Let Us Tell You About Southside

General Information

The Southside Church of Christ is a group of Christians who meet together to worship God and encourage one another to live like Jesus wants us to. We do not belong to any man-made denomination, but only to the church that Jesus started (Matt. 16:18). We do not call ourselves by the name of some teaching or great Christian leader, since the Bible teaches that Christians should not do this (1 Cor. 1:11-13). Rather, we simply call ourselves a church of Christ, in honor of the One who died to take away our sins (Rom. 16:16). The individual members do not use a denominational name either, but we simply call ourselves Christians or disciples of Jesus (Acts 11:26).

The church has no creed book or church manual that it follows; instead we try to do things like the apostles of Christ taught in the Bible. As Christians, we believe that the whole Bible (both the Old Testament and New Testament) is the word of God and teaches us how God wants us to live (II Tim. 3:16), but we also realize that the Law of Moses, given to the Jews in the Old Testament, was replaced by the new covenant of Christ and is no longer binding on us today (Eph. 2:15; Heb. 9:15).

Our public assembly includes such acts of worship to God as singing and prayer (Eph. 5:19-20), scripture readings and a sermon from the Bible (I Tim. 4:13), an opportunity to contribute money to God as He has blessed us (I Cor. 16:2), and a weekly sharing in the Lord's Supper on Sundays (Acts 20:7). Old Testament ways of worship, such as the burning of candles and incense, instrumental music, the public dance, and animal sacrifice are not practiced. The death and resurrection of Christ are central to the teaching, since our salvation is based entirely in Jesus Christ (I Cor. 15:3-4; Acts 4:12). We encourage others to accept Jesus as their Savior by believing in Him (Acts 16:31), confessing that belief (Rom. 10:9-10), repenting of their sins (II Cor. 7:10), and being baptized (i.e., dipped in water) into Christ (Mark 16:16; Rom. 6:3-4). God promises forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit to those who do these things (Acts 2:38). We encourage each other to keep on doing good and quit sinning, so that people will praise God because of how we live for Him (Matt. 5:16).

Southside Is About Caring

There is a special caring here at Southside...through efforts by individual Christians, individual class and Brother Keepers group efforts, and other avenues such as Food Pantry Ministry to the community.

We have developed a sensitive program of helping others who have:

• Physical needs
• Emotional needs
• Spiritual needs

It is through our caring for one another as Christians and caring for our community that each of us grow in love and understanding of the true heart that Jesus has for people. In our closeness, we are better able to help and lift others toward a common goal in Christ. We indeed strive to be a caring people.

Southside Is About Sharing

Sharing would characterize our responsibility to share the saving message of Jesus Christ with a lost world and to impart continual Bible knowledge to new and growing Christians. To help this effort, the Southside family takes great pride in our many ministries that teach us more fully of God's Word.

In addition to our well-equipped educational facility that enhances our instruction, we have:

• Age-graded classes for nursery through senior adult on Sunday mornings and Wednesday nights
• Special worship experiences utilizing visuals for children during worship hour
• Special ladies' classes
• Special "39 er's" program for senior adults

Our curriculum always comes from a Bible basis. Since God showers his blessings on us, we lovingly share those blessings with others.

Southside Is About Outreach

Southside takes personally the words of Jesus to go into all the world with His Message of hope.

Our missions around the world include:

• Barnaul, Siberia
• Zagreb, Croatia
• Eastern European Missions
• World Christian Broadcasting
• World Bible School
• Torreon, Mexico
• Sunset International Bible Institute
• Christian Campus Center at UTA

In addition to these mission efforts, Southside places an emphasis on personal outreach; it permeates our planning in every area. Our Sunday and Wednesday Bible classes are structured with a focus on outreach. Moreover, special adult studies are offered occasionally to "sharpen the sword" for personal evangelism. Home Bible studies are used as avenues to teach the gospel of Jesus Christ. Each summer, the teaching talents of Southside are gathered together for a special Vacation Bible School. This annual event reaches not only to the youth of Southside, but also to interested young people in our community. As Christians, we recognize reaching out and sharing the gospel as our special mission.