Your First Visit

We want you to visit us at The Monmouth Church and we want you to feel comfortable. But we know an unfamiliar place can be intimidating. So, let us tell you what you can expect when you honor us with a visit.

Background

We want to be a Bible-centered church, and we try to be. The church leadership consists of four elders, one of whom (Charles) serves full-time as our “Minister”. Our Sunday morning gathering gets started at 10:45, so that would be a good time to plan to arrive.

The Setting

Find a place to park and just walk right in through one of the entrances under the car ports. You pass through a short foyer and directly into the auditorium area where we meet for service. Expect to find people milling about talking and smiling a lot. Someone will probably stop to welcome you, but you will not be asked for any personal information or put on the spot in any way. Once the singing gets started just find a seat in any pew and relax.

Singing

We like to sing! And for the most part, the songs are the traditional hymns of the faith, sung “Acappella” that is, without accompaniment of musical instruments. You are welcome to sing along or just listen.
We think you’ll find the singing meaningful and inspirational.

Prayers

There will be several prayers during the service. And there will be prayers for specific needs and requests.

Message

You will notice that the preacher does not have a title. He won’t be referred to Pastor or Reverend. He may be referred to as brother, mister, or most likely just called by his first name. He won’t be wearing any ecclesiastical vestments, which set him apart from the rest of the congregation. The reason for this is our belief in the priesthood of all believers. That all are equal. The sermon will likely be about 30 minutes. We think you will find it refreshingly Bible-centered and relevant to issues affecting your life.

Invitation

At the close of the sermon, the preacher will “extend an invitation.” This is simply an opportune time to invite those who are inclined to do so to make a commitment or request prayer support. He will encourage those who wish to “respond” to make their request known after the congregation sings a hymn.
Don’t feel ill at ease during the invitation. You will not be singled out in any way. There may be some who respond, possibly there are none, some may respond for baptism, some ask for prayers of a specific need, or some to “identify” or “place” membership with this church.
If anyone responds for baptism you will witness the baptism.

The Lord's Supper

If you visit on a Sunday, the Lord’s Supper will be included in the worship proceedings because our church observes this memorial every Sunday.
Again, the reason for this is our desire to follow New Testament teachings. The first century church celebrated this observance on the first day of the week.
We assume from this that they did it the first day of every week, and we know from respected historians that in early centuries the Lord’s Supper was an every Sunday 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 bread and eat it.
Next, trays of small cups will be distributed. The cups will contain “fruit of the vine,” (grape juice) symbolizing the blood of Jesus. Each participant will drink the contents of one of the cups.
If you choose not to participate, don’t be embarrassed. Feel free to just pass the tray or plate to the person next to you.

Offering

Also, if you visit on a Sunday, a container will be passed to collect the weekly financial offerings.
As our guest, you are not expected to make a donation. Feel perfectly comfortable in just passing the collection plate on down the row.

What will be expected of you

Expect to be encouraged by what you see and hear! You are welcome to participate, but don’t feel obligated to. Just observe if that is your choice.
You may be asked to sign a guest book. This simply provides information so the church can write of 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.

The People

What kind of people do you expect to find?
Pretty much the entire spectrum, as in any group. We’re a diverse group, coming from varied backgrounds, and at different stages of knowledge and spiritual growth. We don’t know everything. We don’t do everything right. We haven’t arrived – we are still on the journey, but you see we were not brought together by any illusion of perfection or righteousness. We were brought together by our recognition that we are sinners in need of the cleansing blood of Jesus. That is the reason we can worship together, stick together, and with God’s help accomplish some things that make a difference, but bottom line, you will find people who love Jesus and love the Bible.