WHAT TO EXPECT?

We understand that your first time visiting a church brings up lots of questions. From, "when does it start?" to "what is the coffee like?" this is our attempt to answer some of those questions and help you feel a little more at home.

WHERE IS IT? 

The Carleton Place Canoe Club is located along side the beautiful Mississippi River and adjacent to the Riverside Park and Beach. The building is brightly lit with lots of windows. In fact, we’re not sure people listen to the messages because they are watching the geese floating on the water.

HOW DO I GET THERE? 
From the intersection of Trans Canada Hwy,#7 and Franktown Road:
-Head north on Franktown Road into Carleton Place.
-Franktown Road becomes Moore Street and eases to the left.
-Turn left on Lake Avenue (3rd set of lights with the Canadian Tire gas bar.
-Turn right on Hawthorne Ave (St. Mary’s RC church/school on NW corner). 
-Turn Left on John Street.
-Follow John Street down to the river.
-The Carleton Place Canoe Club is the two story brown building beside the river.

WHEN SHOULD I ARRIVE? 

Please feel free to come whenever you feel comfortable. The service starts at around 10:30am, but usually our set up team starts arriving at around 10:00am to set up chairs and make the coffee. If you want to come and visit while we’re getting ready come on in or if you prefer to sneak in and sit in the back after things have started that’s fine too.

WHO COMES TO CHURCH? 
Friendly people come to church. From infants to retirees we are a diverse group. Some who come would be committed Christians, some would be just coming back to church after having been away for a while and some wouldn’t be Christians at all. One thing is certain, none of us is perfect. In fact we all have messes in our lives. We don’t come to church because we have it all together; we come because we need God and each other to make our lives better.

HOW MANY PEOPLE COME? 
Since we began meeting in the Carleton Place Canoe Club in December of 2005 we have grown to a Sunday morning congregation of between 40-60 people. We’re growing!!!

WHAT IS THE SERVICE LIKE? 
Our meeting is usually pretty fun and informal. It usually goes as follows:
Opening Prayer 2-5 min.
Worship Songs 20-30 min.
Announcements 5-10 min.
Coffee Break 20-30 min.
Message 20-30 min.
The service usually ends some time around 12:00pm. We may go longer if something special is happening, but we’ll give people a chance to sneak out if they have to go.

WHAT IS THE WORSHIP TIME LIKE? 

Our worship time usually begins with prayer and consists of singing four or five songs. Most of the songs are pretty new, written in the last few years, but sometimes we use older hymns as well. We always project our songs so that people can follow along. Our worship leaders sometimes lead alone on acoustic guitar and sometimes play with other musicians as well.

People can feel free to participate at whatever level they feel comfortable. Some sing passionately, and some just listen. Some sit and some stand. We just want everyone to feel like they can connect with Jesus.

WHAT IS THE COFFEE LIKE? 
Organic, fairly traded and freshly roasted. Good snacks and great conversation.

WHAT IS THE MESSAGE LIKE?
 
The teaching time is quite informal and usually pretty fun. The messages are designed to be encouraging and helpful for daily living. It’s an interactive time where people have the opportunity to share and ask questions. Most often the Team Leader/Pastor facilitates the teaching time, but others get the chance to speak as well. Sometimes we invite guest speakers from out of town.

WHAT SHOULD I WEAR? 
Dress is casual, so you can wear what’s comfortable. The Team Leader/Pastor most often wears jeans or shorts. We don’t let him wear socks with sandals though.

We hope this little Q&A session helps clear things up a bit. Please come check us out.

Sincerely,
The OVV Team

Please feel free to call us at (613.257.6045) or email us (info@ovv.ca) if you have any additional questions.