Mission to the Yao > Caldwell's Supporting Church

Alpine Church of Christ

A Place To Belong. . . A Place To Call Home

Who Are We? Describing a church is complex because a church is made up of all sorts of people. Broken people. Scarred people. Hurting people. Empty people. People just like you and me who know that we can't go it alone. But in spite of various backgrounds and needs there is a common bond. We are a people who like to celebrate and experience our God in a relaxed worship environment. We are a people who want to honor God with our lives. We are a people who seek to be His hands and feet. Here are a few words that best describe us:

REAL: Ours is a real world. Daily temptations, frequent challenges and hard questions are common to us all. Alpine is a place of refuge where people can just be themselves without the mask and without having to live a lie.

RELAXED: Jesus called us to an abundant life, not an uptight one. We believe in a God who believes in us. He is Lord. He is in control. And because of this, we can live a life of victory and peace.

ACTIVE: Ministry best defines us. There is a place for every member to be involved. God expects us to share our faith. . .to live our faith. . .to enjoy our faith.

EXPECTANT: Prayer is the fuel that drives our family. We believe in a God who performs mighty deeds. We know what He has promised. We have seen what He has done. And so, we live expecting Him to reveal Himself to us.

OUR DREAMS, His Dreams God's dreams for His church are real. As we read the Bible God sets high standards for His people. His dreams of us becoming a place. . .

. . .where the Gospel is the thrust of our lives; where His grace is accepted and extended; where the salvation of souls is the norm, not the exception; where His love for people is witnessed; where joy fills the air; where people are one in spirit; where ministry is considered a heavenly privilege and not an earthly burden.
. . .where God is worshipped joyfully and reverently; where the singing is Christ-honoring, contemporary and relevant; where worship is a significant event which encourages believers and transforms them into the triumphant army of God; where worship communicates the worthiness of our God, the joyfulness of the Christian life, and the hopelessness of life without Jesus.
. . .where God's Word is reverenced in authority, studied with expectation, taught with relevance, heard with anticipation, and obeyed with passion; where the preaching is encouraging, positive and practical; where individuals are called to live an obedient, surrendered life for Him.
. . .where God's people are immersed in prayer; where our busy days and complex schedules are bathed in regular communication to Him who longs to hear from us.
. . .where the challenges, questions, and issues of life are seriously addressed; where believers are expected to live boldly in a counter-culture world; where God's people take stands in the community that are courageous, compassionate, and Christ-centered.
. . .where people can find real help, experience genuine change and find authentic answers; where marriages are healed and relationships strengthened; where children are taught to reverence their parents, honor their God, and love their neighbor; where destructive behaviors and bad choices can be resolved; where wasted lives are retrieved and new beginnings are launched.
. . .where spiritual growth and maturity is encouraged and expected; where the heartbeat of every believer is for outreach and inclusion, not for complacency and seclusion.
. . .where people are free to attempt great things for God; where taking risks for His kingdom is an exalted virtue; where creativity and innovation are honored, not feared; where all kinds of people can serve God in diverse ways using individual gifts to share His mutual love, encouragement, respect, and unity.
. . .where children and youth are nurtured in scripture, challenged in ministry, and expected to be faithful to God.
. . .where people have a vision for the lost across the street as well as across the oceans; where impact is made on lives wherever we go; where short-term servants go out to minister internationally and others go to stay indefinitely.

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What Are Our Core Values? In pursuing God's dream at Alpine, there are several core values that are non-negotiable. Our allegiance is to our God and to His word. Consequently, if we don't build according to His instructions then we are building a house of cards.

BIBLE CENTERED: John 8:32; Romans 12:7; II Timothy 3:16-17; James 1:23-25 We believe that the Bible is God's living, powerful, relevant, active word and that we can trust it, believe it, obey it, and apply it with the confidence that in so doing, we will be following God's desires for us. We encourage every member to seek God's wisdom in prayer, search His word for direction, and obey it accordingly.

WORSHIP FOCUSED: John 4:19-24; Isaiah 6; Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16; I Cor. 8-9 We believe that God created us initially and re-created us eternally to bring glory to Him who is altogether lovely. We believe that this is the ultimate expression and purpose of our worship assembly. It is here, on Holy ground, in His sanctuary of praise and prayer that we reverence Him in our family worship. In our worship assembly we celebrate Him in song, prayer, preaching, and in the Lord's Supper. We share in the Lord's Supper every Sunday to remind us of our special calling and salvation. Our music is acapella. We believe that the most God-honoring instrument we can use to magnify Him is the individual heart touched by His majesty. And so you will not see a praise band or an impressive orchestra. But what you will see is hundreds of voices offering up the fruit of their lips. And what you will hear is one voice singing to our God. We teach and encourage our people to contribute sacrificially for the Lord's work. We encourage every family to offer a tithe to their God trusting Him to multiply that for His glory.

PRAYER DEPENDENT: Matthew 6:5-14; 7:7-12 We believe in a God who can do all things. We risk great things and dream great dreams because our God is truly a mighty God. We believe that God has invited us into a personal, dynamic relationship with Him as we experience His power and direction for our life. We are firm believers in prayer. We have watched God work and it is good. We have heard His answers and they are powerful. Our prayer ministry engages our entire congregation before His throne so we will be a surrendered church.

GRACE EXTENDING: Philippians 2:1-11; Ephesians 2:1-14; Romans 6 We believe salvation is a gift of God's amazing grace. It is undeserved. It is free. We believe that individuals celebrate that saving grace by surrendering to Jesus through immersion, baptism. It is here that one is added to God's church. It is here that sins are washed away. It is here that one celebrates the blood of Jesus. It is here that one claims the cross. It is here that one rises to walk in newness of life. We believe scripture teaches that baptism is a command of God. And because we want to glorify Him with surrendered lives, we teach that baptism is a vital response of faith to the cross of Jesus.

MATURITY BUILDING: Ephesians 4:25-26, 32; Hebrews 12:1-2 When one is born again God expects that individual to grow into maturity. We believe that salvation is but the first step on the road to spiritual maturity. We believe that God calls His people to a deeper, closer, personal walk with Him. And we believe that spiritual maturity is the result of a life that seeks His presence in every walk of life.

GLOBALLY CONCERNED: Matthew 28:18-20 Good news can't be kept quiet. We believe that the gospel of salvation through Christ is for the whole world, and that the church cannot rest until the world has the good news of our Savior. World Missions is emphasized regularly. Missions Sunday every October is a highlight in our church life because we want to be reminded of our responsibility.

PEOPLE EMPOWERING: I Corinthians 12, 14; Romans 12; Ephesians 4; Psalms 133:1 We believe every believer has been gifted by God and should share that gift with others. Each gift is unique. We encourage every believer at Alpine to glorify their God by utilizing their gift for His glory.

NEEDS MEETING: I Corinthians 13; Nehemiah 3; Lk.10; John 13:34-35 We believe that rendering encouragement, assistance, support and love is the responsibility of Christians as they live their spiritual community with one another and with our neighbors.

OUTREACH ORIENTED: Luke 5:30-32; Luke 15; Matthew 18:14 We believe that lost people matter to God, and therefore our responsibility as a church is to reach out to them in love with the hope of the Gospel.

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