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Who We Are |
1. In one or two short sentences, describe your church? We are followers of Jesus Christ who are proud to be of the historical Christian faith. At the focal point of our sanctuary is the open Bible with a cross displayed above it.
2. Why do you gather each week to worship the Lord God? Believing the Lord to be great and good, we assemble on Sunday morning to begin our week by praising and adoring the Living God and to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. We sing hymns and choruses accompanied by piano and guitars. We pray and bring our tithes to the Lord. We open our Bibles together and hear from God through his written word.
3. Why do you encourage small groups? Jesus called all people to be his disciples. The early church, as recorded in the book of Acts, met together in each other’s homes, prayed for one another, discussed the Apostles’ teaching, and supported one another. It is difficult to do these things in a group of 80 or 100 people or 500 people.
Our Christian Life Groups meet once each week for this purpose. Presently we have groups on Sunday morning, Wednesday evening and Thursday evening and a women’s group on Monday evening.
4. What does the Church offer my children? We resist the temptation to provide fun and games for children in place of Godly, parental instruction. We are not a spiritual Disney world. We assist parents who want to raise their children to have a living faith and to make Christ truly Lord of their lives and Lord of their home.
During our time of worship, assistance is offered to the parents through our volunteer staffed nursery. Usually the children (1st grade and under) go to the nursery following the Children's Moment. Beyond that we offer Bible Classes for children each Sunday 9:00 a.m. (except during the summer months).
We take our teens each summer to a week of inspiration and adventure at Rock River Bible Camp, near Dixon, Illinois.
An intense
two-year program of spiritual development is offered for teens every two years.
Some people refer to this as “Confirmation”.
5. What denomination are you? We are affiliated with approximately 250 other locally owned and locally governed churches called the Conservative Congregational Christian Conference (www.ccccusa.com). All pastors of this conference subscribe to the same doctrinal statement and are held to a high standard of morals and ethics.
Because the churches in the Bible were not independent, isolated congregations, without accountability of any kind, we have chosen to work together with churches and pastors of like mind and belief.
6. What size is the Church fellowship? We presently average approximately 70-90 people. We are a fellowship that knows one another by name and relates to one another as a faith family.
7. Who is the decision maker in the Church? We seek the guidance of Jesus Christ to direct our decisions for ministry to the Round Lake area and to our world. This guidance is received by study of the Bible as the only inspired, infallible, authoritative Word of God and by prayer.
Elected by the congregation, the Church Council is the administrative agency of the church. It is to assist the Pastor and Elders in the spiritual direction of the church, offer jurisdiction and oversight to all church organizations, and supervise the care of all properties.
Mike Johnson is the current Council President.
Jim Pillars is our current Elder.
8. How often do you serve Holy Communion? We share the Lord's Supper during the worship service of the first Sunday of every month. Communion is open to every believer, regardless of past or present church affiliation.
9. Is this Church one of those that always asks for money? We believe money should never be the main focus. There is no required amount demanded of anyone to give but we do teach and encourage tithing. Giving is something between the individual and God. It should be done with joy and never out of obligation or guilt.
10. "Is your Church facility available for weddings?" Our church facility is available for weddings that reflect a Christian understanding of life, regardless of church membership or affiliation. We often say we're not in the "wedding business" so much as we are in the "marriage business". Our focus is the marriage, not necessarily a one-time use of the building.
We celebrate and rejoice with couples who have chosen Christ as Lord of their lives and who want to pursue a Christ-centered marriage. Premarital counseling is required in most situations. We do not view it appropriate to plan for a church wedding and to presently reside at the same address. Special arrangements will be made in those circumstances.
There is an "at cost" fee for use of the building: the sanctuary and the lower level fellowship hall. The pastor does not charge for services.
11. Do you baptize adults? Seeking to be faithful to the Word of God, we will baptize adults upon profession of faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. The water is not viewed as saving the soul of the person but is a symbol of God's covenant of salvation. This is to be done upon evidence of personal repentance of sin and acceptance of the work of Christ on the cross for their sins.
12. Do you baptize infants? Seeking to be faithful to the Word of God, we will baptize infants upon profession of faith in Jesus Christ by one or more parents. The baptism is not done to save the soul of the child. Water is applied to the head of a child as a sign of God's covenant of salvation to the individual family. We believe God is in the business of families. The parent/parents makes a covenant to God to raise the child within the life of Christ's church and the congregation covenants to receive the child as one of its own and to assist the parent/parents in the spiritual training and nurture of the child.