The Lord's Supper
Typically on the second Sunday of each month we take time during the service to worship God by remembering the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In 1 Corinthians 11 Christians are instructed to remember and proclaim the death and resurrection of Jesus through a "regular" observation of the Lord's Supper. Anyone who attends and believes in Jesus as his/her Savior is invited to participate. If you don't understand what it means to believe in Jesus as your Savior simply ask one of our Ministry Team.
baptism
In Matthew 28 the disciples were instructed by Jesus to preach the Gospel and then to baptize those who believe in Jesus as their Savior. There are a number of examples in the Bible where the church carried out this instruction and today we enjoy the privilege of doing the same. If you believe that Jesus died for your sins and has forgiven you then the Bible says you are now a child of God and one of His disciples. As a disciple one of the first things He asks of you is to publicly identify yourself as a Christian through baptism. We offer a class to answer any questions you have about baptism and we would be excited to offer this to you when you hear God's call. Baptism isn't required to be saved but it is an important step in your spiritual growth.
Child Dedications
Although there is not a specific biblical instruction to dedicate or baptize children we like to offer a simple ceremony that allows parents to have their children prayed over in the service. We find this brings spiritual value to the children of Mountain Vista in two ways. First, it is a concrete reminder to the parents that our children belong to Him and that it is our responsibility to raise them to know and love Him above all. Second, a dedication ceremony is a reminder to the church family that we are to support and pray for the parents in our church as they pursue their calling to raise Godly children.
Membership
Currently MVCC does not have a formalized membership process, however, we recognize the reality of church membership clearly taught in the Bible. We understand that all believers in Christ are automatically made members of His body which is the universal ("catholic") church. We also see clearly in the Bible that there are local or smaller expressions of his body which we call local churches (i.e. Mountain Vista Community Church in Buckeye AZ.) These local churches are where believers voluntarily practice the "one anothers" of the Bible and it's where we choose to bring our tithes and offerings. The local church is also where believers find their primary spiritual accountability, guidance, and teaching for the purpose of growing as disciples and spiritual leaders. If you believe in Jesus as your Savior and believe that He lives in you; if you feel called by God to submit to the spiritual leadership of MVCC and to serve others in our church; and if you give your "free will" offerings to this church, then you are a member of MVCC. In the future as we grow we may institute a formalized system for identifying our members.
Testimonies of Faith
We encourage all of our members to write down and begin sharing their personal testimony of faith with anyone who will listen. If you are ready God will give you opportunities to share your testimony in the church and to friends outside of the church. Someone from the ministry team can help you organize your thoughts so that you can share your testimony with clarity knowing that to do this will grow you spiritually and it will plant seeds of faith in the hearts of those who are listening. Start with: What originally caused you to seek out God? When did you first understand that you were a sinner but Jesus had died on the cross to pay for all your sins? What verses give you confidence that Jesus is now in your heart and that you can be certain you will be in heaven after this life?