Who We Are
At First Christian Church, we are more than just a place of worship; we are a loving community that embraces everyone, irrespective of their background or journey. In our traditional worship services, we come together not just to worship through song and prayer, but to cultivate a deeper relationship with Christ and with one another. Our mission-driven programs reflect our commitment to serving both LeFlore County and those in need around the world. Together, we uplift one another in faith, providing support, encouragement, and prayer. If you haven't yet met Jesus Christ, we would be honored to share His story with you. And for those of you who already know Him, we invite you to join our journey of spiritual growth as part of our church family.
What We Believe
Bible: We believe the Bible contains the inspired word of God, and we value both the Old and New Testament as invaluable instruction and teaching. The Bible is God's narrative to us and reveals His nature and heart, which is one of love and redemption.
The Bible teaches the life, example, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. According to the apostle Paul, this teaching is of “first importance.”
Through His scriptures, God shows us the core beliefs we cherish and strive for at First Christian Church.
God: There is one God. God exists eternally in three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. God created the world out of nothing and by His power He sustains all that He created. We learn the nature of God through His creation, His Word, and His Son. The depths of God’s love for us cannot be imagined.
Jesus: Jesus is the image of the Invisible God. He, miraculously, was born of the virgin Mary and became human without ceasing to be God. He lived a sinless life. He performed many miracles to confirm His divinity. It is through His life on earth that the invisible God becomes visible. We see more clearly His nature, and understand how we are to relate to both God and others. Jesus died on the cross as a perfect sacrifice for our sins, paying our debt. His resurrection from the dead showed His victory over sin and death; through our belief in these truths we receive salvation.
Holy Spirit: The Holy Spirit is equal to the Father and Son. He makes us aware of our sins and our need for Christ. He serves as our counselor, comforter, and He helps empower us to live godly lives.
Salvation: Salvation is a free gift from God. We can do nothing to make up for our sin through self-improvement or good works. We can only accept the gift that God gives us through the work of Jesus on the cross. We believe that God is not merely interested in saving us from something, but saving us into a life of Christ, which is an abundant life here and now.
Grace: Grace is God’s favor and good will toward us. Grace encompasses God’s love, forgiveness, and justification of us. God initiates through grace rather than by our work or efforts. Grace affords us assurance but no reason for boasting. It is God's grace that motivates us to do good works out of a sense of gratitude for what God has done for us. We reflect God’s grace in the way we lovingly treat one another.
Covenant (Baptism & The Lord’s Supper): God forms covenants with people because He is relational. The act of Baptism demonstrates to us that we are saved by grace through faith. Baptism is an outward demonstration of obedience to Christ and a declaration of faith. We believe that Baptism is by immersion in water, which represents the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. Baptism symbolizes in us individually the death of the “old” self and the emerging of “new creation” seeking to grow in Christ.
Every Sunday at First Christian Church includes the celebration of the redemptive act of the cross through the Lord’s Supper. Some call this communion, the Eucharist, or an Agape Feast. There are three purposes of this celebration:
(1) It reminds the church of the new covenant with God through Jesus’ sacrifice;
(2) It reminds His followers to live transformed lives because of His power, which is constantly at work within us; and
(3) It also connects us to other Christians because of the common union that we now have in Christ.
Church: The church is “called out” from the world. When you accept Christ, God adds you to the church, which is God’s spiritual family. It serves as His bodily presence in the world. The Church is not a building or one particular group of believers. The church gathers to worship God for who He is and what He has done: as well as, to love, encourage, and support those who are in the body. The church also seeks to do His will in the world by teaching others about His love and grace by both word and action.
Spiritual Formation: “God loves us as we are, but He loves us too much to leave us that way.” We believe scripture teaches His desire for our spiritual growth. We believe that we are called to be passionate followers of Jesus and not simple admirers of Him. Spiritual formation means that we are to honor and obey Jesus’ words. We should be eager to learn and grow in what it means to be his followers.
We are a people's church. We Strive to grow in faith, wisdom, love, hope, and service. We want you to know that our values are important to us, and help our church define its relationship with Christ, individually and as a congregation.
We are a body of believers. Believers in the essential truths taught in the Holy Scriptures. The truths found in the Word of God are the ideas and the basis of our values. The foundation and direction of our church is shaped and guided by these values.
We are not perfect, but we believe in Christ. These values are our guide and goals in our mission to grow as Christians in the example of Christ.
Our Values
Prayer: Prayer is powerful and reminds us that God is in control. Our communication with God helps us live in accountability and dwell in His presence. We value prayer in guiding our course, our decisions, and our direction. We humbly ask God to work through us and in our lives.
People: People are more important than things and that is why Jesus came to earth. We value that people were created in God’s likeness, and we recognize the need for acceptance of all people. We promote a family of believers made of ordinary people who can be made stronger together and more perfect in our shared faith.
Second Chances: We acknowledge that Jesus was the only person to live a sinless life. We value second chances and acknowledge that everyone makes mistakes. Whether it is life’s circumstances or bad choices, we value the second chance God has given us to redeem all things. In following God’s example, we value giving second chances.
Diversity: We are not all alike, and we celebrate each other’s gifts and strengths. We recognize the strength of diversity and value each other’s perspectives and experiences. We believe that having people of differing races, ethnic origins, and social and economic backgrounds strengthen us as a body of believers.
Service: Serving others is serving God. We are called by God to minister to one another. We value working as a church and individually to meet the needs of others. Personal growth comes from giving of ourselves in helping others.
Relevance: We Believe that form follows function. The Bible directs the church’s functions, but reality demands a singular form or way of accomplishing those functions. We understand that an ever-changing culture requires us to change our methods to remain relevant to the culture that we serve. Our form is not standing still. It moves to achieve our functions.
Unity: We value being united and supportive of both each other and the church as a whole. We believe it is possible to disagree without being disagreeable. We respect each other as believers of Christ and embrace unity in the cause of Christ.