Sunday // 10:00
195 North St.
Portland, ME 04101
207.232.7459
Contact Us
I Am New
Who We Are
Missio Dei is a diverse group of individual and families from the greater Portland region. We are pretty down to earth and welcome anyone who'd like to be a part of what's going on with MDC or who'd just like to hang out and get to know us and the God we love.What are the Essentials?
There are only a few things you need to know off the bat. For us, it’s all about Jesus Christ and his mission. Period. We aren't real big on “religion” or debating the details of doctrine every other second. There is a time and a place to talk and debate about doctrines and the interpretation of scripture, but we don't think those conversations should be the primary ones taking place within the church or between the church and the culture it finds itself in, or else we'll lose sight of what this is really all about - Jesus. When it comes to doctrine we hold several things in a closed hand. These things are not for debate at Missio Dei. The form the core of who we are as a Christian church. These doctrines are found in the Nicene Creed and Apostles Creed.At the same time, there are things we hold in an open hand at Missio Dei. These are the kind of things that Christianity does not consider essential, or at least we don't. These doctrines would be the "how" of creation, the age of the world, the existence of certain spiritual gifts and matters of eschatology or "how the world ends".
When we Meet
We meet every Sunday AM at 9:30 at the East End School. There is plenty of parking along North St, so don’t sweat that. We suggest arriving about 9:20 or so, to make sure you have time to grab some coffee and a snack located in the entry way.What to Expect
While attending church can be quite an experience, we want to assure you that your visit to Missio Dei will be relatively normal. We don’t sack people at the door or embrace anyone. We want to give everyone the chance to find their way and feel comfortable.Here is how things usually shake down…
Church begins at 9:30 … Usually we have to gather everyone from chatting it up around the coffee and food. We then spend some time listening to a song or reading. We often take a few minutes to talk about our community, what is going on and filling people in on the details. We then move into a time of worship. During this time, some people sit and some stand. Some sing and some listen. For us, what is important is that peoples hearts are engaging and being engaged by God. After the worship set, we usually refill our coffee cups and settle in for a talk over scripture. The sermons are designed to challenge people to think about the bigger things in life, while having an eye for the practical. After the sermon, we take communion and then share some more time around coffee and conversation.
What About Kids?
Missio Dei has a thriving Children’s Ministry. We have several classes to accommodate children from 0-10 years of age that teach simple bible stories with crafts and play time in the gym. For us at Missio Dei, children are important and a normal part of who we are, so please don’t worry about your children being loud or crazy. This seems to be a normal part of a young church, so bring them on.What About Mid-Week?
For us the most important part of being a part of a faith community is to actually be a part of the community. We value our time together and feel that it is just as important, if not more, to be involved in the lives of other members and attendees. We do this by spending time in LifeGroups. LifeGroups are small groups of people who gather to share in spiritual conversation, prayer, and a focus on touching our communities with the life and love of Jesus.We also have several other mid-week gatherings for both men and women. You can read more about them here.
