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There are all kinds of people in this family. We are college professors and factory workers, natives of Illinois and imports, extroverts and some quiet types. Each person is important and brings unique qualities to the family. With such diversity, we don't always agree with each other, but we always care for and about each other. Families are like that. We take seriously the biblical teachings about the brother-sister relationship that we have in Christ. There is no elevated clergy-class, and we have no national or central headquarters. The family is led by local men, called elders, who have been recognized by the congregation as having the spiritual maturity to provide guidance and counsel. Many other men and women are asked to serve the family in various ways, some highly visible, some more discrete, but all vital to the health of the family. Two evangelists are employed to assist the elders by teaching, visiting, and promoting various projects that help the family. They are members of the family who have no special title and wear no special vestments. Born into the Family As a general rule, people don't join families: They are born into them. That's the way it is in the family of God. Members of this family are people who believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, who repent of their sins, and who have been baptized (i.e., immersed) for the forgiveness of their sins. "He who believes and is baptized will be saved," Mark 16.16. "Repent, and let each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus for the forgiveness of your sins," Acts 2.38. "The Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved," Acts 2.42. Family members don't decide who is or isn't in the family. That's God's job. All that we can do is obey the Bible, and teach that without faith, repentance and baptism, the birth process is not complete. To learn more about becoming a part of God's family, please contact us. A correspondence course is also offered to those who wish to participate in an overview study of the Bible at the comfort, pace, and privacy that affords one at home. No one will contact you unless you request it.
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