The "Bay" Way

I confess...that's flippin' corny.  No doubt about it...I'm going to own that, but as I told my girls about commercials on TV, they aren't written to be the best song or the best acting, they are written to be the most memorable and that's what Bay is all about.

Hence, the Bay Way.  I've gone to church a lot in my life and I can navigate the culture pretty much, but if you haven't been in church all your life, you may not get the memo of what's "normal" in being a part of a group of believers.  So here's what we are...our core values are explained here.  Those are called "the 6" and are they are statements that guide what we are trying to do at BW to keep us on track as an organization.

But past that, for the individual, if you wonder what's the norm for involvement in church, here it is for us...and it's BAY.

Be here.  A primary purpose is for us is to help people love God more.  Our worship services are designed to help you learn about God and process through various parts of who He is through speaking, singing, and creative experiences.

Among friends.  Another primary purpose is to learn to love others more, from a God perspective.  Our small groups are designed to develop community and relationship.  People learning from God by being a part of each other's lives and learning to care/love each other from a God perspective.  These Bible studies meet in homes weekly or bi-weekly.

Your part.  Another primary purpose is to learn to serve the world around us.  We expect everyone to find a place that is their responsibility within the workings of Bay West.  That's usually on Sunday mornings taking a turn on our FIT (First Impressions Team), KidZone, Setup crews, Worship Team or something like that.  Everyone needs to be a part.  This practice reinforces the truth that we don't come to Bay West for ourselves.  It teaches us to give to serve others inside the church and hopefully, that habit translates outside the church.  It's important in the church because doing it in the context of "worship" helps us understand that worshipping God isn't a passive activity and we learn more by doing.

There it is, in a nutshell....Be here, Among friends, Your part..."BAY" Way.