What to Expect When You Visit Us
If you are looking for a church to call home, or perhaps you know something of Jesus and would like to know more, we would love to have you join us. When you visit, the first thing you may notice is a warm welcome. Please don't let this scare you away. Loving one another is what we do.
Our Sunday mornings typically start with Sunday School for all ages which runs from 9:30 to 10:30 (we may take a Sunday School break on different occasions, so please check the calendar). Worship service starts at 10:45 and typically lasts about 90 minutes.
We sing a mixture of traditional and contemporary songs and hymns that are doctrinally sound and accompanied by a balance of instrumentation. We do not have a "Children's Church"; however, a nursery and "cry-room" are available on the second floor if needed. A speaker system allows you to listen without missing a thing.
We celebrate Communion on the third Sunday of each month and typically have a potluck meal together which we call "Grub & Grow" immediately following the service. This name is derived from our practice of occasionally having a short teaching moment along with our meal together.
There is plenty of visitor parking near the entrance and a wheelchair ramp for accessibility. We are located adjacent to Southern States, and next to Feed My Sheep Christian School in Philippi.
Here are some things you might notice when you visit us...
- We highly value the authority of God's Word. You'll experience this in the preaching--which is typically done verse-by-verse through a book of the Bible (commonly referred to as "expository preaching"). You'll also notice it in our singing, scripture reading, and praying together.
- We invite participation. We don't view Sunday as a passive experience for the congregation, but rather encourage all to engage in singing, sharing, giving, ministering to others, and active listening.
- We're not perfect, but we're real. We genuinely pursue authentic relationships with one another that go beyond the masks we often wear. This also means we don't dress to impress others; most of us come in casual clothing.
- We are family. What happens during the informal part of our gathering (before & after) is just as important to us as what happens during the formal part of our gathering. It is not uncommon for most of the church to still be engaged in fellowship long after the service has ended.
- We like that we're a family made up of lots of differences--older and younger, single and married, home school and public school, Barbour County natives and "outsiders", etc. Our unity is found in Christ and His gospel.
- We encourage and even expect spiritual growth in everyone, whether you are just learning about Jesus for the first time or have been walking with Him for years. We call it "steps to the right". It's what we're made for.
More about our Music Ministry...
To quote Phil Vischer, the creator of Veggie Tales, "music makes things sticky". Our goal is to use our congregational singing time to help make scripture and theology "sticky". If we can get a song stuck in your head all week that preaches the gospel, then all week, you're going to be mulling over those lyrics and preaching the gospel to yourself.
A few things we are currently implementing:
- We sing one song before breaking into Sunday school classes. That song is either a scripture memory song or it is a song to give us "tools for our toolboxes". We've done songs to help us remember key points in sharing the gospel with others, attributes of God, the fruit of the Spirit, etc.
- We have a "Hymn of the Month". At the beginning of service, we talk a little about an aspect of this hymn. For instance, the meaning of words, theology found in that hymn, the writer's story or purpose in writing, or maybe a story about how that hymn has impacted someone else's life. The goal in doing this is to help us take a deeper look into the lyrics we are singing in order to make the hymn more meaningful to those singing it. After this, we will sing the hymn. Hopefully after 4-5 Sundays, that hymn will be very familiar, and parts, if not the whole, will be imbedded deep in our hearts and minds.
We hope this information is helpful and takes away any apprehension you may have in visiting. We look forward to meeting you and spending time with you as together we learn more of our great God and His love for us.
Fun Fact
Our recently renovated building is about 100 years old. It was originally constructed to manufacture pharmaceuticals for Dr. J.W. Myers and his Remedy Company (you might recognize the name if you've visited the Philippi Museum).
Interesting that this building is now being used for a different kind of remedy--one that we all need, and one that can only be received by faith in Christ Jesus—the Great Physician!
