Petersville Church of Christ

Let us walk you through a typical worship service. After passing through the foyer you will enter the auditorium. There will be rows of pews for those worshiping. There are no reserved seats, so you may sit where you please. Before the worship service there will be a welcome to our guests, usually by one of our elders.

Music

Next we will begin singing. The Petersville Church really loves to sing to God. We use a screen to project the notes and words, or on the bottom of the pew in front of you, you will find a songbook. When the song leader announces the number you can turn to that number to find the words to the music.

Speaking about music, one of the unique things about the Church of Christ is that the music is a cappella; that is, we sing with our voices without the accompaniment of musical instruments. This is a conviction and a preference with us. As stated previously, we seek to worship according to the New Testament pattern, and since it excludes instrumental music we feel it is best to exclude it, too. If you have never heard a cappella singing, we think you will learn to really enjoy it. Everyone is encouraged to sing along with us.

Prayer

Prayers are a key part of our worship to the Lord. There will be several prayers during the service. These prayers will be led by various brothers in the church and sometimes include petitions for special needs or requests.

Communion

One of the key elements in our time together on Sunday mornings is communion, also called the Lord^s Supper. The Lord^s Supper is observed by Churches of Christ every Sunday. Again, the reason is our desire to follow the New Testament teaching. The first century church celebrated this observance on the first day of the week. Respected historians state that in the early centuries the communion was an every-Sunday commemoration. During this part of the service plates containing pieces of unleavened bread will be passed throughout the congregation. The bread symbolizes the body of Jesus.

Those partaking will break off a piece and eat it. Next trays filled with small cups will be distributed. The cups contain fruit of the vine, which is grape juice, symbolizing the blood of Christ. Each participant will drink the contents of one of the cups. The Lord^s Supper is for Christians only. If you do not participate, simply pass the tray to the person next to you.

Offering

Directly following communion, containers will be passed around to collect the weekly financial offering. As our guest, you are not expected to make a donation. We would like a record of your attendance. So, if a greeter hasn^t done so, we would like to encourage you to fill out a visitor^s card (blue), in the rack next to the songbooks, and place it in the collection plate or at the end of the pew at the allotted time to be picked up.

Preaching

Now about the preaching. In the Petersville Church, the preacher does not have a special title. We won^t refer to him as Pastor or Reverend. We may refer to him as “Brother.” Actually, he prefers to simply be called by his first name, James. He won^t be wearing any special clothing which sets him apart. The reason for this is our belief in the priesthood of all believers (1 Peter 2:5). That is why you will notice that many different brothers will lead singing or prayers, etc. The sermon will be Bible-centered, relevant, practical and approximately thirty minutes in length. We encourage you to bring your own copy of God’s Word when you worship with us.

End of Service

At the conclusion of the message, the preacher will extend what is called an “invitation.” This is simply an expedient time to invite those who, are moved to do so, to express their commitment to God or request prayer support. He will encourage those who wish to respond to come to the front of the auditorium while the congregation stands and sings a hymn. Don^t feel uncomfortable during this invitation. You will not be singled out in any way. There may be several who respond, or none. Some may request baptism. Some may confess sins. Some may place membership with this congregation. The great thing is that if anyone responds for baptism, you will witness it right then and there. The baptism will be into Christ for the forgiveness of sins.

What Kind of People You Will Meet

One of the questions you most likely have about the Petersville family is, “What kind of people will I meet there?” The answer is simple, of the 350 people who call Petersville church of Christ their home, you will find a broad spectrum of believers. You will find a group of friendly people in all age and class categories. You will find a group of normal, everyday, hard-working families who strive to do the work and will of the Lord. What you will not find is “perfect” people, but you will find people who are striving to be what the Lord ask them to be, spurring one another on to be better. There are no perfect people, but imperfect people, striving to serve a perfect Savior. We hope that you will come and visit us anytime you have a chance-you will be welcomed with loving, open arms.