Like everything else we do, worship services at the Pleasant Valley Church of Christ are based upon instructions given in the New Testament. The purpose of these services is to educate and encourage disciples in their faith. Our primary day of worship is Sunday, the first day of the week (1 Corinthians 16:1-2; Acts 20:7).
On this day, we come together to remember the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ by sharing the Lord's Supper (1 Corinthians 11:20-34; Acts 20:7). This is not a common meal, but a simple memorial of our Savior, similar to the brief ceremony instituted by Jesus at the Last Supper (Luke 22:17-20). It is an opportunity for each disciple to reflect on the meaning of Jesus' sacrifice in his life.
A good portion of our worship services is devoted to congregational singing. In keeping with New Testament instructions, our music is a cappella (without instruments) (Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16). The sound of the human voice is not only the purest expression of the heart, it also serves as a teaching medium, by which we encourage each other.
Preaching plays an important role in our worship. At each service one of the men of the congregation--either the evangelist, one of our elders, or one of the other men--delivers a prepared lesson based on the Bible. These sermons are not theatrical nor boring (well, at least most of the time), but practical expositions of Scripture designed to help disciples apply Biblical teaching in their daily lives.
We frequently pause in our worship services to offer prayer to God. Each prayer, led by one of the men of the congregation, is a combination of thanksgiving, homage and entreaty.
Also in our Sunday service, we take up a collection among members (1 Corinthians 16:1-2). This is the only means of raising funds that we use. And we take up this collection only in our Sunday service--not at other services we might have throughout the week. Even as we pass the plate, we stress that this is a responsibility of our members, not a plea to our visitors for their money.
In addition to our worship services, we also have scheduled periods of Bible study, when students of all ages (including adults) meet in classes to engage in more in-depth Bible study. Our Sunday morning classes are coordinated in a four-year Bible survey curriculum in which all classes are studying essentially the same material at the same time--just at different levels of maturity.
Meeting schedule
