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| - What a fun place to meet God. Worshipping doesn't have to be the boring, stand-up-sit-down version our parents made us suffer through; it can be a party celebrating the Son of Man and the Big Man Himself!
Canyon Ridge is HUGE, but don't let the size intimidate you. They take the sign seriously: "Come as you are." In fact, I feel a bit awkward when I show up in what my parents taught me were church clothes. Really... shorts, a T-shirt, and flip flops are fine... even when I'm serving communion. God sees me everywhere so why should I try to fool Him on Saturday nights or Sunday mornings.
In addition to Big Church (affectionately called by the young ones in the congregation), Canyon Ridge offers myriad options for meeting the Master King. There's the gargantuan building for kids where little old ladies rock your infants, (responsible) teenagers get down on the floor and play with toddlers (under the guidance of adults), elementary kids learn about Jesus while having fun, and middle schoolers party their way through their own services after games of foosball. High schoolers get special treatment since they're a different breed. They have their own service on Sunday nights (since they're all so busy with school, football games, and e-sports the rest of the time) followed by small group time where they get down-and-dirty talking about things that really matter (and things they wouldn't dare talk about with their parents). There are church camps and mission trips (imagine sending YOUR kid to Mexico over spring break to serve God while you enjoy that second honeymoon with your spouse!). For those battling hang-ups, there's the Friday night Celebration service. And, if that's not enough, there's even a traditional service my parents might enjoy!
One of the main things encouraged by the Church is involvement in small groups. Because it's such a big congregation and services are even larger than Texas high school football games, it's hard to get to know people at church. Instead, we congregates congregate outside the congregation so we can "live life together" in personal and authentic ways. Canyon Ridge makes it easy to find a small group and get started.
Beyond churchy stuff, there are also the ministries. Most of us serve in one ministry or another. It can mean helping in the parking lot, loving on kids in Base Camp, or helping make copies. Or, it can mean helping organize a snowmobile or ATV adventure for the men's ministry, taking pictures of families as they build pseudo-gingerbread houses, and manning the cotton candy machine at a family event. Seriously... my family's done all of this--and called it "serving the Lord." There's also the cupcake ministry where women take cupcakes to strip clubs to show love and respect to those who sometimes have limited life choices. And, I serve in the prison ministry. We take about 100 donated children's books to the women's prison once a month. Incarcerated moms choose a book for their child(ren) and we record their voices as they read them aloud. We then send the books and CDs to their kids who receive gifts from their moms that their moms couldn't otherwise send. Plus, moms give their children encouragement to become strong readers. It's pretty awesome.
I love my church and how it's taught me to experience God in a personal way and welcome you to come check us out.
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