Some feel uneasy when they attend a church for the first time and don’t know what to expect.  If you plan to visit with us, we want you to know what to expect when you visit.

Friendly People

When you visit, you will find people who would love to warmly welcome you, help you feel at ease, and talk about any questions you might have.  We usually have some of our members in each foyer greeting people as they arrive.  If you are confused about where to go, just ask them and they can help direct you!

An Assembly for Worship

During our worship times on Sunday — 10 am & 5 pm — you will find a simple congregational worship service.  We meet every Sunday like the New Testament church (Acts 20:7), and we all join together to participate in acts of worship that are described in the New Testament:

  • Prayer – Our time of prayer is when we talk to God, thanking Him for things in our lives and asking for His guidance and help in other areas of life (Matthew 6:9-13).
  • Singing – We sing together as a congregation without instruments to praise and glorify God and edify each other (Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16).
  • Lord’s Supper – The Lord’s Supper is a special time each week to remember Jesus’ death (Acts 20.7).  This time of communion includes sharing unleavened bread representing Jesus’ body and fruit of the vine (we use grape juice) symbolizing Jesus’ blood that was shed on the cross for us.
  • Preaching / Bible Reading – One of the men of the congregation usually present a message from the bible (Matthew 24:14).  The messages are usually are 25-30 minutes long and focus on spiritual things that encourage or inform us about being a Christian. The speaker will usually offer an invitation for anyone who is not a Christian to make the decision to respond to the good news about Jesus and be baptized (immersed in water) for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38).
  • Giving – There will be a time for contributing financially to the work of the church.  This follows the biblical example of providing the money in proportion to our ability to support the activities God has asked us to do on Earth (1 Corinthians 16:2).  As a visitor you are not expected to give anything and can simply pass the plate to the person sitting next to you.  You are welcome to place a “Visitors” card in the plate to let us know a little more about you or a “Prayer Request” card to let us know if we can help you in any way.

Bible Classes

We have bible class on Sunday mornings and Wednesday nights.  These classes help us to know more about the Bible (2 Timothy 2:15) and provide time to encourage one another (Hebrews 10:23-25).  Typically, you will be able to choose from several class options and you should be able to find a list of current classes in the foyer when you enter the church building.

Our Overall Appeal

We do not have any creed book or organizational handbook other than the Bible.  But, there some principles that help guide the things we do and the doctrine that we teach. 

  • Jesus is Our Foundation – Jesus is “the Christ, the Son of the living God.”  When Jesus heard one of His disciples make that statement (Matthew 16.13-18), He then said, “Upon this rock I will build my church.”  Jesus constructed the church based on this fact and it (we) belongs to Him. 
  • Our Faithful Obedience is Required – Jesus says “You are my friends if you do what I command you” (John 15:14).  Jesus also says we are to hear the word of God (Luke 8:15), believe in Him (John 8:24), repent of our sins (Luke 13:3), confess Him before men (Matthew 10:32), and be baptized for the forgiveness of our sins (Mark 16:16).  After becoming a Christian, we are added to the church — the Lord’s body of believers — by God and urged to continue faithfully in serving the Lord.
  • God’s Grace is Essential – We all sin, so we cannot merit — or earn — heaven (1 John 1:8).  Ephesians 2:8-10 says we are saved from the just punishment of our sins by God’s grace through faith (our faithful obedience) and are thereby created for “good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”  Without grace we have no chance at having our sins forgiven.
  • The Bible Tells Us What God Wants – We have the utmost respect for the bible’s claim to be the inspired word of God and the complete authority for our relationship with God (2 Timothy 3:16-17). We never want to add to or take away anything from scripture (Revelation 22:18-19). This biblical principle also means we do not follow any human creeds or books other than the Bible.  What we may want, like or enjoy does not matter if we are following what God has stated that He wants us to do.  We do not want to expand or add something that is not clearly conveyed in God’s word.

What is the church of Christ?

All through the Bible, there is a description of God’s kingdom. The Old Testament describes the kingdom of God as being established to reign eternally (Daniel 2:44).  We learn in the New Testament that the kingdom is made up of those who are willing to live in a loving relationship with Jesus, fulfilling those things commanded.  Jesus says “if you love me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15).  These individuals are described collectively as the church.  The church of Christ was established by Jesus and is comprised of imperfect people who have entered into a relationship with Jesus that values faithful obedience to the teachings of the bible while relying on God’s grace (Ephesians 2:8-10).

There are so many purposes of the church!  Some of the ones that we try to exemplify include helping one another to be more like Jesus (Ephesians 4:15), loving one another (John 13:35), making God’s wisdom known to all mankind (Ephesians 3:10), glorifying God (Ephesians 3:21), doing good to all people (Galatians 6:9-10), encouraging fellow believers (Hebrews 10:25), and sharing the good news about Jesus with others (Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16.15-16). 

Christ’s church is also a haven for fellowship among believers who share true unity through the way of Christ (John 14.6). Being a part of the church is like having a support group that is always there for you in life — in the good and bad times.  We see it as a place to help encourage each other while we live on earth and look forward to a home with God eternally.