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WELCOME TO OUR CHURCH
Click Here for Statement of Beliefs
Thanks for visiting our web site. We’d like to get to know you and for you to experience the character of our congregation and what we’re about. We’re a community of people on a spiritual journey together. We’re striving to grow in devotion to God and in service to people. We’re by no means perfect, but we do trust in a perfect and loving God. We want to invite you to join us on the journey. Even if you’re just beginning to learn about Jesus Christ and Christian faith, you’re welcome to share actively in our community.
Our Basic Commitments—Our mission statement sets out five goals we’re reaching for. (1) We want to grow in our love to God through worship and celebration. (2) We want to tell people about Jesus Christ and about the grace and love of God that have changed our lives through him. (3) We want to honor the Bible as God’s Word since it shows us the character of God in Jesus Christ and guides us in all we do. (4) We want to care for each other in a way that embodies the love of God. (5) We want to be a community that serves the physical and spiritual needs of hurting people.
The Bible is Everywhere— In all our teaching we honor the Word of God and try to help people understand it. Every message on Sunday morning is directly based on the Bible. We believe God has revealed himself in our world especially through Jesus Christ and has called us to be like him. It is through the Bible that we know about Jesus as well as about what God has done among people throughout the course of human history. But it’s certainly not necessary to be a Bible expert to fit in here. If you’ve never read the Bible but are just curious about it, this is a place to find help in exploring this wonderful book.
The Diversity of People— We believe God calls all kinds of people to himself, and we’re actively working to build a community that overcomes the ethnic, socio-economic, gender, and racial barriers that divide people. Our family includes individuals who were born in more than 40 different countries. Our community includes people who are successful professionals as well as people who are continually struggling with poverty and homelessness. We are committed to building relationships of love and understanding across the persistent racial divides that plague our nation.
Simplicity and Celebration in Worship— We are part of a tradition that emphasizes simplicity in worship. We want our worship to be Spirit-filled and heart-felt and full of personal expressions of praise to God. One noteworthy aspect of our worship is the use of a capella music without an organ or band. We use a capella music for two basic reasons. First, it emphasizes participation in worship by all members of the congregation and fits well with the simplicity and personal character of our worship. Second, it fits with our heritage of focusing on early Christian practice. Since all church music for the first five to six centuries of Christianity was a capella, we honor that tradition while enjoying beautiful, Spirit-filled worship.
The Lord’s Supper Celebration— Each Sunday as a central part of our worship, we share in the Lord’s Supper (also called Communion or Eucharist). This is a simple, symbolic meal that reenacts the last supper Jesus shared with his disciples. Jesus told his followers that the bread he gave them was his “body” and the wine was his “blood.” Therefore, our regular repetition of this beautiful, shared experience focuses our minds and hearts on Jesus Christ and his sacrificial death that embodies God’s love for us. It keeps our worship centered on the good news of the new life that God offers us in Jesus Christ.
Simple Organization— We believe all Christians are ministers and have important gifts to be used in the life of our community. We don’t have a separate priesthood or clergy who alone are allowed to lead in worship, etc. Our congregation is led by a group of elders, who oversee and guide the many ministries of our church, together with deacons and other ministry leaders. One of our elders also serves as senior minister or pastor and leads the staff of workers who help organize and train members for service. The aim is always to help as many of us as possible use our talents to the fullest in service to God and others.
People Hang Around— If you come early or stay after our worship times (Sunday morning, 9:00 & 11:30 a.m.), you’ll find lots of people in animated conversation, laughing, getting acquainted, making plans. Our congregation is a great place to make friends. These friends become more than just acquaintances. They become your family who will help you celebrate good times but also be there for you when life gets rough.
Our Story in Brief— We’re a non-denominational congregation independent of any hierarchical structure. We have a long history in New York City that reaches back to 1810, the year the “Church of Christ at New York” was first organized in lower Manhattan. During the 19th century the congregation thrived and moved northward with the expanding city. It went through some turbulent and divisive times at the beginning of the 20th century and reorganized in 1920 to become the Manhattan Church of Christ. The church has been in its present location since 1940. Through the years we have shared the heritage of what is known as the “Stone-Campbell Restoration Movement,” which grew up in early 19th century America. This was a movement that called for Christians to unite around a simple allegiance to the authority of scripture and to “restore” the worship and life of early Christianity as far as possible in our time. Along with other Churches of Christ across the United States and the world we share that commitment to God’s Word today. We are grateful for our heritage and also value our independence as a non-denominational church.
We Welcome You— Please learn more about our community. For information call 212-737-4900 or toll-free 888-412-7908. Please continue to explore our web site. You’ll find more about our ministries, staff, history, plans, and guiding principles. You’ll also find out about small groups that you can visit. You can even listen to recent messages from our Sunday worship celebrations. We hope you’ll want to join us on our journey of faith.
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