GETTING CONNECTED
Hebrews 10:25
The faith community is critical to the life of every believer.
With this in mind, we are eager to get to know you and for you to get connected to the life of Fellowship.
Sunday Mornings
What Should I Expect?
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A Different Take on Sunday Service​
In keeping with our vision, values, and core pursuits, we have a non-traditional structure for Sunday services.​
1st Sundays
First Sundays are dedicated to worship and to the teaching of God's Word. We also partake of Communion and participate communally in the worship of giving ("First Fruits") for the work of ministry at FELLOWSHIP and to the work of our missionaries abroad.
​​2nd Sundays
These Sundays are set aside for fellowship at a local park. This is a time to enjoy a "Sabbath's rest" and to build a stronger knit community. We always begin with a 10-15 minute semonette delivered by a leader or lay member followed by a brief discussion and wrap-up. The rest of the time is for food, games, getting to know one another better, praying for one another, getting some fresh air exercise, etc.
In case of inclement weather, we do a modified "park" fellowship at our facility.
​​3rd Sundays
Third Sundays are dedicated to worship and the teaching of God's Word.
​​4th Sundays
These Sundays are set aside for "Acts of Service". On these Sundays, we don our identifying FELLOWHSHIP service wear and head out in designated groups to serve our members and others in the local community who are in need. Service opportunities can be anything from preparing meals for new parents to doing yard work for an elderly neighbor. Members of FELLOWSHIP make their needs, or the needs of a neighbor, known during the month and we organize as a community to meet those needs as Christ's ambassadors.
For any 4th Sunday on which there are no service opportunities scheduled, we proceed with regular worship and teaching. However, we begin the morning by committing ourselves individually to intentional, out-of-the-ordinary "acts of kindness/service" during the week.
​​5th Sundays
There are four 5th Sundays each year. On these days we participate in extended family worship by fellowshipping at other local churches. We do this to emphasize that the body of Christ extends beyond our fellowship and to further increase our awareness of the beauty and diversity of God's Kingdom family.
- ​A Smaller Community ​​​​​
​​At Fellowship, we have absolutely no aspiration toward the megachurch model; it is simply not our assignment. Rather, we firmly believe that we are called to create smaller faith communities that are more conducive to authentic discipleship, encouragement, support, accountability, relational and spiritual growth. ​​​​​
Therefore, as the Lord draws more people into saving faith and to participate in what He is doing at FELLOWSHIP, the leadership team will work to prayerfully identify and mentor new servant-leaders in preparation for planting a new self-sustaining branch of the ministry at a different location in the Inland Empire. Over time, we prayerfully repeat the process with the aim of achieving geographically broader and spritually deeper Kingdom impact.
- A Warm and Welcoming Environment​
We get it! Showing up at a new church can feel unfamiliar. Rest assured, we are regular folk just like you. We've got friendly smiles, hearty handshakes, and a genuine desire to make you feel at home. ​
- Interactive Teaching ​
​We know how easy it can be to leave Sunday service, get back to a busy life, and forget what was heard in a sermon. This is why at Fellowship we encourage the congregation to engage with the teaching by dedicating time immediately following the sermon for questions and discussion. It is a way of "stepping into the ring" and wrestling with God's truth as it confronts our sin and calls us to repentance and a deeper reliance on the refining work of God's Spirit within us. ​
- Corporate Scripture Memorization
The psalmist writes to the Lord God, "I have stored up your Word in my heart that I might not sin against you"....it is "a lamp that guides my feet and lights my path"...."blessed is the one who delights in the law of Lord and meditates on it night and day (Psalm 1:1-4; Psalm 119:11 & 105).
Knowing God's Word is food and water for the soul of the believer (John 36:5; John 4:14). This knowledge equips us to better live the Christ-centered life to which we are called, to weather spiritual battles, and stand firm through the trials that we will inevitably face in this world. Christ Jesus proclaims that those who are His are so familiar with His voice that they will not be swayed away by another (John 10).
Therefore, in addition to biblical teaching, we engage in scripture memorization as a church body; adults, youth, and children alike. Every 3rd Sunday, two new verses are presented. Members are encouraged to engage in memorization work routinely throughout the month. The verses are recited corporately at a designated time during every Sunday before new verses are presented the following 3rd Sunday.
- Fellowship Over Food
Sharing meals has a way of drawing people together. To be welcomed at "the table" is to enjoy a greater since of community, connection, and belonging. In addition to our park Sundays, we encourage members to plan occasional outings to local restaurants for lunch after church and/or share meals together in one another's homes. To avoid the human tendency toward cliquishness, our members are challenged to make a point of switching it up and sharing meals with a different group of folks every now and then.
Coming Soon - Fall 2025​
Youth and Adult Sunday School classes from 10:00-11:00 a.m.
D6 Foundations &
Select Real-Life Group Sessions​
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*Continental breakfast served from 9-9:45 a.m. on 1st and 3rd Sundays.
Where Do I Take My Kids?
We love children at FELLOWSHIP CORONA! However, we do not currently offer childcare or formal children's ministry programming (such as is common to larger churches). We do put forth our best to make young families feel welcomed in our Sunday morning worship services and included in the development of our future plans (fall 2025) for family ministry designed to encourage and equip parents and grandparents to be the primary faith trainers for their children.
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At FELLOWSHIP, we believe that the biblical and most effective way to love and minister to children as a church body is to provide the teaching, training, tools, encouragement, and support to parents as they navigate life, marriage, and raising their children up in the faith as God commands (Deuteronomy 6:5-9; Ephesians 6:4). This means that we focus our ministerial efforts on encouraging and strengthening godly marriages, emphasizing biblical parenting, elevating family worship, creating a legacy of faith mindset among our families, and celebrating spiritual milestones as a faith community rather than on programming that consistently separates children from their parents. In other words, we make a conscious and intentional choice not to put structures in place by which parents may be tempted to abdicate the responsibility of their children's spiritual growth and training entirely to the church.
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We realize that not everyone will agree with this particular ministerial approach. That being said, we are grateful that the family of God extends to other Bible teaching churches in our community that provide more comprehensive children and youth ministries for parents seeking such programming.
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What About My Teenager?
Findings of the Pew Research Center and the Barna Group indicate that young people are leaving the church in droves. There are a myriad of reasons for this exodus not the least of which, we contend, may be attributed to the way we have "done church" over the past few decades. We don't claim to have all of the answers, but we are committed and intentional about forging a different approach; one that, while compassionate, does not compromise the truth of God's Word or allow people (young or old) to skirt the reality of personal /corporate sin and the need for remedy that can only come through Christ.
Again, in keeping with our family ministry focus, our middle and high school aged youth remain with their parents and other adults for Sunday morning worship. They are invited and encouraged to participate in questioning and discussing the sermon during the regular time set aside for that purpose each week.
As our fellowship grows, we are looking to the Lord for provision to minister to the more specific needs of our teens through our initiative, the Daniel Project. In the meantime, perhaps because Pastor Mel has taught and developed a rapport with this age group as a professional educator for over 30 years, we find that these young people are attending to and benefiting from his teaching. He has a way of engaging them so that they not only feel included, but also valued and heard.
Events
Our calendar of growth opportunities is typically posted on a monthly basis.
