What To Expect

Visiting a new place can be intimidating, so we want to help you feel as prepared as possible before you come through our doors. When you attend a Sherwood Oaks Bedford worship gathering, you can expect the following:

• Uplifting worship and relevant teaching for everyday life
• Judgement-free, come-as-you-are atmosphere
• Creative programming for kids

Here’s a short list of what you can specifically look for when you visit Sherwood Oaks Bedford.

Parking

Our parking lot is wide open and easy to navigate. Feel free to park wherever is most convenient for you. Handicap accessible spaces are located near the facility with convenient access to the door. If it’s raining, or if someone in your vehicle has limited mobility, feel free to use the awning before finding a parking space. We also offer complimentary umbrellas in case yours is at home or in another vehicle.

Arrival

Upon arriving, stop at our Welcome Center in the lobby where you will be greeted with a smile and a gift from someone who will be happy to guide you through everything you might need to know while attending Sherwood Oaks Bedford (i.e. restroom locations, worship center, kids programming, etc.). If you have children, you will want to allow roughly 15 minutes for the initial check-in process. We take your child’s security seriously, so there are a few forms we will ask you to fill out.

Refreshments

On your way into the worship center, feel free to stop by our refreshment table and grab a cup of our signature blend, Highlander Grogg, which we serve at our coffee house in Bloomington called The Pourhouse, located on Kirkwood Ave. You are more than welcome to take your refreshments into the worship center with you.

Worship Service

Our worship gathering starts promptly at 10:30am and lasts approximately one-hour. Our adult gathering takes place in the gymnasium and our kids programming takes place in various rooms up and down the main hallway. The main entrance to the worship center/gymnasium is near the front of the stage. Because of that, if you arrive after 10:30am (We understand. Things happen when you visit someplace new!) and the worship center doors are closed, please walk down the hallway and use the rear entrance. This will avoid the potentially uncomfortable situation of all eyes looking at you when you enter! And don’t worry…you will still find plenty of seats and probably won’t be the only one using that entrance!

Participation

We invite you to participate in our worship service to whatever extent you feel comfortable. We take communion each week and invite any follower of Jesus to join us in the remembrance celebration of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. Our worship gathering is high-energy and participatory, so don’t hesitate to sit and take it all for the first time, or jump right in and join us in singing.

Adult Classes & Life Groups

Check back here for info! We are planning on offering adult classes on Sundays soon. Also, we'd love for you to get plugged in to a Life Group or mid-week Bible Study. Contact Shawn for info.

Sherwood Kids

We offer a great ministry experience for children ages birth through 5th grade. If your child would like to attend our Sherwood Kids programming, you will first need to register them at the Kids Check-in Desk located in the hallway. All kids ages birth through 5th grade can be dropped off at their respective, clearly-marked classrooms for the duration of our worship gathering (age groups are detailed below). All Sherwood Kids workers have been background checked and classes are divided as follows:

• Birth to 2 (and not potty-trained)
• 3 to Kindergarten (must be potty trained)
• 1st-3rd Grade
• 4th and 5th Grade

If your child is hesitant about attending a class, or you would like them with you during the service, we offer a complimentary “Busy Bag” filled with activities for kids. You can pick up a bag at our kid’s ministry check-in desk.

Middle School/High School Students

We encourage families with Middle School and High School students to worship together. At Sherwood Oaks, we believe that our youth are the church of today, not only tomorrow, and we value multigenerational discipleship. Because of that, it’s likely you’ll see our students actively involved in serving and worshiping on Sunday mornings. We currently offer a student ministry program on Wednesday nights from 6:00pm-8:00pm that meets at the church. Contact Alex Smith, our student ministry leader, for more information.