We are...all about the Bible!
We believe the Bible is the inspired word of God that can equip us for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16-17) and His word is truth (Psalm 119:160).  Jesus said that we can be His disciples by continuing in His word which shall make us free from sin (John 8:31-36).  The gospel of Christ is the power of God for salvation (Romans 1:16), which makes it good news (Romans 10:15)!  Therefore, we diligently avoid making changes to the gospel or adding/subtracting from God's word (Galatians 1:6-9; Revelation 22:18-19).  The Bible teaches us about God, Jesus, His church, salvation, worship, morality, and even ourselves.  The scriptures provide a pattern for how we should live in order to be pleasing to God.  Jeremiah the prophet recognized "that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps" (Jeremiah 10:23).  We desperately need God's word in the Bible to be our light that directs our steps through pathways of darkness (Psalm 119:105).

We are...focused on Jesus!
Jesus is the only begotten Son of God and was sent into this world so that we may have hope for eternal life (John 3:16).  He became flesh (John 1:1-14), being born miraculously by a virgin according to prophecy (Isaiah 7:14).  He lived a perfect life, without sin, so that He could forgive our sins (1 Peter 2:21-24).  He endured an agonizing death via crucifixion, shedding His blood to redeem His church (Acts 20:28).  However, He did not stay in the tomb!  He arose from the grave (1 Corinthians 15:4,20) overcoming death itself.  His resurrection provides us with hope of our own resurrection (Romans 8:11).  He is now head of the church, which is His body (Ephesians 1:20-23) and has been given all power & authority by the Father (Matthew 28:18) as His spokesman for today (Hebrews 1:1-2).  During His earthly ministry, Jesus declared, "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me" (John 14:6).  He proclaimed that the greatest commandment is to "love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength" (Mark 12:30).  We seek to express our love for Jesus by obeying Him (John 14:15), believing in Him as our source for eternal life (Hebrews 5:8-9).  Jesus also instructed us to obey the "Golden Rule" in treating others how we would like to be treated (Matthew 7:1) and to love our neighbors as ourselves (Mark 12:31).  Therefore, as members of His church, we earnestly endeavor to love one another (John 13:34-35) and esteem others above ourselves (Philippians 2:3-4).  Keeping our focus on Jesus, we can endure & overcome whatever obstacles we face in the marathon of life (Hebrews 12:1-2) and hopefully help others persevere & be victorious as well.

We are...just Christians & Christians only!
Living in the 21st century, we strive to be Christians only (Acts 11:26) as we cast aside manmade creeds & doctrines and simply model ourselves after the church established by Jesus in the 1st century (Matthew 16:18; Acts 2; Colossians 1:18).  Jesus Himself prayed for unity (John 17:20-21) and His apostles affirmed that there is only one body because there is also only one head of the body (Ephesians 4:4-6).  In New Testament times there were no "hyphenated-Christians," or different "types" of Christians, there were simply Christians, nothing more & nothing less.  However, today there are thousands of groups, teaching & practicing different things, all claiming to be His church.  We can cut through all that confusion by discarding the philosophies, opinions, and fads of modern society and going back to the Bible, humbly striving to follow in the footsteps of our brethren from the first century.  We believe that if we do what people did in the first century to please God, as they were under the direction of Christ & His apostles, then we will certainly please God as well.  Let's unite by just following the Bible!

We are...sharing & caring!
We take seriously the Great Commission of Jesus to take His gospel into all the world (Matthew 28:19-20).  The Lord does not want any to suffer the consequences of sin, but wants all to be saved (2 Peter 3:9).  Since we are saved by faith (Romans 5:1) and by obedience (James 2:24), and since faith comes by hearing God's word (Romans 10:17), we must do our part to spread God's word.  For that reason, we look for opportunities as a congregation & as individuals to do our part in sharing God's word with others.  Currently, we regularly support missionary families in The Bahamas, Jamaica, and Latin America.  Additionally, we distribute the House to House mailout publication throughout our town of Sylvester and frequently host events at our church facility to proclaim the gospel to our community.  Furthermore, we are directed by the scriptures to be benevolent and care for those who are in need (Galatians 6:10; James 1:27).  Accordingly, we provide regular & frequent support for Mount Dora Children's Home and Georgia Bible Camp.  We also maintain a small food pantry to help individuals & families with unexpected & urgent needs for basic necessities.

We are...all about edification & fellowship!
As Christians, we believe it is very important to exhort one another to be "faithful unto death" (Revelation 2:10).  By worshipping together, Christians are edified & encouraged to "be strong in the Lord" (Ephesians 6:10), to pray daily (1 Thessalonians 5:17), to study the Bible (2 Timothy 2:15), and to "let their light shine" (Matthew 5:16).  We earnestly look for opportunities to "grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 3:18) knowing that Jesus is the source for abundant life (John 10:10).  We also enjoy frequent times of fellowship that we spend together as a family in order to strengthen & encourage one another.  Some examples of our edification & fellowship activities would include: Gospel Meetings & Revivals, Gospel Singings, and fellowship meals.

We are...all about love!
We love Him because He first loved us (1 John 4:19), and we love you because He loves you (John 3:16; 1 John 4:11).  Our goal is for everything we do to come out of love for God & for people.

We are...all about hope!
No matter what we go through in this life, we never give up hope.  That’s because our hope isn’t based in this life, or even on this Earth.  Our hope is in heaven and the One who lives there (Colossians 1:5).

We are...all about belonging!
Every single one of us has a purpose.  Every member of God’s body, His church (Colossians 1:18), has a purpose (1 Corinthians 12:14-27).  We all belong, we are all important, and we have found our home.

We are...all about prayer!
We believe in the power of prayer and we are a praying people.  Just as God speaks to us through His word, we can approach God's throne to speak to Him in prayer.  We offer prayers to God, in Jesus' name, consisting of praise, thanksgiving, confession, and requests of supplication (Romans 12:12; Ephesians 5:20; 6:18).  We pray for ourselves & for others (2 Corinthians 1:11; James 5:16).

We are...all about trust!
Because of everything He’s given us, we trust God.  We trust that He cares for us, that He knows what we’re going through, and that He hurts when we hurt.  We trust that Jesus is coming back someday to take us home.  We trust God knowing He cannot lie (Titus 1:2).  In this trust, we find peace.

We are...all about worship!
Because of everything He’s given us, we worship Him.  As Isaiah 12:5 says, “Sing unto the Lord; for He hath done excellent things.”  He’s given His Son, His love, and His church.  He’s given us everything, so we give Him the glory.

We are...all about service!
Because of everything He’s given us, we seek to serve others.  Following the example of Jesus, our job is not to be served but to serve others (Mark 10:45).  We want to help others get to heaven as well as overcome the trials & afflictions that this life sometimes throws in our way.

Consider this question:  If Jesus was still physically walking this Earth, which church would He attend?  Based upon the life of Jesus as presented in the gospel accounts of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, we suggest the following:

1.  He would attend a church that honors His name (Romans 16:16).
2.  He would attend a church that teaches His doctrine (Matthew 28:20).
3.  He would attend a church that worships "in spirit and in truth" (John 4:24).
4.  He would attend a church that teaches how to be saved (Luke 19:10).
5.  He would attend a church that models itself after the church He built (Matthew 16:18).

The Sylvester Church of Christ fervently seeks to be the church that belongs to Christ that we read about in the New Testament, teaching & practicing only those things which are authorized in His word.  We recognize that if we make changes to Christ's church then it would no longer be His church, but instead it would be a church designed after our own preferences.

We emphasize three things:
Scripture - A pronouncement from the Bible is considered the final authority.  We respect it since it is from God Himself and it is our guide for everything we do & teach.

Sincerity - We are not perfect people and we recognize our own personal shortcomings & weaknesses.  This is all the more reason for wanting to carefully follow the all-sufficient & perfect plan God has for the church and sincerely trying to live by what the Bible says.

Simplicity - God is not the author of confusion (1 Corinthians 14:33).  Most of the Bible is fairly easy to understand if we are humbly willing to accept what it says.