What to Expect

What to Expect...

Friendliness

You can expect a warm, friendly welcome. Friendliness is a natural response of Christians. We believe that one of the basic foundation principles of Christianity is love and friendship (Mt. 22:36-40). True Christianity recognizes no sexual, social or racial differences (Gal. 3:28). Neither does it permit respect of persons on the basis of poverty or wealth (Jas. 2:1-9). Jesus is our example of friendliness, in that He was compassionate toward all humanity, regardless of their status in life. We believe you will find that same spirit among Christians today. Therefore, when you visit us, you will be considered an honored guest. You will be greeted with kindness and courtesy. Why not give us the opportunity to become your friend (Prov. 18:24).

Order

You can expect our worship to be with reverent and orderly (I Cor. 14:40). The order of our worship is planned. Each item of worship is usually announced and often explained by the men who lead us in our worship. This enables us to know what is going on and helps us to better prepare our minds for worship. Our worship is neither ritualistic nor do we try to produce an artificial emotionalism.

Simplicity

You can expect our worship to be simple. It's simple because it is based entirely on the worship authorized in the New Testament. Jesus taught us that our worship was to be spiritual and according to the truth (Jn. 4:24). Our worship to God includes the Lord's supper, giving, singing, praying and teaching the gospel. We do not try to improve on God's divine plan by adding the innovations of men.

Singing

You can expect congregational singing. Singing is a vital part of our worship. All members of our congregation will blend their voices together in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. The purpose of our songs is to praise God and to teach and admonish one another (Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16). Since the command to sing is specific and addressed to the individual, we do not add a mechanical instrument of music to our worship in song. For the same reason we do not have choirs to sing for us or any type of mood music to entertain us.

Giving

You can expect us to give a free-will offering. As the Bible teaches, we give liberally as God has prospered us, on the first day of the week (I Cor. 16:1-2). Liberality in giving is an evidence of our devotion to God (2 Cor. 8:1-8). There are many factors that determine the amount of our offerings, but above all it must be free-will offerings (2 Cor. 9:6-7). We do not expect our visitors to give since giving is a responsibility of the members of the congregation.

Prayer

You can expect our public prayers to be led by men (2 Tim. 2:8-13). Prayer is a vital source of strength in a Christian's life. We pray often in private and with one another. When we come together in an assembly, prayer is a very important part of our worship. In keeping with an orderly fashion of worship, it is usually announced that we will be led in prayer by a certain brother. Everyone does not pray his own prayer out loud. We are led in prayer and the rest of us follow silently as we pray together. This allows us to worship reverently and orderly. It also avoids noise and confusion.

The Lord's Supper

You can expect us to partake of the Lord's Supper on the first day of every week (Sunday). Jesus instituted this supper as a simple memorial of His death on the cross (Mt. 26:26-29; 1 Cor. 11:23-26). As we partake of the unleavened bread and fruit of the vine, our minds are centered on the events of the cross. In this act we have communion or fellowship with Christ (1 Cor. 10:16). It was the practice of the early church to eat the Lord's supper every first day of the week (Acts 20:7). As the communion is passed to each individual in the assembly, we each examine ourselves so that we may partake of it in a worthy manner (2 Cor. 11:27-29).

Teaching

You can expect Christ-centered, Bible teaching in our classrooms and pulpit. We believe the Bible to be inspired and authoritative (2 Tim. 3:16-17). We believe that if a man speaks it should be from the Word of God (1 Pet. 4:11). The sermons you will hear from our pulpit will include citations from the Bible. Scripture references are given to enable the listeners to check the Bible for themselves to see if we are speaking the truth. We encourage you to check what we say by searching the scriptures (Acts 17:11; Jn. 5:39).

An Invitation

At the close of each sermon you can expect an invitation to become a Christian. The invitation gives one the opportunity to express their faith in Jesus Christ by repenting of their sins, confessing Christ before men and being buried with the Lord in baptism (cf. Jn. 8:24; Lk. 13:3; Mt. 10:32; Mk. 16:16; Acts 2:38; Gal. 3:26-27). We will not embarrass you by approaching you personally. The invitation is followed by a song encouraging obedience. If you choose to obey the Lord, you may come to the front and let your request be known. May we point out that the church does not have to be assembled for one to obey the gospel. We will make arrangements for any believer to be baptized at any hour of the day or night.

Why not accept our offer to visit?

Since you now know what to expect, why not visit us? You will be considered an honored guest.