The members of the Okolona Church of Christ would like you to visit us. We understand that visiting a church can be an uncomfortable experience. If you give us a couple moments of your time, we'll try to explain what goes on at a typical Sunday worship service.

Our heritage is the "The Restoration Movement." Our goal is to restore the New Testament church in the world today. To do this, we study the Bible to determine what the church was like in the beginning and attempt to imitate that example. We are a Bible-centered church; however, our conclusions are not flawless.

Okolona meets in a building on Outer Loop. We do not believe the building itself is holy but do believe that when Christians meet together, God is among us. We usually worship in a room called the auditorium. There are pews and chairs and you are welcome to sit wherever you feel comfortable.

Words to the songs being sung are projected on a screen. Additionally, in front of the seat will be two song books. One is hardbound and has traditional songs in it; the other book has more contempory songs inside. One of the unique things about the churches of Christ is that we sing "a cappella." That is, we sing without any musical instruments.

There will be several prayers during the service. We pray for specific needs of our members and our country. We also pray to God thanking him for blessings, including the sacrifice of His son for us.

During the worship service, most often our pulpit minister will give a sermon. The sermon will last usually from 25 to 35 minutes, and we think you will find it refreshingly Bible-centered.

At the close of the sermon, the preacher will extend an invitation. This is our way of setting aside a time for those who would like to ask for prayers. He will also encourage those who wish to be baptized to come to the front of the auditorium as well. There may be several or no one to respond. No one will be singled out in any way. If someone responds for baptism, you will witness the baptism during this service. We believe in baptism by immersion and for the remission of sins.

If you visit on a Sunday, the Lord's Supper will be included in the worship service. We observe this memorial each week. During this time, plates will be passed that contain unleavened bread. This symbolizes the body of Jesus. Each person participating will break off a piece of the bread and eat it. Next, trays filled with small cups of "fruit of the vine," usually grape juice, will be passed. This represents the blood of Jesus. Each participant will drink the contents of one of the cups. If you choose not to participate, just pass the plate or tray to the person next to you.

Also on Sunday containers will be passed to take up a financial offering. As our guest, you are not expected to make a donation. Please just pass the collection plate to the person next to you.

Nothing! You are welcome to participate in any or all of the service, but do not feel obligated to do so. You may be asked to fill out a visitor's card. This will provide us information so the church can write you to thank you for your visit. If you do not feel comfortable giving some or all of the information, don't. It's not required.

We hope this has given you a basic understanding of who we are. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us.