New Horizon Church

I'm a week behind in posting this....but last weekend we visited a church in Durham, NC called New Horizon Church. Kids' Pastor Cathy had met me through twitter and had invited us to come visit once we got moved up here, so we did. After our visit, she had asked for some feedback...here is some of what I sent her:

Kids Areas:
I just have to say...WOW! I loved the kids ministry. (Let me back up a little...the HUGE inflatable was really exciting to see when we 1st pulled in! They have a team of folks who set it up out there every week. The kids loved playing on it!) Ok, back inside...The rooms were themed well. Everything seemed organized, clean and new. The quality of equipment/lighting/video/signs/murals, etc.etc...was outstanding. Many churches would envy the quality of equipment/design that they have. She even let me look backstage and it was immaculate & organized.

Signage:
They had some terrific signs in the building. Everywhere you went was beautiful signs and murals. A lot of their signs were hand painted by talented folks in their congregation, but I think some of the design was from Wacky World...very nice!

Registration:
It was so funny when I said we were first-time visitors. Both of the ladies got very excited! As I filled out the paperwork, she added my info in the system...it was very fast & efficient. The ID number tags were explained very well. The kids loved their goodie bags...I was impressed with how much stuff was in them (candy, stuffed animals, bubbles, playdoh, stickers & more)...and very nice stuff at that! I liked that someone walked me and Abby to the Nursery and showed us where to go. It is obvious that newcomers are very welcome and appreciated. : )

Classrooms/Space:
Like I said before, the classrooms were fantastic! With all the space they have available for the kids, it seems like there would have been more kids there. I would say that was the only thing that surprised me about the whole church was that there were a lot of empty space/empty seats. With a facility like that and a quality team of folks they have on staff, they should be packed out. Once the word gets out about how fantastic they are, they're gonna be busting at the seams!

Big Church Message:
Loved it all. I thought Pastor Jamie had a cool radio-DJ voice. And man, was he funny! He did a great job with the message. My favorite part was when he asked folks to open their Bibles. Too many churches get away from that nowadays. It was nice that everyone around us had their Bibles out and open. Very cool.
We also loved the "peanut galley" in the audience. It made it feel very intimate and open when the audience felt comfortable enough to interrupt Pastor Jamie and he was ok with going off topic for a bit. Overall, he hit a home-run with the message...didn't hold back...just preached it! : )

Overall....two thumbs up! (Or 8 thumbs if you count my husband and kids.)

Since our visit last week, I have received a follow-up phone call to thank us for coming and welcome us to the area. Plus, I received a hand-written thank you with an invite to their Block Party. It is obvious that this church loves its people and loves to welcome new folks. The quality of the facility, the signage, the materials, equipment, etc...shows that they invest back into the church and care about making a good first (and lasting) impression.

Great job New Horizon Church! We hope to go back again soon.