Tempe Church of Christ

WHAT TO EXPECT

As God’s family at Tempe Church, we believe in Almighty God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. We acknowledge our adoption as His children through the cross of Christ. We follow Jesus Christ as Lord, living to the praise of His glorious grace. In Jesus, the Word becomes flesh, God incarnate. We who were once dead in our failure and sin -- without hope, without God, now know forgiveness for our sins, reconciliation for our brokenness, and rejoicing instead of despair. Having shared with Him in baptism, communing regularly at His table, each of us is a dwelling for His very Spirit, His holy presence.

We are called into His church, His family on earth. We proclaim Jesus as a risen, reigning, and returning Lord. As His disciples, sons and daughters of His kingdom, we want to be known for our love for one another. As People Sharing Jesus, our true citizenship is in heaven. As resident aliens, we eagerly await our Lord’s return for us.

So, what can you expect? Expect us to celebrate the deliverance found in Jesus. Expect us to talk, sing and pray about how God continues to work in our lives. Expect us to care about each other and about you. Expect us to lift up our Savior and King, Jesus Christ.

What do I wear? Just be comfortable and be yourself. Jeans and flip flops are very common, but people wear anything from shorts and t-shirts to business suits. At Tempe Church, we're most interested in you as a person and not your fashion preferences.

A typical worship gathering at Tempe Church...

Communing

We take the Lord's Supper every Sunday to commemorate and celebrate the wonderful gift of grace that Jesus Christ gave to us through his death on the cross. Members take communion in two different ways because we recognize at Tempe Church that people may encounter God differently:

1) Some choose to remain in their seats and meditate on Christ's sacrifice while servers pass trays down the aisles. Someone offers some thoughts prior to the trays being passed to provide new perspectives that might enhance the communion experience.

2) Some move to the lobby area at the south end of the worship center during the song before communion. A table or two will be set up where people can take communion around the table or in small groups. People can use this opportunity to pray with one another and share how Jesus has been working in their lives.

Singing

We spend a considerable amount of time in our worship gatherings in song. A worship leader and praise team lead the singing each Sunday morning (see Rand Conner if you're interested in singing on the praise team). We typically have a blended song service that incorporates some of the newest contemporary Christian music with other traditional songs. As part of our heritage in the churches of Christ, we choose to sing acapella in our Sunday morning worship gathering and value its participatory nature.

Praying

At Tempe Church, we believe prayer works! There are blue prayer cards in every pew for people to fill out requesting prayers for needs or praises. We take time to read these prayer cards aloud and pray for these requests. If you would like to make a private prayer request, you can choose that option on the prayer card and the shepherds will pray over you.

Teaching

Good teaching is another part of our worship gathering. Our lessons are focused on the Bible, understanding both the cultural context of the time and the way in which the text impacts our lives today. We also use innovative teaching methods from simple PowerPoint slides to video clips, costumes, culturally relevant illustrations, drama, and tag team teaching.

Giving

As part of our communion service, we ask our members to contribute some of the blessings that God has given to them to continue the work of Jesus in our community and world. We don't have any expectations for our guests to give because your presence is gift enough.