What I found

What I found

when I visited…

This beautiful century-old building has traditional stairs up to the entry doors. It also has an entry-level lift that takes me right to the sanctuary. Once inside, I find a mature and maturing congregation of believers who are striving to be a real family. I look around quickly to be sure I am dressed appropriately and I see folks dressed in everything from “finery” to quite casual.

      At the beginning of the service, all were encouraged to tell of the things God was doing and has done recently in their lives. Next came a time of prayer for special needs. These people believe in prayer.

About their praise and worship …

This congregation of saints loves to sing and worship the Lord. The whole congregation is the choir and I was encouraged to join in. We sang traditional hymns, gospel songs, as well as some contemporary songs. The music and worship leaders are not there to entertain but to guide all into praise and worship. There is no loud music or entertainment props, just good Spirit-led worship. Most people stood, some raised their hands in praise, and at times some even clapped. Any children attending remained with the adults and joined in the singing. The time of praise and worship was averages between twenty and thirty minutes

The children …

After praising and worshiping, the children 3 and below went to a nursery. Children older than 3 are encouraged to remain with the adults,

The sermon …

The first Sunday I visited, one of the three elders preached the sermon. By three weeks, all three had given a message. Each one uses the Bible as their inspiration. The topics emphasized sanctification and encouragement to spiritual growth. Everyone, it seems, has their own Bible or some Bible reference device as they follow the messages. The messages last about thirty minutes.

   Communion is served every Sunday. All believers are encouraged to participate. Individual communion elements are distributed to the congregation in their seats.

   The emphasis is focused on the Word of God. Maybe that’s why they are called Word of Life. I was asked if I was interested in further Bible study. There are classes for men, for women, and for both men and women together. After the service, people were there to visit with me for a few minutes, to ask if I had any prayer needs and to warmly invite me to come back again. There was coffee afterwards in the basement for those who desire further fellowship and I had the opportunity to fellowship with some of the people.