or notes to people and you are welcome to take what they hand you.

At the entrance to the Auditorium you will also see a Welcome Desk. If you have any questions, feel free to ask our helpful and friendly people at the Welcome Desk.

A TYPICAL GATEWAY SERVICE

A Gateway service is usually 70-90 minutes, with four parts:
Worship – together we sing songs of worship and praise to God. Most people stand, however, feel free to sit if you prefer. The words are on a screen. (approximately 20-30 minutes)
Announcements – we share information about what’s going on at Gateway, what events are coming up, and we take a few minutes to say hello to the people sitting around us. (approximately 7-15 minutes)
Message – one of our Gateway team or a guest speaker will share a message. (approximately 30-40 minutes)
Close – we finish the service with prayer, singing and sometimes the opportunity to respond to the message. If you want, you can come down the front and someone will pray with you. (approx. 5-10 minutes)

GIVING

During each service there is an opportunity to give, which is a place for our Gateway family to financially give to the work of the church. You can give with your smart device or place a physical gift in buckets at the doors on your way out. Feel free to enjoy the service without any sense of obligation or guilt to give.

GET CONNECTED

If you’d like to meet people and get connected with Gateway you can visit our Welcome Desk after the service, and we also serve free tea and coffee and our café is open if you’d like to stay and meet people. You can also hop onto our website where the first thing you see is a GET CONNECTED button. Fill out some info there and we’ll then ring you during the week to chat about connecting into Gateway.

COMMUNION

One Sunday a month we share communion together during the service. Communion is a way we remember and celebrate the new life we have through the death and resurrection of Jesus. We eat a small piece of bread/gluten free cracker and drink small cups of grape juice which symbolise the body and blood of Jesus. Anyone of any age who loves Jesus is welcome to share in communion with us. On these Sundays you will receive a little communion package on the way into the Auditorium. If you don’t wish to join in communion, please feel free to enjoy a quiet, personal moment during this part of the service.

UNDERSTANDING THE UNFAMILIAR

At Gateway, church is not about a religious ceremony where we tick off a list of things we have to do. We come to church to connect with God and other people – we’re just like a big family hanging out together for a few hours on a Sunday – and we’d love to welcome you into our church family as well. Sometimes we may say and do things in our services that are unfamiliar to you. We don’t want you to feel uncomfortable or excluded, so if there is anything you don’t understand or want to ask questions about, you are very welcome to talk with someone on our Welcome Team or contact one of our pastors.