What to Expect When you Visit The Alhambra Church of Christ

We want you to visit us at the Alhambra church of Christ & we want you to feel welcome,

but we know that an unfamiliar place can be uncomfortable. Let us explain what you can expect

when you honor us with a visit. We promise that we will do our best to make you feel at home

and at ease.

A brief description of our congregation will help you to get to know us. Our goal is to follow

the bible as our only guide to worship and to use the pattern given to the disciples on the day of

Pentecost on how the Lord's church was established in the beginning. That is the plan we use to

establish the Lord's church today. We believe this is a worthy and reverent goal. We want to be

a bible centered church and we try to be. We also know that our conclusions aren't flawless, but

we do our best to worship and serve the Lord in the way that He wished us to. Now, let us walk

you through a worship service.

Some churches of Christ meet in homes or rented facilities. However, most for the sake of

convenience have erected a church building. You will enter what we refer to as the "auditorium",

which for us is upstairs. There will be rows of pews for the people. There are no reserved seats,

so feel free to sit anywhere you choose. The Alhambra church of Christ has been in existence for

over 88 years and in that time, the congregation and it's leaders have worked hard to make sure

that it is operated in the Lord's fashion & that it is an inviting and friendly place.

In a bookrack in front of you, there will be hymn books for your use. When the song leader

announces a number, you can turn to that number in the hymn book to find the words and music.

One of the unique things about the churches of Christ and something you may find different, is

that the music is "a cappella." That is, we sing without the accompaniment of musical instruments.

This is a conviction with us, not just a preference. We are seeking to worship according to the new

testament pattern. Since the new testament leaves instrumental music out, we believe it's best to

exclude it too. You may consider this point a little odd, but we believe you will respect our

reasons and our conviction. We think you'll find the singing meaningful, with everyone being

invited to join in. Please refer to the following scripture for you edification.

1 Corinthians 14:15 ; Ephesians 5:19 ; Colossians 3:16 ; Hebrews 2:12

There will be several prayers during the service. There may be prayers for specific needs and

requests. If you have a special need for prayer for yourself or for a loved one, feel free to raise

your hand and make your request known. We will be happy to add your request and to help pray

for your needs.

If you visit us on Sundays, the Lord's supper will be included in the worship proceedings, the

reason for this is our desire to follow new testament teaching. The first century church celebrated

this observance on the 1st day of the week. It has been determined that they did it the first day

of every week as a commemoration. During this memorial, plates containing pieces of unleavened

bread will be passed throughout the congregation. The bread symbolizes the body of Jesus. Each

participating person will break off a piece of the bread and eat it. Next, trays filled with small cups

will be distributed. The cups will contain "fruit of the vine," usually grape juice, symbolizing the

blood of Jesus. Each participant will drink the content of one of the cups. If you choose not to

participate, don't be embarrassed. Feel free to pass the plate or tray to the person next to you.

Acts 20:7 ; 1 Corinthians 11:23-25

Also, if you visit on a Sunday morning, collection plates will be passed around for the weekly

financial offering. As our guest, you are not expected to give an offering. Feel perfectly

comfortable in just passing the collection plate on down the row.

1 Corinthians 16:1-2

You will notice that the preacher doesn't have a title. He won't be referred to as pastor or

reverend. He may be addressed as brother or mister or possibly just called by his first name. He

won't be wearing any ecclesiastical vestments that set him apart. The reason for this is our belief

in the priesthood of all believers. That all are equal. The sermon will likely be from 20 to 30

minutes. We think you will find it refreshingly bible centered.

Matthew 23:8-12 ; Galatians 3:26-28 ; 1 Peter 2:5-9

At the close of the sermon, the preacher will "extend an invitation." This is simply an expedient

time to invite those who are moved to do so to make a commitment or request prayer support. He

will encourage those who wish to "respond" to come to the front of the auditorium while the

congregation sings a hymn. Don't feel ill at ease during this invitation. You will not be singled out

in anyway. There may be several who respond or none. Some may respond for baptism. Some

to confess sins. Some to "identify" or "place membership" with this congregation. If someone

responds for baptism, you will witness the baptism during this service. The baptism will be by

immersion and it will be for the remission of sins. For those who would desire a more private

response or conversation, the preacher of the congregation is available following the conclusion of

the service. Just ask anyone to point him out to you.

Acts 8:35-39 ; Romans 6:3-4 ; Colossians 2:12 ; Acts 2:38

Nothing at all! You are welcome to participate, but don't feel obligated to. Just observe, if that

is your choice. You may be asked to fill out a visitor’s card. This simply provides information so

the church can write or call to thank you for your visit. Supply the information if you are

comfortable doing so, but feel free to decline this request if you prefer.

What kind of people can you expect to find? Pretty much the entire spectrum, as in any group.

We are a very diverse group demographically with many different ethnic and age groups. You will

find conservatives, liberals and a lot of people in between. We are a pretty happy bunch. There

are people who are learning and people who are very knowledgable. You get the picture, we're a

diverse group, coming from varied backgrounds and at different stages of knowledge and spiritual

growth. We don't know everything and we don't do everything right, but that's because we haven't

arrived, we're just on the journey.

You see, we were not brought together by any illusion of our perfection or righteousness. We

were brought together by our recognition that we are sinners in need of the cleansing blood of

Jesus. That's the reason we can worship together, stick together and with God's help, accomplish

some things that make a difference. You won't have to look very hard to find our faults. The

bottom line is, you will find people who love Jesus, the bible & each other. We hope you will visit

us soon.

Mark 2:17; Romans 5:6-9 ; Ephesians 1:7 ; 1 John 1:7

Welcome to the church of Christ

In Beautiful Alhambra California