Church of Christ
1718 Franklin Ave
Canon City, CO 81212
Phone: 719-275-9696
You will also notice that the minister (or preacher) doesn’t have a “title”: he does not want to be referred to as “Reverend” or even as “Pastor.” He would rather be called “brother” or just by his first name. He won’t be wearing any special clothing that would elevate or set him apart from other members. He is called “the preacher” because that’s an area of his service but not a title!
The Bible teaches that all believers are equal (Galatians 3:26-28). Christians are called “saints” (Ephesians 1:1) and “priests” (1 Peter 2:9), because our life is to be a holy, continuous sacrifice of praise to our God (Hebrews 13:15). Jesus Christ forbade the use of any religious titles or designations that would elevate any human above another (Matthew 23:9).
The sermon will be Bible-centered and will last about thirty minutes. At the end of the message, the preacher will extend what we call “the invitation,” which is simply a response time for any who may wish to ask for prayers or to be baptized or to ask to be identified as a member of the congregation.
You don’t need to be nervous—you won’t be singled out or embarrassed in any way!
If someone comes forward and wishes to be baptized, it may take place immediately and you will witness it along with everyone else. The baptism will be by immersion in water and will be for the forgiveness of sins and entrance into the church, as the Bible teaches (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38,47).
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More About What We Believe – And Why:
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The Bible is our final authority (2 Peter 1:3). We have no supplemental creeds, manuals or councils to interpret or dictate the meaning of Scripture, so churches of Christ are “autonomous”: each one is self-governed (with no earthly headquarters), for Jesus is the head of the church (Colossians 1:17).
Like the human body, each member of Christ’s church functions in different yet equally important areas of service (1 Corinthians 12:12-31).
The Old Testament (covenant) is valuable for our learning and example (Romans 15:4; 1 Corinthians 10:6-11), but the old covenant was fulfilled at the cross and was superceded by the New Testament of Jesus Christ (Hebrews 8:6-13; Galatians 3:23-29). None can keep the old law and new law at the same time (Romans 7:1-6), so today we must look to the New Testament as our guide to eternal salvation.
Regarding salvation, one is saved by God’s grace through obedient faith. GRACE could be likened to God’s hand reaching down in love and mercy to mankind, while FAITH could be likened to man reaching up in obedience to accept God’s grace.
The WAY of salvation is a PATTERN that can be identified and obeyed (Romans 6:17-18): FAITH comes by hearing God’s word (Romans 10:17) and is essential to one’s salvation (Hebrews 11:6). Faith (or belief) must be in God and in Jesus Christ as the Son of God (John 8:24). A person must realize that disobedience to God is sin (1 John 3:4) and REPENT (Luke 13:3). A penitent heart leads one to publicly CONFESS his faith in Jesus (Romans 10:10) and to be BAPTIZED for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38).
Baptism is just as essential to salvation as faith or repentance or confession (1 Peter 3:21). At baptism, the old man of sin is buried and the new Christian is raised to walk in newness of life (Romans 6:1-4).
Obedient faith will be demonstrated by good works (James 2:24), so Christians must be active in sharing the good news about Jesus (Matthew 28:18-20) while striving to be good examples in all things and helping others along the road of life (Titus 3:1-2; James 1:27).
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Introducing the
Church of Christ
which meets at
1718 Franklin Avenue
Cañon City, Colorado
81212
Office phone: 719-275-9696
Assembly Times:
SUNDAY
Classes: 9:30 AM
Worship:10:30 AM
Evening: 6:00 PM
Wednesday
Bible Classes: 7:00 PM
Rio Evans,
Preacher
A Warm Welcome Awaits You!
“The churches of Christ greet you”
(Romans 16:16)
Watch:
“In Search of The Lord’s Way”
Sunday mornings at 7:30 AM
on Channel 9 (cable)
Channel 21 (Direct)
WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT
WHEN YOU VISIT
THE CHURCH OF CHRIST:
If you are looking for a friendly church that loves the Lord and believes the Bible is the Word of God, why not consider a visit to the Cañon City Church of Christ?
Our Intentions Are Good!
Our aim is to restore the New Testament church in our time, to determine from the Bible what the church was like in the first century and to try to be like that!
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When You Arrive On Sunday:
We know that unfamiliar surroundings can be a bit intimidating, so let us tell you what to expect when you first come to visit.
If you choose to come for Bible study at 9:30 AM, you’ll find that we have classes for children of all ages. Someone will be happy to help you take your children to the proper classroom and teacher.
When you arrive, feel free to sit anywhere you wish in the auditorium. The adult class will be from a book in the Bible and will be open to discussion; feel free to ask a question, if you wish. If you didn’t bring a Bible, you may use one from the nearby bookrack. Bible classes last about forty-five minutes, then there will be a break for the intermission (restrooms are nearby!). The worship service will begin at 10:30 AM.
If you arrive during the intermission, you can be assured that you will find a friendly atmosphere—you will be greeted and made to feel right at home. More than likely, you will see someone you already know!
We sincerely hope that what you find will be just what you have been looking for!
About Our Assemblies
For Worship
On the Lord’s Day:
Before the worship service begins, one of the men will come to the front to welcome visitors and lead us in an opening prayer.
At the end of the service, someone else will make any closing announcements and lead the congregation in a closing prayer.
SINGING:
When the songleader comes to the front, you may take a songbook from the rack. You will notice right away that our singing is congregational (everybody sings!) and that it is “acappella:” without any kind of mechanical instruments. This is more than just a “preference,” our desire to worship God acceptably leads us to respect the absence of either command or example in the New Testament other than to “sing and make melody with our hearts.”
(Ephesians 5:19)
PRAYERS:
There will be several prayers during the service. These will be led by men who were asked earlier and volunteered.
While in churches of Christ there is no distinction as in “clergy” or “laity,” there are different roles or areas of service: you will notice that the service is conducted by men.
Our ladies are highly esteemed and play vital roles in practically every area of work in the church, yet we respect instruction in the New Testament that the men are to lead in the worship assemblies of the church.
(1 Timothy 2:8-15)
THE LORD’S SUPPER (Communion):
Regardless of which Sunday you visit our services, the Lord’s Supper will be included in the worship. This is because we observe the death of Jesus every week, just as the early Christians did (as in Acts 20:7).
During this part of the service, prayers will be given, plates will be passed containing the unleavened bread, then trays with small cups filled with grape juice will be passed. These symbolize Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross and are a remembrance of His body and blood (Matthew 26:26-28).
If you don’t wish to participate or aren’t sure, don’t be embarrassed, just pass the plate or tray on to the person next to you.
CONTRIBUTION:
In churches of Christ, the work of the church is financed solely by the freewill offerings of the members, as we read in the Scriptures
(1 Corinthians 16:1-2).
Usually at the end of the Lord’s Supper, a prayer will be given, then collection plates will be passed for the weekly offering.
Visitors are not expected to contribute, so you may just pass the collection plate on to a person near you.
As our guest, you may participate in the service as you wish, but you are not in any way obligated to do so. Afterward, most any of our people would be happy to help you with any questions you might have.
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