MAPLEWOOD CHURCH of CHRIST
About us
Maplewood Church of Christ was established in December of 1947 is a non-denominational church. Our beliefs and practices are simple and straightforward – we just try to live and worship according to the Bible. We want to be faithful Christians, nothing more and nothing less.
As a church, and as individual Christians, we want to honor God and honor His Word. We accept Bible as the inspired word of God and let it be the deciding factor in what we believe and how we live. With that in mind, we read, study, and apply the scriptures as accurately as we can, knowing that our understanding will never be complete and perfect. You’ll see this come to life in our lessons and sermons, and hopefully in our words and actions.
We believe that there is just one God (Ephesians 4:4-6); that Jesus is God’s Son (Matthew 16:16,17); that salvation is obtained only through Jesus (John 14:6); that real faith leads to real obedience (James 1:22 and 2:24) and much, much more… But, one of the interesting things about us (and churches of Christ, in general) is that we actually have no written doctrinal statement, no set creed, no list of rules or “confession of faith” that you must ascribe to in order to belong. Instead, we just open the Bible and read and do what it says. We believe in baptism (Acts 2:38) into Christ for redemption of sins (Rom. 6:3) where salvation is (2 Tim. 2:10). When baptized into Christ, we were all baptized into the body of Christ, His church (1 Cor. 12:13). We were not baptized into some manmade human religious organization, but into the church you read about in the Bible!
In worship we try to adhere to a biblical pattern of – we keep things fairly simple and straightforward. For instance, we begin each Sunday morning by offering Bible-based classes for various ages: We currently have one adult class and one class for our teens, two children’s classes according to age and a cradle role class for one and two year olds. Class lasts about 45 minutes
After class, we come together for congregational singing, prayer, and communion. We take up a collection to support the work and mission of the church (including a special collection when there is a specific need). Then, just before the sermon, we dismiss children ages 3 through 3rd grade for “Kids Bible Hour” – a special time of kid-focused teaching and worship. Meanwhile, older children and adults receive an honest and applicable message from God's word. At the end of the sermon, we will sing an “invitation song,” which allows you a chance to respond publicly or privately, as needed. After that, a closing song and closing prayer, then dismissed to visit and talk with one another in fellowship.
