We know it takes a fair amount of courage to go to a new church where you may not know a single person or any of the songs. So the first time you come, we want to let you know some things to expect so you'll feel more comfortable:

Come as you are. No really, we mean it. People come in shorts, jeans, swimsuits, and occasionally fancy clothes. Dress up however you feel comfortable and it won't bother us a bit. Our sanctuary holds a mixture of couches, pews, and chairs to make you feel at home.

We're a different kind of church. Sometimes people hand out popsicles or ice cream cones in the middle of the service. One of our pastors preaches in his bare feet. There's music and poetry and art. There are married couples, Baby Boomers, and a few folks in their 70s. Some of our friends have homes while others are homeless. Other than that, it's mostly folks who are between the ages of 22 and 42 and single. It's pretty easy to look around on a Sunday morning and wonder, "What do all of these people have in common?"

We like old and new. We've tried to take the best of the Church from the last 2,000 years and smash it together with Galveston's own unique culture and vision of the divine. Most of what we do is intentionally modern with a flavor of ancient thrown into the mix. Our music includes modern worship songs, played by a modern band, in an historic-looking room. We also value older hymns because of their richness, but we still play them with modern instruments like guitars, keyboards, and banjos. You might even hear a Taylor Swift or Chance the Rapper cover.

Worship is what we're after. When we gather, we hope to settle for nothing less than an experience of the living God. This experience of God then sends us out into the world to change it. We're reminded of this as we partake of the Eucharist every week.

What you see is what you get. If your life is perfect and you never have any problems you're welcome here too, but most of us are just doing our best to make it through the day and to follow Jesus in the process.

Why do we need a Galveston Central Church?

Central is important because it's experimenting with new ways to "do church" in a way that makes sense to urban, postmodern folks. It is a place where:

• The Gospel matters, liturgy is recontextualized, and we are free to reclaim the word "Christian"

• Scripture is honored enough to be faithfully questioned and struggled with

• We no longer have to culturally commute or bracket-out parts of ourselves to be in Christian community

• We are co-creators of liturgy, rather than just passive participants - aesthetics and theology both matter

• The community is both intellectually and spiritually stimulating

• We provide a connection or a bridge to the traditions of the church

(Adapted from HFASS)