evening service
Our new evening worship service begins on Sunday, March 29. As we prepare to launch this service, we want to remind you why we’re doing this.
From Redeemer’s earliest days, our vision has been to be a church that exists not for itself, but for our city—for our friends and neighbors who don’t yet know Jesus. Starting this new evening service is simply a way to re-express that old and enduring vision. Our prayerful hope is that this service will be a warm and welcoming spiritual home for the next generation of New Yorkers, providing space to encounter God and to be equipped to follow Jesus in and for the city. While nothing has changed in terms of our church’s DNA, vision for ministry, or overall mission, this evening service is a chance for us to experiment with new expressions of worship and hospitality that we hope will help us reach even more New Yorkers with the wonderful hope of the gospel.
Ordinarily, Rev. Bijan Mirtolooi preaches the same sermon at the evening service as he does in our morning services. But as the evening service launches, he will preach different sermons on Palm Sunday, March 29, and Easter, April 5, simply as a way to help set the vision for this new initiative.
What can you do? Three things:
1) Pray! Jesus said that without him, we can do nothing. Please be praying for God to pour out his Spirit on our new evening service, and to give our leaders wisdom and creativity as we launch.
2) Bring a friend who doesn’t yet know Jesus along with you for worship.
3) Serve: Anytime we start something new, that creates serving and volunteering needs across our church family, morning and evening. If you already serve and volunteer at RWS, thank you! If you’re not yet serving, can we please ask you to consider giving some of your time to serve on one of the many teams that make all our Sunday services—morning and evening—happen each week? We’re a church family, and we need each other.
FAQs
We are so excited to welcome you to our new Sunday evening community! Here is everything you need to know about what to expect.
The service is held from 5 to 6:15 pm in the W83 Sanctuary. It’s the perfect way to wrap up your weekend and prepare for the week ahead.
While we share the same DNA, the evening service has its own unique rhythm. We use the same sermon topic and scripture text as the morning, but the atmosphere is designed to feel distinct.
One beautiful difference is that we celebrate the Lord’s Supper weekly. Instead of passing trays, we process forward together to receive communion. During this extended time of worship, our prayer leaders are available to pray with you as we continue singing.
We are keeping the evening service as an in-person experience to focus on building local community. However, we will continue to livestream our 11:30 am morning service on our YouTube channel for those who need to join us from home.
Because we are in our “launch season,” we aren’t able to offer West Side Kids’ programming just yet. We are carefully watching our community’s needs and will continue evaluating children’s programming this fall as our volunteer teams and attendance grow. Families are always welcome in the Sanctuary!
Yes! We would love for you to help shape this new community. If you’re interested in joining the launch team, you can express your interest here.
Come exactly as you are! Whether you’re heading over straight from a picnic in Central Park, returning from a weekend trip, or just finished running errands, you are welcome here. You’ll see everything from “Sunday best” to jeans and a T-shirt. We care much more about you being here than what you’re wearing. Feel free to bring your favorite coffee, or grab a cup from us!
The time after the service is one of our favorite parts! We prioritize building friendships, so you can expect a variety of Q&A sessions, shared meals, teachings, and social events. Stick around—we’d love to get to know you.
Our heart is to create a vibrant, gospel-centered space on Sunday evenings—a warm spiritual home where the next generation of New Yorkers can encounter God. Our hope is that this service provides a place to encounter God and be equipped to follow Jesus in and for our city.
Sign up to hear about upcoming events and opportunities to get to know others. We’re committed to staying one community, so everything is open to evening service attendees—afternoon classes, community groups, service projects, and weekday gatherings.
Go to the bottom of this webpage to subscribe to the West Side Update newsletter or to follow us on social media.