We want you to visit us at the church of Christ and we want you to feel comfortable. 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, an that our practices are sometimes colored by habit, preference, tradition, or convenience. Now, let us walk 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 hymn book 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" --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 not 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 several who respond or none. Some may respond for baptism. Some to confess sins. 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 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 Lord's 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 those 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 the Lord's Supper. That decision is left to each one to decide whether or not they should partake.
Offering
Also, if you visit on a Sunday morning, containers 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.
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'd find happy people and grouchy people. Friendly people..and unfriendly people. Loving people...and cantankerous people. People who are learning..and people who already know everything.
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 cleansing blood of Jesus.
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 you will find people who love Jesus and love the Bible.
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 that 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.
We want you to know that you are welcome at the Venus Church of Christ to visit or to join us in our journey.