We are a very old church – nearly 200 years! – who is continually learning how to be the church that Smithville and the world needs today. We want to be the heart of Jesus in the heart of Smithville – to love and serve like Jesus did. We take hospitality and fellowship seriously, and we welcome all who come to worship or serve or study with us. Our communion table is open to everyone, regardless of whether you’ve ever been told you don’t belong at some other church. Our heart for the community is on display in our weekly food pantry and our 24/7 Blessing Box in our parking lot where hungry people can always find food.
If this sounds like the kind of church that’s worth checking out, we warmly invite you to come to worship at 10:30 am on Sunday morning. If you show up a few minutes early, we’ll even invite you to share donuts and coffee in the Fellowship Hall. During worship, elementary-age kids are welcome to go to Children’s Church upstairs during the greeting time, and we also have a nursery for younger children upon request. Kids are also welcome to stay in worship if they want.
And if you’d like someone to answer any questions before you come to visit, feel free to contact Pastor Laura.
We are part of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Our denomination is a little bit older than our church. It, too, was born on the American frontier. It started out as a call for Christian unity, a “restoration” to the early churches in the book of Acts. We practice baptism by immersion for anyone who is ready to publicly profess their faith in Jesus as the Christ. We celebrate communion every week in worship, passing the tray with bread (crackers) and wine (grape juice). Everyone is welcome to take communion.
Today, we Disciples of Christ continue to be a movement for wholeness in a fragmented world. We take it as our mission to be and to share the Good News of Jesus Christ, witnessing, loving and serving from our doorsteps “to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). By doing this, we hope to be a faithful, growing church that demonstrates true community, deep Christian spirituality and passion for justice that lives into the words of Micah, “do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with our God” (Micah 6:8 NRSV).
Disciples practice baptism by immersion for anyone who is ready to profess faith in Jesus Christ. We also share communion together every Sunday. Other beliefs are:
If you’ve read this far, congratulations! I totally understand wanting to find out everything you can about us before you come visit. And if you’ve experienced church hurt somewhere else, it can be really scary to think about trying out a new church.
If you’re looking for a perfect church, I’m afraid we’re going to disappoint you. But if you’re looking for a church where people will greet you warmly and be genuinely happy to see you, where children are taught by loving adults and look forward to coming to church, where it’s ok to laugh (or cry) in worship, and where Jesus’ message of love is still treated as GOOD NEWS, then I think you might really like Smithville First Christian Church.
I hope to see you on Sunday!
Pastor Laura Guy
