Our Faith Practice
As a community we want inspire each other to love God and love people, to see people the way God sees people, and worship God in Spirit and truth. Yeshua is the promised Jewish Messiah, of the descendent of King David, and put our trust in Him and expect His return to restore all things under His kingship.
We observe and celebrate God’s Holy Days (moedim) given to Israel, with their fulfillment in and through the Messiah Yeshua. We believe that these Biblical days show God's plan of redemption and that they are to be observed forever.
We want to study and to know and understand all of the scripture from Genesis 1:1 to the end of Revelation. We read and study with the culture and context of the passages in mind. We seek Bible fluency, not just Bible literacy. We set aside time to discuss the Scriptures. You will find our discussion times to be refreshingly candid, where questions are asked. Our ultimate goal is to understand God's word the best we can.
We want to study and to know and understand all of the scripture from Genesis 1:1 to the end of Revelation. We read and study with the culture and context of the passages in mind. We seek Bible fluency, not just Bible literacy. We set aside time to discuss the Scriptures. You will find our discussion times to be refreshingly candid, where questions are asked. Our ultimate goal is to understand God's word the best we can.
The service is a combination of liturgy, singing, scripture reading, and teaching. The service may be longer than you are used to (90 minutes), but we promise that you will love the experience.
Words We Use
Yeshua - Jesus
Brit Chadashah - New (Renewed) Covenant, New Testament
Shabbat - Sunset Friday to sunset Saturday
Challah - Traditional braided bread enjoyed on Shabbat
Shalom - Peace, hello, goodbye
Kiddush and Motzi - Special blessings of sanctification, thanksgiving, joy, and sustance said over grape juice and bread before lunch (Oneg)
Parsha - Weekly reading from the Torah during the annual reading cycle
Torah - First five books of the Bible, Genesis/Bereshit through Deuteronomy/Devarim
Ruach HaKodesh - Holy Spirit / Spirit of God
Haftarah - Weekly reading from the Biblical prophets
Tzedakah Box - Tithes or Offering box located in the sanctuary
Tanakh - Jewish or Hebrew Bible, Old Testament. Tanakh is an acronym for Torah, Neviim (Prophets) and Ketuvim (Writings)
Brit Chadashah - New (Renewed) Covenant, New Testament
Shabbat - Sunset Friday to sunset Saturday
Challah - Traditional braided bread enjoyed on Shabbat
Shalom - Peace, hello, goodbye
Kiddush and Motzi - Special blessings of sanctification, thanksgiving, joy, and sustance said over grape juice and bread before lunch (Oneg)
Parsha - Weekly reading from the Torah during the annual reading cycle
Torah - First five books of the Bible, Genesis/Bereshit through Deuteronomy/Devarim
Ruach HaKodesh - Holy Spirit / Spirit of God
Haftarah - Weekly reading from the Biblical prophets
Tzedakah Box - Tithes or Offering box located in the sanctuary
Tanakh - Jewish or Hebrew Bible, Old Testament. Tanakh is an acronym for Torah, Neviim (Prophets) and Ketuvim (Writings)
What can you expect the first time
Our Shabbat morning service is the main weekly worship gathering. We are aware that our first time visitors come from a variety of faith backgrounds, so we expect that you will have questions about our service. Here are some answers:
Dress
We encourage everyone who attends to dress both comfortably and modestly. For some, this may be more dressed up, and for others more casual.
How long is the Service
Our main Shabbat service begins at 10:12am and usually runs for 1.5 hours. Our service consists of traditional Jewish liturgy in Hebrew and English, both modern and older praise and worship music, and the message.
How do I follow along during the service
We do our entire service via slides on a display screen. All
of our traditional Jewish liturgy (in Hebrew, transliterated Hebrew, which is Hebrew in English letters, and English), as well as our music lyrics and announcements, will be on the screen for everyone to follow along with and be on the same page. The liturgy is also available in a book called a Siddur.
of our traditional Jewish liturgy (in Hebrew, transliterated Hebrew, which is Hebrew in English letters, and English), as well as our music lyrics and announcements, will be on the screen for everyone to follow along with and be on the same page. The liturgy is also available in a book called a Siddur.
Singing and praying
Join in with Hebrew and English songs and prayers as much, or as little, as you feel comfortable.
Standing and bowing
We stand a lot during worship. There will be clear cues for you to rise during specific portions of the service (please do not feel obligated to stand, especially if you are medically unable to do so). You will notice many people bowing as an act of reverence before the Lord at different times during certain prayers. If this is unfamiliar to you, do not feel obligated to bow. You’ll get the hang of it over time!
Is this a synagogue or church?
We are not a Jewish synagogue, although you will find elements of a synagogue service. We're not exactly a church either. Our focus is leading lives that reflect God back into the world, being disciples of Messiah Yeshua. Our fellowship is made up of people from all walks of life, all levels of observance, and a variety of faith backgrounds.
What is your teaching perspective
We stress teaching in context and culture, avoiding projecting the 21st Century onto the Bible text. We seek to draw out truths from Scripture and apply them to today. You'll see that we follow the 1-year Torah reading cycle and include appropriate Scripture from the apostolic (New Testament / New Covenant) writings.
Children
We love families and encourage children to participate in worship and discussions. If you feel your children need to go to the nursery for a few minutes, a parent needs to escort them and stay with them.
Etiquette During the Service
Singing and prayer: Join in as much or as little as you feel comfortable.
Standing and bowing: There will be cues for you to rise during portions of the service. Please do not feel obligated to stand, especially if you are medically unable to.
Bowing: You will notice some people bowing as an act of reverence before the Lord during certain prayers. If this is unfamiliar to you, do not feel obligated to bow. You will get the hang of it over time!
Standing and bowing: There will be cues for you to rise during portions of the service. Please do not feel obligated to stand, especially if you are medically unable to.
Bowing: You will notice some people bowing as an act of reverence before the Lord during certain prayers. If this is unfamiliar to you, do not feel obligated to bow. You will get the hang of it over time!
Plan Your Visit
Thank you for considering a visit to the Messianic Fellowship of Rapid City. The website and YouTube messages only provide a snippet of what you can expect. I want to your visit to feel comfortable, and I know it may take a couple of visits to know if it works for you.
Your questions are always welcome.
The Messianic Fellowship is a great place to learn, connect, and grow in God and in relationship with others. There is much more we would like to share with you, so please join us in worship. Please stay for lunch and the discussion that follows. I know you will not leave as you came.
Chris Orr
Your questions are always welcome.
The Messianic Fellowship is a great place to learn, connect, and grow in God and in relationship with others. There is much more we would like to share with you, so please join us in worship. Please stay for lunch and the discussion that follows. I know you will not leave as you came.
Chris Orr
