A New Congregation Begins
by Stephen Bastin
When Jesus promised to build his church almost 2000 years
ago, he had in mind a family that would open its arms to strangers, to outcasts,
to rich and poor, to people of all nations and all ethnic groups.
In his personal ministry, Jesus rejected none.
The despised Samaritans listened gladly to his words of hope.
Tax collectors and other notorious sinners were his dinner guests.
Our goal is to have a fellowship that is as open as the fellowship of
God. Our aim is to teach the Bible
and follow in the footsteps of Jesus.
A warm welcome awaits you at the Greater Torrington Church
of Christ as we hold our opening worship assembly on October 12, 2003.
We look forward to having you in our midst.
The Bible Is Honored
We believe the Bible is the Word of God from Genesis to
Revelation. We believe that it
contains everything necessary for life and godliness.
Properly understood it has no contradictions and it is the only authority
for the church. The Bible presents
the only way that we can be acceptable to God.
The authors of the Bible were inspired by God.
They wrote as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.
Sometimes they wrote about the past.
They gave God’s interpretation of history.
Sometimes they wrote about the present.
They gave instructions in right living and conduct.
Sometimes they wrote about the future.
They told of what God would do in days to come.
When issues come up in church, the first question we ask
is, “What does the Bible say?” We
believe in doing Bible things in Bible ways and calling Bible things by Bible
names. We believe that in matters of
faith there should be unity. We
believe that in matters of opinion there ought to be mutual respect.
And we believe that in all matters there should be Christian love for one
another.
The Bible was written to bring people together under the
authority of God. We believe that it
is important to listen to God as He speaks through His Word.
God Is Worshipped
In medieval times, worshippers gathered in unheated
buildings and stood during the worship service.
We do not believe that it is necessary to be uncomfortable in order to
worship God acceptably. But neither
do we believe that worship is a matter of being comfortable.
Worship is not aimed at pleasing man, but at pleasing God.
To worship is to come into the presence of God.
To worship properly is to give respect to the will of God in what we
offer. It is not worship because we
call it worship, but because we are following the instructions of God that are
found in the Bible. We bow before
His throne.
As we gather for worship, we sing psalms, hymns and
spiritual songs for God has instructed us to sing such.
We pray to “our Father” in heaven, because Jesus told us to pray in
this way. We preach from the Bible,
for it is God’s Book. We
participate in communion because Jesus commanded us to remember Him in this way.
We give because Jesus taught us to share.
We invite you to come and worship with us at East School
on October 12, 2003.