A warm welcome Our desire is that you will find us to be a loving family of God’s children, who keep the Lord in our hearts and manifested in our lives. We hope you find visiting with us to be an uplifting experience, our members to be friendly, and everything that is said and done to be only what would be pleasing and acceptable to our Heavenly Father. Our goal is to present the word of God in its purity and simplicity The members here at Tomlinson Run look forward to the opportunity to meet you. Please visit linger a few minutes after services so that we might introduce ourselves. We do not pretend to have all the answers, but we do believe with all our hearts that all things pertaining to life and godliness have been revealed to us in the word of God (2Peter 1:3). We also believe that we must search the scriptures daily as the people of Berea did in the first century (Acts 17:11). Our purpose is to be pleasing in the sight of God. We hope you have the same intent. Many people hesitate to visit a church unless they know what it will be like when they do. Perhaps we can help you know what to expect when you visit.
What not to expect: Don’t expect to be embarrassed. You will be among us as a welcome and respected guest. You will be greeted with kindness and courtesy. There will be nothing to make you wish you hadn’t come, or make you feel out of place. Don’t expect to be entertained. We offer no bands or talent exhibitions. No refreshments will be served. Our purpose is to worship God in the way He has directed in scripture. Perhaps you will hear passages read or truths preached that you are familiar with. We encourage you to open your Bible and take notes and ask any questions that may come from our studies together. Don’t expect to be asked for money. The church depends exclusively on the freewill offerings of local members for financial support.
What to expect: Expect the worship to be simple and devout. Since our purpose is to be governed in all acts of worship by the Bible alone, our worship consists of only those elements which were part of the worship of the early church. We sing spiritual songs, pray often, partake of the Lord’s Supper each Sunday, teach God’s Word in sermons, and give as we have been prospered. We seek to maintain the attitude Christ enjoined when He said, “God is a Spirit, and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and truth” (John 4:24). Expect congregational singing. Our singing, to many visitors the most inspirational part of the worship, deserves a special word. Since the New Testament instructs Christians to sing in worship, (Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16), we encourage everyone to sing. You will probably be familiar with most of the hymns and are invited to join with us in the singing. Our visitors are often pleasantly surprised at how beautiful and spiritually stirring it is when, unaided by mechanical instruments, all worshippers sing in praise of God. Expect to find Christians only. We wear no distinctive name that would divide Bible believers. We submit to no religious authority other than the inspired scriptures. Thus, by following only the teachings of Christ and His Apostles, we are simply Christians (Acts 11:26), just as His disciples were in the first century. Now that you know us better, we hope you will visit on every occasion you possibly can.
We care about you: Maybe you have wondered if anybody cares about anyone else anymore. Our world can seem rather cold at times. Even family and friends can become preoccupied to the point where it may seem they have little concern about us. Please know that as Christians, We do care about you. We care about your struggles. If there is anything we all have in common, it has to be trials. Sometimes they are overwhelming, at other times merely irritating, but they seem always to be with us. There are occasions when we see no solution. It is then that we need others to help us cope. We believe the church is a family that looks out for the interests of all of its members. The Bible teaches, “Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ” (Gal. 6:2). No, we can’t solve all your problems, but we can listen, encourage you, and help you to find answers in Christ. We care enough to try. We care about your friendship. Back in the “good-ole-days” people knew their neighbors and visited together, but it is different now. Many feel deep loneliness, but it doesn’t have to be that way. The finest friends you will ever have are committed Christians. Come visit with us and feel the warmth; it’s genuine. We care about your relationship with God’s word. Many religious people place so little emphasis on God’s word. We believe that it is not just inspired and infallible, but also practical and personally instructive. That’s why it is the only foundation of all our teaching. We claim no creed but the Bible. Come and listen to our Bible teaching in classes and in sermons. We care enough about you to help you grow in your knowledge of God and His word. We care about you becoming a Christian. You no doubt have wondered about the many names worn by religious people. We wear the name given by God at Antioch (Acts 11:26). Wouldn’t it be grand if all were content to be just Christians? We are determined to be “Christians only” without prefix or suffix, and we would want the same for you. Most importantly, we care about your soul. We are vitally concerned about souls — yours and ours. Jesus asked the question, “For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul?” (Matt. 16:26) We will always encourage you to become a fellow seeker of the eternal home of the soul. If you are really looking for a church that cares about you and your salvation, we pray that you will come often and consider our plea to be just Christians. Be prepared to search the word of God with us for answers. We truly believe that you will find what you are looking for.
Our Bible classes: Bible teaching means little unless it opens the student’s mind. It doesn’t do much good to just get the facts — we must learn how to make the applications. To be certain that each member gets both the facts and the applications, the church at Tomlinson Run recognizes the importance of setting high standards for our Bible Classes. We provide classes for all age groups each Sunday morning at 9:30 am and again on Wednesday evening at 7:00 pm. These classes are held for about 45 minutes. Talented, conscientious teachers direct students in Bible studies monitored and reviewed semi-annually by the elders. All students are taught respect for God and His word. We have a curriculum for our young people that is designed to teach the Bible from cover to cover and to make applications with each lesson. They are encouraged to participate in all of the classes and help involve others in these studies. It is the firm conviction of the elders that our teaching program is an essential part of our work in the Lord’s church at Tomlinson Run.