In desiring to fulfill the foundational mission of the church to be the pillar and support of the truth (I Timothy 3:15but in case I am delayed, I write so that you may know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth.), we try to keep our primary focus on the teaching of God's Word. This means that the teaching of the Word is the centerpiece of our coming together each Sunday. In emphasizing a book by book, verse by verse expository approach to the Word of God, we are striving to be systematically declaring "the whole purpose of God". We believe that it is important for our families to worship together, and so on Sundays we do not separate our members into different groups by age categories. We expect our children to sit with their parents on Sunday morning, though we do offer a cry room for parents who have children under two years of age. For many this may seem quite different, but we have found that it works out quite well - as together we seek to patiently support and encourage one another in cultivating an appetite for sound teaching from an early age.
In respect to the influential mission of the church to be going and making disciples of all the nations (Matthew 28:18-20And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."), we believe that God has blessed us and called us to have a very important role in making known the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ in our own communities and also to the ends of the earth. While we are looking for opportunities to make Christ known in our own sphere of influence, we also support three different families who are taking the Gospel to Persians, to India, and to Mongolia. With each of these families, we have been privileged to have a close relationship and involvement so that we are more intimately acquainted with the work that God has called each of them to do. God has been very good to allow us to invest over half of our financial giving each year in the work to which these three families have been called.
As we strive together to fulfill the functional mission of the church to be in preparation for the presentation (Ephesians 5:27that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she should be holy and blameless.), we are always looking for opportunities to encourage and cultivate spiritual growth and maturing in the body of Christ. To this end, we have set aside times for group Bible studies and fellowship, prayer, and Scripture memorization. Another time that we have set apart for fellowship is after the Sunday morning service. On most Sundays we have a potluck meal that gives us a very important time to interact with each other in a very informal setting that has become a very necessary time for further consideration of the morning message, for challenge, for encouragement, for accountability, and for getting better acquainted.