Mission Statement of the First Christian Church
(Disciples of Christ)

"First Christian Church is a growing, community minded congregation whose central part of worship is the Lord's Supper. We will provide programs and facilities to enrich the spiritual and physical lives of our church family. We are dedicated to sharing Christ's message with the saved and unsaved through personal witness and outreach."

Who is First Christian Church?

Who We Are: We're a Disciples of Christ congregation, a part of a community of 3800 congregations in the United States and Canada. The Disciples came together from two frontier Christian groups in 1832. They shared the view that people should not be excluded from fellowship in the church because they don't adhere to a particular human-made creed or should be forced follow a set of rules imposed by a church hierarchy. We believe that each member should study the Bible to deepen our relationship to God through Jesus Christ, and to discover what God wants them to do. For Disciples, a relationship with God through Christ is central. Like all Disciples congregations, our membership is composed of many and varying Biblical views and interpretations. We have both conservative and liberal members, but we do not force our points of view or interpretations on others. The Lordship of Jesus Christ is our focus.

What We Believe, We Strive to Do:
We believe in worship. We believe the community of God's people gathering together for worship is vital to our individual spiritual well being as well as that of the church as a whole. Our services combine both contemporary and traditional forms of worship with a complete praise band leading us in contemporary hymns and music. Our Minister of Music has recently released a CD of his recordings and brings a spirit of both excellence and humility to our music. The service also features more traditional hymns and elements of worship. Central to our worship experience is the Lord's Supper. We receive the Lord's supper each week and all believers in Jesus Christ are invited to participate in this beautiful service.

We Believe in Family. Children and families were important to Christ. We believe God wants them to be important to us as well. Our worship service is geared to the needs of Children with a "Children's Moment" children's sermon each week. Children are then dismissed from the worship service if parents so choose, and go to our Children's Church. Age based activities and lessons are presented in a loving environment where children can learn about God and worship in a way they can understand. We have an active and vital student ministry with a dedicated full time Youth and Family Minister. The needs of parents are greater than they have ever been in today's society. We have a monthly parenting class and fellowship where parents of all age children meet for dinner, friendship, and a relevant study based upon needs they have expressed. We also know that in today's society marriages are under stress and sometimes fail. We know first hand the pain of divorce and the rejection some have felt, even from their own faith communities. We believe in a redemptive approach to broken marriages and divorce. We believe, that in the sight of God, there are NO second class citizens, and we are committed to providing an atmosphere of acceptance, healing, and service to those who have gone through life's struggles.

We Believe in Missions and Outreach. First Christian has a long history of community and mission support. Last year, we sent a team to the gulf coast as well as assisted with a foreign mission trip. This year, a team will be going to the hurricane ravaged Galveston Texas area to help rebuild a church. Another team will be going on a foreign mission trip to assist blind children. Our church also sponsors global, national, and state missions through its offerings. Locally, First Christian supports several different relief organizations with regular monetary and labor assistance.

We Believe in Community. First Christian works hand in hand with other area churches to promote annual Christian events such as the Prayer Luncheons the week before Easter. We believe we have a responsibility under God to be good stewards of the world's resources on both a local and global level. Our Ministerial staff are engaged in the community working with our area schools and organizations, as is our membership.

We Believe in Service. It is our firm conviction that God calls all believers to serve Him. We believe God has equipped you with the very talents and gifts He desires you to have and use for Him. We're committed to helping you discover those gifts and to find ways for you to put them to use. There is no greater joy than in serving others.

We Believe in YOU. We believe God put this church, our church here in this community for YOU. Our mission is to share the love of Christ with you. We will strive to never pass judgment on you. We will strive to never tell you what you must believe, save that Jesus Christ is Lord. What we will strive to do is to love you, accept you, help to bind and heal your wounds, and show you the way to Jesus.