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First Church of Christ - Frequently Asked Questions
Questions about First Church
Q: What happens when I give the church a prayer request?
A: The prayer requests are gathered from phone calls, shepherding sheets, or our website (under communications header on website). On an average week, we have around 150-175 prayer requests. On Tuesdays mornings at 8am, the pastors and directors meet to pray for all of the prayer requests. In addition to the staff praying, there are about 50 more people receive two pages of the prayer list (the prayer list is usually about 25-30 pages).
Q: How many people attend FCC? A: In 2006, an average weekend’s attendance was 2500.
Q: How many members does First Church have? A: We have approximately 2700 members.
Q: Why do you call your pastors by their first name? A: Many of you may come from faith communities where you called your pastor, "Father" so you may wonder what to call the pastors at First Church. We are comfortable with you calling us by our first name. If you have a problem with your children calling us by our first name, then "Pastor L.D" or "Pastor Tommy" or "Pastor Rick" etc. is appropriate. Some of you may have come from Christian communities that called the pastor "Reverend." We want to let you know that we love to be called by our first names. We don't think it is disrespectful, matter of fact we like it!
Q: What is the shepherding sheet? A: A shepherding sheet is the tear off section in the bulletin where you have the opportunity to communicate with the staff. The church also uses that as a record of your attendance with us. On the front you can request information or give prayer requests. On the back side, you see what is happening on Wednesday Night or sign up for classes or ministries.
Q: How do I find more information about…? A: If you need more information about anything, you can either go to a welcome center during a service, check our website at www.1stchurchofchrist.org or you can contact Brian Heckber at 586-4673 (x40) or bheckber@1stchurchofchrist.org.
Q: How do I receive the newsletter? A: You can call the church office and request that. The newsletter is also available on our website.
Q: How do I receive offering envelopes? A: You can mark the tear off form\Shepherding sheet of your bulletin and mark the appropriate box on the side with your name and address. Our financial secretary will get you offering envelopes for the year.
Q: Are you a denomination? A: We are a non-denominational church. What that means is that we have no denominational control or hierarchy. We have no headquarters. We govern ourselves. We are independent of all other churches. We determine how to spend money and where to send our mission money. We have a group of men, called elders, who oversee the church. While we do not belong to an official denomination, we do belong to a brotherhood of believers who are known for their commitment to the Bible. We have no man-made creed. The Bible is our only authority. The Christian Churches\Churches of Christ are similar in what we believe and adhere to scripturally, but each church determines its ministry philosophy, leadership structure, where it spends its money, etc. If you would like more information on this, please contact Brian at bheckber@1stchurchofchrist.org or at 586-HOPE, ext 140.
Questions about our Services Q: What worship services do you offer? A: We offer several worship services throughout the weekend. Saturday
Sunday
Q: What is Growing U?
A: This fall, our mid-week programming will be called Growing U. The name simply describes our purpose – to provide an education environment during the week that leads people into a growing relationship with Jesus. Sessions will be offered for preschoolers, children, middle school students, and adults. Growing U does not meet in December or during the summer. You can find out what will be studied by looking on our website or checking out the bulletin. There are refreshments each week for you to meet new people. The refreshments start at 6:00 p.m. The study is from 6:30-7:30 p.m.
Q: What exactly is the invitation time? A: The invitation time at the end of the sermon is an opportunity to do three things. The first invitation is to accept Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior. We unashamedly believe that Jesus is the only way to salvation and we want everyone to accept Jesus Christ as their personal savior. The second invitation is to join our First Church family as a member. The third invitation is an invitation for prayer. If you ever have any prayer requests, please come forward to one of our prayer team members and allow them to pray for you. Questions about our Beliefs Q: Why do you take communion each week? A: While there is no mandate in Scripture on how often to take communion, we believe that the early church practiced taking communion or breaking bread each Sunday (Acts 20:7). Therefore when there is no scriptural command, we believe the next best thing is to practice what the early church practiced. Lord’s Supper is another term used for communion.
Q: Do I have to be immersed\baptized again? A: That is one of the most common questions people have about their relationship with Jesus. Scripture does not give the answer as to whether God encourages it or discourages it. If you would like to be rebaptized, we are more than happy to assist with that. The one thing we want to convey is that if you were baptized when you were young, please do not think that your immersion\baptism didn’t “take.” That is not true. But if you feel this is something you would like to do, please talk to one of our pastors and they would be more than happy to help you.
Q: What is the difference between Elders and Deacons? A: According to Scripture (I Timothy 4), elders are the spiritual leaders of the church who provide the vision, affection, instruction, protection and correction of God. They are the ones who are responsible to God for the direction and health of the church. At First Church, elders are nominated by the elders, deacons, and pastoral staff, then they are voted on by the congregation. The deacons are servant ministry leaders. They lead
ministries and are responsible to the elders. Deacons are nominated and voted
on by the congregation. Questions about Membership
Q: What is required to become a member?
A: People who desire to become a member of First Church must have accepted Jesus Christ as Lord of their life and have been baptized by immersion.
Q: What is the process of becoming a member? A: If you have already been immersed, the primary way that people become members of First Church is to go up front during the invitation time at the end of the sermon. At that point, a new member host will take you to a nearby room to explain church membership and then the next week you will be introduced to the church family. The pastor will ask you to repeat after him something similar to the following: “I believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God.”
Q: If I get baptized here, am I automatically a member? A: If you desire to join our church when you are baptized, that can all be done at the same time. We also have some people who desire to be baptized and not become a member…that is not a problem.
Q: I have been baptized by immersion at another church, do I have to be immersed at First Church to become a member? A: No. If you have been immersed in another church, we do not require you to be baptized at our church in order to become a member. If you are an immersed believer and desire to join our church, we will transfer your membership from your former church.
Q: When I join the church, will you contact my former church to tell them of my transfer? A: When you come forward to join the church, you will be taken into another room after the service where we will get some information from you. One part of the information is your former church name. If you desire, you can complete that part of the form. We will send a notification to your former church letting them know that you have transferred your membership. Questions about our Ministries Q: What do you have for our children? A: We have a wonderful ministry for your children. In the following paragraphs you will find opportunities for each one of your children, no matter what their age. If you are needed during the service, your ID number will be displayed on the screen. If you are in class, one of the leaders will come and get you if there is a need.
The Garden Center is where we offer child care for infants and toddlers, as
well as classroom instruction and care for children ages 2 through
pre-kindergarten. Trained, loving adults guide the children through Bible
lessons and activities that teach them three core values: God loves me. God
made me. I love God.
A security system is in place to ensure your child’s safety. All families are encouraged to stop by the Garden Center Welcome Center to register their child in our security system. We encourage parents to join us as we nurture their children in their relationship with God. We also have a preschool named Kid’s Academy. If you have questions about this ministry, please contact Marie Griesser, Director of Kid’s Academy.
Elementary
For those of you with children in Elementary School, we are excited to have
the privilege to minister to your children. During our weekend services, we
have three age classes (Kindergarten\1st grade, 2nd grade\3rd grade, 4th
grade\5th grade). In each class the children are taught the same lesson but
at their given instruction level. This time is filled with small group
teaching, large group instruction, storytelling, and worship.
There are also special events for elementary students and their families throughout the year. You can get a brochure of these activities in the brochure kiosk by the Welcome Center in The Gathering Place. We also participate in Happy Hills Christian Service Camp each summer (June\July). If you have any more questions about our ministry to Elementary students, please contact Guy Jones, pastor of elementary ministries.
Middle school
For the middle school (grades 6-8), we have 3 exciting main events each
week. Every Sunday morning at 9:20, in the GFLC, we start with a worship
service just for students! At 11:00 we enter into Life Groups where every
middle school student has the opportunity to be a part of a small group
of 8-12 students. Come to the Student Table to join a small group. Finally,
every Wednesday night we have Breakaway, which is a time to hang out, play
games, and get to know everyone. We meet in Stage One from 6:15-7:30pm.
We also have special events throughout the year, such as lock-ins, concerts, conferences, retreats, snow skiing, roller skating, and The Beach Waterpark. If you have any more questions about our ministry to Middle School students, please contact Darin Mirante, pastor of middle school ministries.
CORE (Challenging Ourselves to Reach Everyone): Student Worship Service:
Every Sunday morning in Stage One from 9:20am-10:30am we gather the
middle school and high school student together for a student driven and
student focused time of worship. We have relevant messages dealing with
everyday issues. There is high energy worship, dramas, videos, and so much
more. Our goal is to take students to the heart of worship before the throne
of God.
Dive Groups: Discipleship groups for High School students. These groups are divided up by gender. Adults lead them, with 6-7 students in each group. These groups incorporate discipleship, accountability, and service. These groups are for our core and committed students. They are equipped with the tools to develop a working faith of their own. They are taught the importance of accountability with fellow believers. These groups meet in homes during the week. Ruckus: Is our time of High School outreach. We meet in a home in the community on Thursday nights from 6-8pm. Our main goal is to create a safe community where students feel free to be themselves. This is time of food, fun, and fellowship. It’s a great place to come and meet new people. If you have any more questions about our ministry to Senior High students, please contact Mark Graham, pastor of High School ministries.
Q: What Ministry will my children be in? A: We determine that according to the age\grade of your child. Early Childhood: Birth through preschool Elementary: Kindergarten through 5th Grade Middle School: 6th Grade- 8th Grade High School: 9th Grade - 12th Grade
Q: What do you have for singles? A: Our Single Adult Ministry exists to glorify Jesus Christ and to surround you with opportunities for Christian growth, fellowship, friendship, comfort, support and unconditional acceptance in love. We sponsor a weekly Adult Bible Fellowship class, DivorceCare, small groups, and monthly activities.
Q: What do you have for men? A: Our Men’s Ministry includes quarterly fellowship breakfasts, small groups, retreats, Promise Keepers events, golf leagues and retreats, and family friendly events. Men’s ministry exists to reach men with the gospel of Jesus Christ, to welcome and enfold men into the church of Jesus Christ, and to motivate men to be life-long disciples of Jesus Christ.
Q: What do you have for women? A: Our Women's Ministry invites you to attend one of our Bible Studies and see how Biblical truths can be applied to a woman’s world. It is a dynamic program for women who enjoy building relationships and desire to make Jesus Christ the center of their lives.
In the spring, Women’s Retreat has an overnight get-away of fun, inspiration and relaxation in a beautiful setting. In the fall, Morning of Praise sponsors a Saturday morning ladies’ brunch featuring a nationally recognized speaker. Please take this opportunity to introduce your friends and neighbors to First Church.
Q: What do you have for senior citizens? A: Senior Adult Ministries at First Church go under the heading of JOY Club. Activities include monthly luncheons, monthly trips (day trips and longer), the yearly “I Love America” celebration, and outreach to shut ins and residents of retirement centers. This ministry exists to help individuals celebrate their senior years which we believe to be the prime of their lives. We have established a number of weekly Bible studies.
Q: Do you give to missions? A: Yes. Currently we give 25% of our weekly offering to missions. In 2006, we will give over $650,000 to missions. Our missions are broken down into three categories: Worldwide Outreach, Community Outreach, and Educational Outreach. For a complete listing of the missions we support, please go to the following link: Missions Home Page Questions about Getting Involved Q: How do I get involved in ministry? A: We offer a spiritual gifts class that helps you understand where you are gifted by God. This is a big help in understanding where you would enjoy serving. This class is offered various times throughout the year. If you want to get involved in ministry, contact Brian Heckber at 586-4673, ext 140 or bheckber@1stchurchofchrist.org. Brian oversees connecting ministries and he is here to help you get connected in all aspects of the church including finding a place to serve. We also have a two weekend event each year (usually in June) called “Invitation to Serve.” This is a weekend where all of our volunteers recommit or commit to serving for the next year. Commitments are made the second week.
Q: Do I have to be a member to serve? A: No. We have many opportunities where you can serve without being a member. There are a few opportunities (Elder, deacon, teacher) where we ask you be a member before serving in them. But most of our service opportunities do not require membership.
Q: What is ABF? A: ABF stands for Adult Bible Fellowship. It is very similar to Sunday School. With a church the size of First Church, we need to grow smaller to connect people in relationships and study, so our ABF classes are in essence a church within a church. In an ABF class, you will build relationships, study God’s Word, be cared for and loved.
Q: What are small groups? How do they differ from ABF? A: A small group is a caring community of Christians seeking to grow in their faith. Small groups have 6-12 members who meet regularly for study and growth. Groups meet throughout the week and are organized when a designated host\leader and apprentice are trained. For more information, contact Rick Shonkwiler at 586-4673, ext 115 or rshonkwiler@1stchurchofchrist.org. |
