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About

WHO ARE WE

 

Who are these people who assemble at 6 Lane Drive in Mary Esther, Florida?  The answer is very simple we are Christians and Christians only – Acts 11:26.  We wear no human names nor identify ourselves with any religious groups or denominations.  We gladly wear the name Christ gave to us in the scriptures – 1 Peter 4:16.  We submit to Christ as the head of the church – Ephesians 1:22-23.  We strive to follow the pattern of work and worship for the church revealed in the New Testament.   . 

You will notice a sign on the front of our building saying we are a “church of Christ” which simply means we are a group of people who belong to Christ and are willing to submit to his authority in all things  – Acts 20:28

What should you expect when you visit us?  Many people are very reluctant to visit an unfamiliar place, especially a church assembly, where there are people you have never met.  You are anxious because you do not know what to expect when you arrive.  We want to try to put your mind at ease and describe what you will find when you visit the Mary Esther church of Christ .. 

  1. When you enter the building you will find a group of friendly people who will greet you in a warm manner – Mark 12:31.  We want to make you feel right at home.  We will help you find your way to the appropriate class or assembly. 
  2. You will not be singled out or asked to identify yourself publicly as you are our honored guest, however you may be asked to fill out a visitor card so we can have a record of your visit with us. 
  3. You will find a group of people who want to serve God and please him – Heb. 11:6
  4. You will find a group of Christians worshipping God in spirit and truth according to the Word of God – John 4:23-24
  5. You will find a worship service that is simple, reverent, and sincere which provides an atmosphere conducive to worship – 1 Cor. 14:33, 40.  The acts of worship are based solely on the scriptures – Col. 3:17.  We will only observe those acts of worship for which we have Bible authority. 
  6. You will be allowed to quietly observe the worship service or you may join in and participate if you desire. 
  7. We place a great deal of spiritual emphasis on Bible study – 2 Tim. 2:15.  On Sunday morning at 9:30 and Wednesday evening at 7:00 we have Bible classes.   We desire Bible classes that will foster an open discussion of the Word of God and its application to the problems we face in our everyday walk as a Christian in this life.  We want Christians to grow to maturity in Christ – 2 Peter 3:18
  8. We will participate in the following acts of worship each Lord’s day: 
    1. Singing – Col. 3:16; Eph. 5:19
    2. Giving – 1 Cor. 16:1-2
    3. Lord’s Supper – 1 Cor. 11:23-29; Acts 20:7
    4. Prayer -  Acts 2:42; 12:5
    5. Preaching and teaching – Mk. 16:15, Acts 5:42; 1 Cor. 15:1-2

The Mary Esther church of Christ has no creed in the sense of a humanly formulated statement containing official articles of faith, but we do seek to speak where the Bible speaks and be silent where it is silent – 1 Peter 4:11.

As you investigate the information contained on this web site hopefully you will come to a better understanding of the view God desires for you to have of The Bible – 2 Tim. 3:16-17.  We believe it is the inspired word of God and it and it alone can provide the instructions for our Salvation.  We also believe God in his Word has a revealed pattern for our Worship that we must follow which is mentioned briefly above.  You will be able to study about Authorityand how it is established from God’s Word.  At Mary Esther we will do our best to duplicate and follow the example of the early church during New Testament times in everything we do in regard to the work and worship of the church. 

We are conveniently located between Hurlburt Field and Eglin AFB so bring your Bible and come study the word of God with those who are seeking his kingdom first.

Addendum - As a result of laws being passed that ban hate crimes based on sexual orientation we make the following declaration. No teaching anywhere on this web site [or article/sermon, etc.] is intended or should ever be construed to justify or to in any way incite or encourage personal vengeance or physical violence against any person."

OUR PURPOSE

What is our purpose?  First in all things we seek to give glory and honor to God and his Son Jesus Christ and submit to his reign and rule in our lives! We seek to follow the great commission and carry the gospel into the whole world. The church of Christ in Mary Esther, Florida has a specific purpose for this web site.  We are seeking to provide resources that will be helpful as one endeavors to grow to spiritual maturity in Christ. We hope the resources will be helpful to all our brethren and please feel free to use any of the resources on this website to grow in your faith and service to the Lord. We are a congregation that is surrounded by military bases specifically Hurlburt AFB and Eglin AFB and therefore another purpose of this website is to provide resources for these members when they are deployed.  Our congregation has many military members and often times these members are deployed to foreign countries and go to remote areas where the church does not have a strong presence so we wanted them to have access and a connection to their home congregation.

We have just recently reconstructed this web site and during the time this site has been under construction we have had some military members deploy for military service in Iraq.  People who have served the Lord here at Mary Esther get sent to all types of locations overseas for their military service. It is our desire for them to be able to stay in touch with us and even more so to remain faithful to the Lord.  We have members who have been sent to South Korea, Turkey, Afghanistan, Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Iraq. All of these countries do not provide the same religious freedoms and privileges we enjoy at home, which sometimes makes it more difficult in their service to God.

In an effort to help these men and women who fight for our freedom and to follow the great commission as laid out by our Lord to his disciples in Mark 16:15-16 and Matthew 28:18-20 we are launching this site in an effort to give you and our military men and women overseas access to Bible resources.  If you are aware of people who are serving our country and are in difficult situations such as those mentioned above please let them know about this site and the information available.  

All of the material on this site did not originate from me, but it has been edited, organized and put in a useable sequence as a result of my work.  The articles in the Bible, Authority, Salvation and Worship pages of this web site were written by David B. Brown. The Bible Study on the book of Revelation by Bob Dodson. Thanks also to all those who have willingly supplied Bible material on different subjects and topics. Feel free to use any or all of these resources to give glory to God and spread the borders of his kingdom.

We hope you enjoy the web site and if you are visiting this beautiful part of God’s creation in the Ft. Walton Beach - Destin area of Florida stop by and worship with us.

In His Service – Chris Simmons

 chrissimmons6ten@gmail.com