Welcome to West End: An Orientation for New Members/Converts

Welcome to Our Church Family

Dear West End Member,

We are thankful you have decided to identify with the body of Christ here at the West End Church of Christ. Whether you are a new convert or a new member from another congregation, we give God the entire honor, and all the praise for saving your soul.

It is our desire to provide you with some useful information that will ensure a smooth transition into your new family. We hope to establish you in our family by impressing you with our love, informing you of bible facts that will increase your faith and faithfulness in the body, and inspire you to grow in works of service in the ministries of the church.

Feel free to contact any of our leaders or members should you require any further assistance.

Yours in Christ,

Orpheus J. Heyward

Ministering Evangelist

Our Location and Address

Church building address for those needing directions to our physical location:

1303 Ralph D. Abernathy Blvd.

Atlanta, Georgia 30310

Church building main phone number:

Phone: 404-753-6271

Mailing address for people to send cards, letters and other written materials:

P.O. Box 10499

Atlanta, GA 30310

Congregational Website

www.thewestender.com

Our campus consists of three buildings:

1. Legacy Building Upper level houses the Wesley R. Brown, Sr. Fellowship Hall, three classrooms, and a teachers resource room. The lower level contains mainly youth and some adult classes.

2. Main Building Location of our worship services, an adult class during Bible class time, and a nursery used during worship services.

3. Christian Cottage Houses four classrooms used mainly for adult classes.

Our Television Program

Watch previously recorded worship sermons every Sunday at 10:00 p.m.

Tune in to Atlantas WATC-TV Channel 57.

You can also watch online at watc.tv.

The television program is 30 minutes long.

Worship and Fellowship Opportunities

New converts and established members of the Body of Christ alike ought to have an insatiable appetite for the Word of God. You are encouraged to place significant value on the access given to abundant life, found only in Christ Jesus (John 10:10).

Attending worship assemblies and Bible study classes, particularly West Ends New Converts Boot Camp if you are a new babe in Christ; participating in the ministries and committees of the congregation; and taking advantage of fellowship opportunities are sure ways of learning, applying, and maturing in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness (2 Peter 1: 2-3a).

You are encouraged to use all possible means to mature in your spiritual walk.

Bible Class and Service Times

Sundays:

8:00 a.m. Early morning worship

9:40 a.m. Classes for all ages

10:45 a.m. Mid-morning worship

6:00 p.m. Evening worship

Wednesdays:

10:00 a.m. Adult class

7:30 p.m. Classes for all ages

Core Bible School Classes

New Converts/Members Orientation

New Converts Boot Camp (Foundations)

College Class

Youth Classes (Nursery through Grade 12)

Elective Adult Class Offerings

Ladies Class

Young Adults Class

College-Aged Class

Various other classes as determined

True Disciples of Christ

A true disciple of God will be a life-long learner

As a new Christian, you are born again through the Word (1 Peter 1:22-25); born of God and born of the Spirit (John 1:1-3; I John 5:1-12). You need to have a burning desire to worship God and to study His Holy Word (Deut. 11:18-21; Acts 17:11). When you are maturing in the Lord, others will see through your activity, appearance, and attitude. As a new Christian, your zeal and excitement can be used to bring others to Christ.

A true disciple of Christ will worship God faithfully (Rev. 22:8-9; Psalm 63). A true disciple of Christ will be a life-long learner (II Timothy 3:14). A true disciple of Christ will be a soul winner (II Corinthians 5:20). A true disciple of Christ will be a worker in the ministry (Romans 12:1-8). A true disciple of Christ will be a liberal giver (II Corinthians 8:1-8).

As a new member here at West End, we encourage you to continue in your spiritual growth. This requires diligent effort on your part. You ought to find and develop your unique function in the body of Christ (Col. 2:6-7, Matt. 25:14-30) and the ministries and committees of the congregation.

Romans 1:17-25 and 2:17-24 teaches us that the knowledge of God should lead us to the reaction of glorifying God, thanks to God, worshipping God, and doing acts of service unto God.

What to Expect During Worship Services

We meet on the first day of the week as commanded in Luke 22:14-20 and Acts 20:7 (See Communion). Our worship each Sunday consists of the following: singing, praying, preaching/teaching, the taking of communion, and offering.

Acapella Singing: An opportunity to glorify, praise and worship God through songs. (Col. 3:15-16 and Eph. 5:17-21).

Praying: We teach and emphasize the power of prayer and its benefits on a personal level. We also teach and practice prayer in a manner that is pleasing and acceptable to God Luke 18:1; I Thessalonians 5:17; Psalms 55:17). In the assembly, the purpose of prayer is to intercede on behalf of others, pray for everything, and give thanks to the Almighty (James 5:12-15; Philippians 4:6; Luke 22:14-22).

Preaching/Teaching: This is the time in worship when we receive instructions from the word of God. The purpose is to save souls through the preaching / teaching of Jesus, His burial, His resurrection, and His Church; and to encourage the Body of Christ in her daily walk (Mark 16:15-20; Acts 17:16-18; Luke 9:6).

Communion/Lords Supper: We commemorate the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ our Lord as we are commanded in 1 Corinthians 11:24-26 when we partake of the Lords Supper.

Giving: The Bible is clear on the subject of giving. Giving starts in the heart (Matthew 6:19-21). Giving is not an expense, but rather an opportunity. We are told to do so cheerfully, willingly and not grudgingly for God loves a cheerful giver (I Corinthians 16:1-2; 2 Corinthians 9:6-8; Galatians 6:7-9; Matthew 6:19-21) and as we prosper (1 Corinthians 16:1-2). In Jesus words, Give, and it will be given to you, good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put in your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you. (Luke 6:38)

The Philosophical Approach to Biblical Leadership

It is important to understand the philosophical undergirding of biblical leadership. By utilizing the term "philosophical", what is being referred to is the fundamental nature of biblical leadership, and not leadership in general. The fundamental nature of biblical leadership is that of slave-hood, in which the approach to biblical leadership is vastly different from the worldly concept of leadership. Jesus Christ provides this radically different definition of leadership during his personal ministry, within a climate in which his disciples were disputing about who would be the greatest in the kingdom. He states:

Matthew 20:2528

But Jesus called them to Himself and said, You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. It is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave; just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.

Within the contextual setting of this passage, Jesus is approached by the mother of the sons of Zebedee, requesting for her sons to be positioned at his right hand and his left. The disciples, becoming privy to this desire, responded with indignation toward the two brothers. Seeing this false concept of power and leadership permeate the mentality of his disciples, Jesus Christ announces this philosophical approach to leadership that is to undergird all that they do when the kingdom is established. In contrast to the gentile (worldly) style of leadership of lording over the people, he introduces the slave-hood model of leadership. He portrays leadership through the menial tasks of a slave, the extreme opposite of a dictatorial style of management. Jesus defines biblical leadership by the concept of serving. This concept was deeply rooted in his redemptive work (vs. 28), in which his death was to serve the need of others.

Subsequent to the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ, the apostle Peter pens an epistle to the strangers that were scattered throughout Palestine. Within the corpus of this letter, he has an exhortation for the elders that labored among the people. In this exhortation, Peter echoes the words of Jesus Christ that he personally heard in the midst of a dispute over who would be the greatest. Peter says to these Elders:

1 Peter 5:23

Shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness; nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock.

With these passages in mind, it becomes evident that the undergirding philosophical approach to leadership is that of servant-hood or slave-hood, in which church leaders are to place the needs of the sheep as a priority