Every group has its own jargon, and New Life is no exception. Here’s a guide to a few terms you may not be familiar with.

Born again, or saved. We are born again, or saved, when we admit the sin in our lives and accept God’s free gift of forgiveness made possible by the death and resurrection of His Son Jesus. Jesus talked about this in the Bible; it’s called “born again” because we were already born once when our moms gave birth and we entered this life. When we put our faith in Jesus, we’re born again into a new—and much better—life. It’s also our guarantee that we will live eternally with God and Jesus after our physical death.

Communion. This is a special meal that Jesus gave to His 12 closest followers (called apostles or disciples) the night before He died and told His followers to continue to eat in His memory. The little cracker we eat and the grape juice we drink remind us that Jesus gave His Body and Blood to pay the penalty for our sins and restore us to God. If you want to take part, you can; if you don’t want to, that’s okay, too.

Praise and worship. This is the part of the service in which we sing and express our love for God. You can also praise and worship God on your own or with others outside of church.

Quiet time. Everyone who joins New Life promises to spend time praying, reading the Bible, and meditating (thinking) about what they’ve read. This time is often referred to as quiet time, time before the Lord, or devotions.

Testimony. Your testimony is the story of how you came to follow Jesus and the changes it’s made in your life.

Tithes and offerings. This is the money we give to the Lord by giving to the church. It supports the work we do to help people and tell them about Jesus. The Bible talks about giving our tithe—10 percent of our income—to the Lord, so most of us do. Technically speaking, an offering is money given above and beyond our tithe. What you give is between you and God.

The Word. This is another term for the Bible. We refer to it as the Word because we believe it is the Word of God, written by men who were divinely inspired to record it exactly the way God wanted it.