Welcome to First Christian Forest Grove! Since 1882 First Christian Church has been a lighthouse of God's love on the corner of 19th and Cedar in Forest Grove.The building has changed over the years and the congregation has grown in size, but the timeless values of Faith, Hope, and Love found in the life and ministry of Jesus Christ are still alive and unchanging here.

             10:3o am 

      SUNDAY SERVICE IN OUR                MAIN SANCTUARY

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        We confess that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God and Lord and Savior of the World

                       

12 Hours a Year

By Reverend Spencer King

First Christian Church 

Forest Grove, Oregon 

2 Timothy 3 16-17

“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (New King James Version)

Imagine this; there once was a man who went to a restaurant and asked to be seated. He complained that the chair he sat in wasn't comfortable enough, that the lighting wasn't good in the restaurant, that it was too warm there, and that he didn't really like the decor. They brought the man a menu. He looked it over but refused to order anything. After he left he said, “You know that restaurant doesn't suit me because I didn't feel like they fed me at all.” Some of his friends said, “But you didn't order anything and you wouldn’t eat what they provided. How can you say it's their fault that you weren't well fed?” “Well,” he responded, “because it's their job to make sure I leave feeling fed and even though I refused to eat, still, I should have left with a sense of fullness.” Absurd, right?

Do you attend church regularly? Many people would have to say they don't. But of those who are regular church attendees most only come about two Sundays a month. That means then that, on average, regular church attendees hear two 30 minute sermons per month or around 12 hours of sermons per year. Twelve hours a year is not enough to maintain a warm, close relationship with God. Attending church occasionally and offering up indifferent, disengaged, perfunctory daily prayers will never leave you feeling adequately “fed.”

There are Sunday school classes at First Christian Church for all ages that will soon resume and Bible study is starting up again this Wednesday night and Friday morning. There will be a Bible study on Wednesday night from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. in the church parlor, and another on Friday from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. in the church library (if full then we will meet in the parlor).

Here are some things that won’t happen at Bible study:

1. No one will ask you to open or close with prayer.

2. You won’t be asked to turn to a specific passage and read it aloud to the rest of us.

3. You won’t be asked to describe your theology.

4. You're not obligating yourself to attend without missing for the rest of your life.

5. However, Pastor King will drift off into boring, unrelated topics from time to time and you might have to remind him to get back on track.

In other words, you won’t be put on the spot; you can attend quietly and just learn. We will begin each book of the Bible at the beginning; this is not just for advanced students of the Bible. If you want to be fed then come now and feast on the scriptures. The choice is yours. 

These weekly Bible study devotionals have concluded, it’s time to get back in the habit of meeting in person again. See you in church.

Spencer