We are Christians -- nothing more and nothing less. We believe that Jesus Christ came to earth as the Son of God, that he was crucified and died as a sacrifice for our sins, and that he arose from the dead and ascended to heaven.

We believe that the Bible is the inspired word of God. We believe that the New Testament is the complete instruction book given to the followers of Christ, and that it tells both the church and individual believers how to behave. There are no supplements, updates, modifications, corrections or deletions. God got it right the first time.

Therefore, we concern ourselves only with the things that the New Testament requires. The three most important are:

• Belief that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
• An acknowlegment of our former sinful life and a sincere plea for God's forgiveness through Christ.
• Baptism by immersion.

By completing these three steps we become children of God. The slate is clean. We get a fresh start -- a new life in Christ. This doesn't mean we're suddenly perfect, nor does it give us a pass from trouble in our lives. What it does do is provide us with the opportunity to serve Christ here on earth and then to spend eternity with Him and our brothers and sisters in Christ. It just doesn't get any better than that!

Our worship services are not complicated. There are no formal procedures to learn, no complex doctrine to memorize, no seat assignments, no hassling for money, and no dress code. We are there to worship, to learn, and to enjoy associating with our friends, both old and new.

We usually begin our services with a prayer, followed by a few hymns or choruses. Sometimes we have some special music by our organist, pianist, or maybe a solo by one of our talented singers or musicians.

We serve communion every Sunday and all Christians, whether or not they are members of our church, are invited to join us. If anyone prefers not to participate for any reason, that's fine with us too. We feel this is an especially important part of the service, which is why we usually have someone present a short meditation and prayer before we serve communion. Communion trays are passed up and down the pews and folks partake of both bread and juice at that time.

Next comes the message, usually followed by an invitation to anyone who would like to take the three steps described above. This is by far the most important part of our service. Anyone who has made the life-changing decision to turn his or her life over to Christ simply walks to the front of the sanctuary as an acknowledgment of that decision and commitment. No one will ever be asked to give a speech or be embarrassed in any way. This is a time for rejoicing, not embarrassment. This is about joining a really great family -- the family of God!

That's what we believe.

We hope you'll join us next Sunday.