Welcome to the LaPrada Drive Church of Christ . We are pleased to have you
visit us on our web site. We would be even more pleased if you would choose to make
the LaPrada Drive Church of Christ your regular place of worship.
We want you to visit us at the Church of Christ. We want you to feel comfortable
and we know an unfamiliar place can be intimidating. So, let us tell you what
you can expect when you honor us with a visit.
Background
A brief description of our background may help you understand us.
We are a part of "The Restoration Movement." Our goal is to "restore"
the New Testament church in our time, to determine from the Bible what the church
was like in the beginning, and to be like that. We believe this is a worthy
and reverent goal.
We want to be a Bible-centered church. And we try to be.
Yet we know that our conclusions aren't flawless, and that our practices are sometimes
colored by habit, preference, tradition, or convenience. Now, let us walk
you through a worship service.
There may be some variations from this description, because every Church
of Christ is autonomous. That is self-ruled and independent.
The Setting
Some Churches of Christ meet in homes or rented facilities.
However, most, for the sake of convenience, have erected a church building. You
will enter what we refer to as the "auditorium." There will be rows of chairs or
pews for the worship. There are no reserved seats, so feel free to sit anywhere
you choose.
Singing
In a 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 Church of Christ
and something you may find strange is that the music is " a cappella." That
is, we sing without the accompaniment of musical instruments.
This is conviction with us, not just a preference. It has its
roots in our restoration heritage. We are seeking to worship according to
the New Testament pattern. Since the New Testament leaves instrumental music
out, we believe it's best to exclude it, too.1
You may consider us narrow on this point. But we believe you
will respect our reason for it, and 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. And there may
be prayers for specific needs and requests.
Preaching
You will notice that the preacher doesn't have a title. He won't
be referred to as pastor of reverend. He may be addressed as Dr., but only
if he has earned that academic credential. He will probably be referred to
as brother or mister or possibly just called by his first name.
He won't be wearing any ecclesiastical vestments which set him apart.
The reason for this is our belief in the priesthood of all believers. That
all are equal.2
The Sermon will likely be from 20 to 30 minutes. We think you
will find it refreshingly Bible centered.
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 commitment or request prayer support. He will encourage those who
wish to "respond" to come to the front of the auditorium while the congregation
sings a hymn.
Don't feel ill at ease during this invitation. You will not be
singled out in any way. There may be several who respond or none.
Some may respond for baptism. Some to confess sin. Some
to ask for prayer for a specific need. Some 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.3
And it will be for the remission of sins.4
Lord's Supper
If you visit on 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 our desire to follow New Testament teaching.
The first century church celebrated this observance on the first day of the week.5
We assume from this that they did it the first day of every week.
And we know from respected historians that in early centuries the Lord's Supper
was an every Sunday commemoration.6
During this memorial, plates containing pieces of unleavened bread
will be passed throughout the congregation. The bread symbolizes the body
of Jesus.7
Each participating person will break off a piece of
the bread and eat it.
Next, trays filled with small cups will be distributed. The
cups will contain "fruit of the vine," usually grape juice, symbolizing the blood
of Jesus.7
Each participant will drink the contents of one of
the cups. If you choose not to participate, don't be embarrassed. Feel free
to just pass the plate or tray to the person next to you.
Offering
Also, if you visit on Sunday morning containers will be passed to collect
the weekly financial offering.8
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
Nothing at all ! You are welcome to participate. But don't feel
obligated to. Just observe, if that is your choice. You may be asked
to fill out a visitor's card. This simply provides information so the church
can write or call to thank you for your visit. Supply this information if
you are comfortable doing so. But feel free to decline this 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'll find those
who prefer anything new over everything old. You will find those of us who
mistake our traditions for absolute truth, and get pretty bent out of shape when
thy are tampered with. And you'll find those of us who are a bit smug at having
been liberated from tradition.
You will find legalists and liberals and a lot of people in between.
You will find happy people, grouchy people, friendly people, unfriendly people,
and loving people, cantankerous people. People who are learning and people
who already know everything.
You'll find us to be like the little west Texas community that has
a billboard at the edge of town which says, " The Home of 3,000 Friendly People
and A Few Old Soreheads."
You get the picture. 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 don't always treat
each other as we should. 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 cleaning blood of Jesus.9
That's
the reason we can worship together, stick together, and with God's help, accomplish
some things that make a difference.
You won't have to look very far to find our failures. But, bottom
line, you will find people who love Jesus and love the Bible.
1. 1 Corinthians 14:15; Ephesians 5:18,19; Colossians 3:26;
Hebrews 2:12
2. Matthew 23:8-12; Galatians 3:26-28; 1 Peter 2:5,9
3. Acts 8:35-39; Romans 6:3,4; Colossians 2:12
4. Acts 2:38
5. Acts 20:7
6. Neander, Eusebius
7. 1 Corinthians 11:23-25
8. 1 Corinthians 16:1,2
9. Mark 2:17; Romans 5:6-9; Ephesians 1:7; 1 John 7
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