What You Can Expect As You Visit the Church of Christ

 

We want you to feel comfortable as you visit us at the Church of Christ. We know an unfamiliar place can be intimidating. So, let us tell you what you can expect when you honor us with a visit.

We want to be a Bible‑centered church, and we try to be. We know that our conclusions aren't flawless, and that out practices are sometimes colored by habit, preference, tradition, or convenience. Now, let us walk you through a worship service.

 

The Setting

 

When you enter our building, you will enter our auditorium. There are rows of pews for the worshipers, but no reserved seats, so feel free to sit anywhere you choose.

The Singing

 

In the bookrack near you, there will be a hymnbook for your use.   When the song leader announces a number, you can turn to that number in the hymnbook to find the words and music.

One of the unique things about churches of Christ is that the music is "a cappella.  That is, we sing without the accompaniment of musical instruments.

This is a conviction with us, not just a preference. We believe you will respect our conviction, and we think you'll find the singing meaningful, with everyone being invited to participate.

 

Prayers

 

There will be several prayers during the service. These prayers may include specific needs and requests.

 

Preaching

 

You will notice that the preacher doesn't have a title.  He won't be referred to as Pastor or Reverend.  He may be referred to as brother Pinon, but quite often, just Harley. Our preacher has no special title nor special clothing. Jesus taught that One is our Master and all of us are brethren. We try to practice the spirit of His teaching,

The sermon is usually about 30 minutes in length. We think that you will find it refreshingly Bible‑centered, yet very related to today.

 

Invitation

 

At the close of the sermon, the preacher will "extend an invitation." This is simply an expedient time to invite those who are moved to do so to make a commitment or request prayer support, He will encourage those who wish to "respond” to come to the front of the auditorium while the congregations sings a hymn.

Don't feel ill‑at‑ease during this invitation. You will not be singled out in any way.  There may be those who respond, or none.  Some may respond for baptism, to confess sins, or to ask for prayer for a specific need.  It's a time when some may wish to “identify" or “place membership" with this church.  If anyone responds for baptism, you will witness the baptism during this service. The baptism will be by immersion for the remission of sins.

 

Lord's Supper

 

If you visit on a Sunday morning, the Lord’s Supper will be included in the worship proceedings because churches of Christ observe this memorial every Sunday. Again, the reason for this is that we believe the first century church observed the Lords Supper every Sunday,

During this memorial, plates containing pieces of unleavened bread will be passed throughout the congregation. The bread symbolizes the broken body of Christ. Each participating person will break off a piece of the bread and eat it.

Next, trays filled with small cups of grape juice will be distributed. Each participant will drink the contents of one of the cups.

The Lord’s Supper is for Christians, but we do not practice, "closed communion;" that is, we do not determine who may or may not take of the Lord's Supper. That is left to each one to decide whether or not to partake.

 

Offering

 

Also, if you visit on a Sunday morning, collection plates will be passed to collect the weekly offering. As our guest you are not expected to make a donation. Feel perfectly comfortable in just passing the collection plate on down the row.

 

What Will Be Expected of You

 

You are welcome to participate, but don’t feel obligated to. Just observe, if that is your choice. We would appreciate your filling out a Visitors Card.  This simply provides information so the church can write or call to thank you for your visit. Supply the information if you are comfortable doing so. But feel free to decline this request if you prefer.

 

The People

 

What kind of people can you expect to find? Pretty much the entire spectrum, as in any group. You will find traditionalists, and you may find those who prefer anything new over everything old. We hope you’ll find happy, friendly, loving people.   We aren't perfect, but we are striving to be as much like the Lord wants us to be as we can be.  Some have done a better job than others.  We are people who are learning and don't know everything.

We're a diverse group, coming from varied backgrounds, and at different stages of knowledge and spiritual growth. We don’t know everything. We don't do everything right. We may not always treat each other as we should, but we try. We haven't arrived—we’re just on the journey.

But, you see, we were not brought together by any illusion of our perfection or righteousness. We were brought together by our recognition that we are sinners in need of the cleansing blood of Jesus.

That’s the reason we can worship together, stick together, and with Gods help, accomplish some things that make a difference. You won’t have to look very far to find our failures, but you will find people who love Jesus and love the Bible and love people.

 

We hope that you will feel welcome when you visit us.

 

We want you to know that you are welcome, and we'd love to have you come to visit or come to join us at the Venus Church of Christ.

 

Schedule of Regular Services

 

        Bible School ........................................................................ 10:00 a.m.

        Morning Worship ................................................................ 11:00 a.m.

        Evening Worship' ................................................................. 6:00 p.m.

          Wednesday Evening Services ...................................... .......7:00 p.m.

 

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