Wow, surprised no reviews for Gateway. It's been around the South Riding area for a while meeting in the Mercer Middle School. Now they have their own building on Tall Cedars and very nice. Pastor Ed preaches with a way that connects and is never boring. My wife and I visited a number of the churches in the area and Gateway one of the friendliest, so we came back and haven't stopped.
The service usually has a few songs at the start, then moves to a message by the pastor, some announcements and then done. The songs are more contemporary, they have drums, guitar, keyboard etc. and band is certainly talented. Very occasionally they will have an old hymn mixed in there, not enough in my opinion though.
Lots of child care options during service. They have a school program so there are classrooms in the building they use for Sunday School. And they have middle school and high school gatherings on Sunday nights. They make it fun for the kids with their own band, games VR, etc.
They have a lot going on during the week too. All kinds of groups meet there and once a month they are having food trucks in the parking lot. It's like a carnival atmosphere almost. But more importantly, they have small groups that meet outside church time. I was a member of a small group where I only knew a few people but was welcomed very quickly by the rest. I've heard sometimes you might need to try one or two but this one was right for me until my schedule changed and could not attend anymore.
We have grown a lot in our faith due to Gateway so it has been a blessing for us.
There are two services 9 and 11. I've been to both and they both seem about the same. Sometimes I like being done by mid morning and go to the early service and sometimes I'll sleep in and go to the later one. read more