What you can expect when you visit with usWe want you to Visit us at the church of Christ and we want you to feel comfortable. We know an unfamiliar place can be intimidating so let us tell you what you can expect when you honor us with a visit.Who We AreA brief description of our background may help you understand us. We are part of "The Restoration Movement". Our goal is to restore the New Testament church in our time, to determine from the Bible what the church was like in the beginning and to be like that. We believe this is a worthy and reverent goal. We want to be a Bible-centered church, and we try to be. Yet we know that our conclusions aren't flawless, and that our practices are sometimes colored by habit, preference, tradition, or convenience. The Pitman Church of Christ is a non-denominational group of believers located in Washington Township in southern New Jersey. (The term “non-denominational” means that we are independent of outside control and adhere only to the Scriptures for our beliefs.) Our leadership consists of six elders, two full-time ministers, and seventeen deacons. We are blessed with a strong, loving fellowship that embraces all generational, racial, and financial groups. Our HistoryThe Pitman Church of Christ began in November of 1959, when about seventeen people started meeting in the VFW Hall in Pitman. The church building (115 E. Holly Ave., Sewell, NJ) was constructed in 1965; and an educational wing was added a few years later. Although the building is actually located one block outside the Pitman borough limits, the members chose to retain its original name. Since that small beginning, this body of believers has continually been blessed by God with growth and stability. By November 1, 1984 there were 125 present for morning worship. By September 2002 our attendance had grown to an average of over two hundred, and we began to offer two assemblies. During this time, the elders approved the purchase of two nearby properties on Delsea Drive to accommodate future growth. In late 2005 the decision was made to purchase a 7 1/2 acre piece of land directly across from the Pitman Golf Course. In early 2006 the "Reaching Out in Faith" campaign was started and plans are currently ongoing to build a new facility through which we will have a greater capacity to reach out into the communities around us. We currently average about 300 for worship during two worship services on Sunday mornings. OrganizationOur congregation seeks to follow the Biblical pattern of church organization. Like the churches in the first century (Ephesians 4:11-12), our church has selected evangelists, elders, and deacons to oversee the needs of our membership. Dan Cooper and Steve Sikes serve as full-time evangelists for the church. They seek to follow the qualifications for ministers that are recorded in I Timothy 2: 24-25.
Our elders (also called shepherds, pastors, overseers, or bishops in Scripture) meet the qualifications recorded in I Timothy 3:1-7 and in Titus 1:5-9. Six men are currently serving as our shepherds: Horatio Fenton, Greg Krinks, Mike Lazar, Larry Point, Dwight Thompson, and Tom Toy. These six elders, Dan Cooper, and Steve Sikes oversee the work of our deacons and other ministry leaders. Like our elders, our deacons meet the qualifications of leadership that are recorded in I Timothy 3:8-13. At this time, our congregation is blessed to have seventeen ordained deacons. Other men and women also serve as ministry leaders. SingingIn a bookrack near you, there will be a hymnbook for your use. In addition most hymns are projected as sheet music and lyrics. When the song leader annnounces a number, you can follow the projected song or turn to that number in the hymnbook to find the words and music. One of the unique things about churches of Christ, and something you may find strange, is that the music is "accappela". That is, we sing without the accompaniment of musical instruments. This has its roots in our restoration heritage. We are seeking to worship according to the New Testament pattern. Since the New Testament leaves instrumental music out, we believe it's best to exclude it as well. |
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