Welcome!
We
will sincerely
appreciate your being with us. We pray that the worship will bless and
encourage you. We also hope that you will want to return. Perhaps you
are not familiar with the worship in a congregation of the Church of
Christ. We know that the unfamiliar can be distracting and confusing.
As we praise God and honor Jesus Christ, we do not want you to be
distracted or confused.
Our Worship:
Our
singing is
without the accompaniment of instruments. We encourage
everyone to participate in the singing as we praise God and Christ. As
we sing, we want our spirits to commune with God through His Spirit.
When Christianity began, Christian worship was very simple. It could
occur anywhere among any people in any culture. All that was necessary
for Christian worship was minds, hearts, and voices. We seek that same
simplicity.
Public
prayers will be led by men
chosen from the congregation. Most worshipers participate by simply
bowing their heads. You will be welcome to assume whatever submissive
posture you are comfortable with in prayer.
Each
Sunday we remember the death and resurrection of Jesus through
Communion. As Jesus instituted, we eat the unleavened bread to remember
the physical body that He surrendered to death, and we drink the fruit
of the vine to remember His blood given for our forgiveness. Communion,
also called the Lord's Supper, is a memorial act for Christians to
observe.
Each Sunday, members
give money to
support the work of this congregation. Such contributions fund the
Lord's work. We do not expect visitors to contribute. If a visitor
chooses to contribute, we gratefully accept the gift. However, the work
of this congregation is the responsibility of its members.
Following
the morning
sermon, we commonly sing a song of reflection and
invitation. This is done to encourage each person to reflect on the
lesson and make purposeful application. The invitation is offered for
two reasons. The first is to encourage Christians who want the help and
encouragement of public prayer to come forward during the invitation
song. The second is to provide a convenient opportunity to the person
who in faith and repentance wants to be baptized into Christ. We
understand that Christ's invitation is open every day, and every hour.
Any time is the appropriate time for prayer or baptism.
Who
are the Leaders?
Every church of Christ is
self-governing.We are under the leadership of elders (also called
"bishops" and "shepherds" in
scripture).Additionally, we have special men appointed as deacons who
take the lead in certain duties.You can read about the qualifications
of elders and deacons in 1 Timothy chapter 3 and Titus chapter 1.
The
minister is a person who has been hired by the elders for the purpose
of public teaching.
We would love to meet you and
always welcome your comments and questions! Ask anyone to point us out.
What
We Believe:
- We are
committed to non-denominational Christianity and wish only to serve God
and teach from His word.
- We believe that "all scripture is inspired by God
and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and for
instruction in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16)." As Peter put
it, "No prophecy of scripture is of any private
interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy
men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit (2 Peter
1:20-21)."
- We believe that man is lost in sin. As Solomon once observed,
"There is not a just man on earth who does good and does not
sin (Ecclesiastes 7:20)." Paul said,
"...all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of
God (Romans 3:23)."
- Jesus came to save us from our sins. "For God so
loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whoever
believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God
did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but that the
world through him might be saved (John 3:16-17)." The apostle
Paul recognized what a gift this was--"This is a faithful
saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the
world to save sinners, of whom I am chief (1 Timothy 1:15)."
We believe that He is the only way that God has given us to be free
from sin. "Therefore I said to you that you will die in your
sins; for if you do not believe that I am He (the predicted Messiah),
then you will die in your sins (John 8:24)
- Salvation is "by grace through faith (Ephesians
2:8)." We do not "earn" our salvation.
- Our faith is demonstrated by our works (James 2).
How
Do We Accept the Gift of Salvation?
The
"gospel" is the good news of Jesus Christ. Paul
said, "Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which
I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by
which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached
to you--unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you
first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins
according to the Scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he rose
again the third day according to the scriptures..."
We
"re-enact" the gospel (death, burial, and
resurrection) of Christ in baptism (immersion in water). As Paul said
to the Romans, "Therefore we were buried with Him through
baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the
glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life
(Romans 6:3-4)."
In fact, it
isn't just a matter of being baptized into his death (to
sin), but we also come up intending to live a new life. This includes
further growth, an increasing dedication to the Lord, and a willingness
to live according to His principles.
Further
Questions:
We would love to answer any questions
that you may have. We look only to the word of God for our direction,
and will be glad to study it with you.