Exciting Changes Coming This Fall!

If you regularly attend Sunday morning worship at Northway, you know that we struggle with having enough space for everyone. While our summer attendance is typically lower than other times of the year, we know this fall will once again bring space challenges.

The long-term solution for this problem is a new, larger Worship Center. We are currently in the final stages of the design documents for this project and anticipate breaking ground sometime in the next several months.

However, we are aware of our need for a short-term solution to bridge the gap between our current space issues and the opening of this new Worship Center. For a number of months our staff and leaders discussed various options, including the addition of a third worship service and utilizing our Student Worship Center as another overflow space. Hours of prayerful discussion were devoted to this topic as we weighed the advantages and disadvantages of all options. 

In our search for the right solution, the Lord opened an unexpected door. A few months ago, our leadership began discussions with the leadership of the Rescue Mission, located only a mile from our campus. The Rescue Mission has been one of Northway’s partner ministries for nearly twenty years, and we have been blessed to serve those with addiction issues through this like-minded, Christian non-profit organization. 

The Rescue Mission has a beautiful space which includes a 325-seat chapel. Discussions with their leadership led to them inviting Northway to host weekly Sunday morning services on their campus beginning on August 3, 2025. This additional service at the Rescue Mission will give us more space in our current worship room as we move into the typically-more-crowded fall season. 

While there are still a few details to be worked out between now and August 3, our leadership and the leadership of the Rescue Mission have agreed on time and format for this worship service. I personally believe this is a wonderful opportunity the Lord has given us to reach more people and do more ministry. Our leaders are incredibly grateful for this invitation from the Rescue Mission and look forward to what the Lord does through this continued partnership. 

Following are several questions and answers regarding this service:

What time will Northway worship at the Rescue Mission happen each Sunday? At this time, we are planning for one worship service at 10:30 AM. 

Will there be a live band at this service? Yes, although initially there may not be as many instrumentalists and vocalists.

Will there be a live preacher at this service? Yes, and the message will be similar to the sermon preached at Northway. There will be a rotation of pastors preaching at this worship service, and they will coordinate their messages and outlines with the pastor preaching at Northway.

Will there be next generation programming at the Rescue Mission campus? Yes, for infants through 5th grade. The chapel on this campus has a wonderful facility for children and preschool ministry. Our congregation will provide approximately 8-10 volunteers each week to minister to the children of the Rescue Mission residents who come as well as any children of those from our congregation who attend this service. 

Who from our congregation will attend this worship service at the Rescue Mission? We anticipate that most of those from our congregation who are residents at the Rescue Mission will attend this service. The Rescue Mission is not planning on providing transportation to their residents to our main service at Northway since they will be able to walk to the chapel. Also, approximately 20-30 of our members serving in various capacities will attend worship at the Rescue Mission. As well, we are planning on 100-150 more who would normally attend at our Northway service to attend our worship service at the Rescue Mission. We do not anticipate this being the same group each week and will likely ask Home Teams to attend there on certain weeks in order to not have too few or too many at the Rescue Mission service.

Will this worship service happen each week? Generally speaking, yes. However, on certain lower-attended Sundays (i.e., Sundays after Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years), we will likely pull everyone back to our Northway services. We will announce this change well in advance of those Sundays.

Will this be forever? The plan is for this worship service to be a bridge between our present space issues and the opening of our new Worship Center. 

Are we paying for the use of the Rescue Mission chapel? No. The leadership at the Rescue Mission has graciously invited us to use their facility for the benefit of both ministries and to the glory of God. We are thankful for their desire to see the gospel impact more lives and willingness to allow their facilities to be used for this purpose. 

What can I do to help? First of all, please pray for our staff as we continue to work on the plans for this worship location. As well, if asked, please volunteer to serve or attend this service. We believe our church has been given a tremendous opportunity to make an even greater impact on our city, and we certainly do not want to waste it. 

What else do we need to know? As plans progress, we will continue to update you through the Northway News, social media, and through Sunday morning announcements in our worship service.