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History &Overview of Providence
A brief history of the Providence church of Christ. In February of 1839, a group of people met and started keeping minutes of the meetings and recorded the name as New Providence. This is the first recording we have of the Providence church. From a study of this record and circumstances around it, we must come to the conclusion that Providence had a meeting place prior to this date. It is reported by older members (some who have passed on) that Providence was a Baptist church in the beginning. This record of 1839 leads one to believe that this could be the point of change from a Baptist to a new testament church. A study of the minutes of meetings from 1839 for several years, on some occasions recorded the speaker as our "Baptist preaching brother." No doubt the restoration plea, of getting back to speaking where the Bible speaks and being silent where the Bible is silent, lead to the change of simply being a church based on the pattern given us in the new testament.
The first and oldest deed to the present property of the Providence church of Christ was written August 15, 1895 and was recorded in 1895 and again in 1900. Daniel and Alice Brown to the church of Christ at Providence. This deed calls for one half acre to join the old two acre church tract, also a deed of one acre written by Shadrick and Elisa Herrin to the church of Christ at Providence. This deed was dated May 1, 1886, and includes the church house. The deed was updated in December 2005 to include another one acre of land donated by Neil and Valerie Sluder. Since the deed of Alice and Daniel Brown was written that a new church house could be built, the house mentioned in the Herrin deed could have been the original building and was located in the lower side of the old cemetery. A drawing inserted on the Brown to Providence deed shows a tract where the old cemetery is located, with a pictured block which could represent the original church house. It is recorded the present meeting house was in use in 1896. This deed carries a restriction clause which forbids any instrument of music, fair, festivals, or other practices unauthorized in the New Testament be held on said property or any building thereon.
It is the intent and purpose of the present membership to embrace the truth and continue therein, that the cause of Christ might be upheld, and the borders of the Kingdom enlarged that we might stand justified in the great and final judgment day.
We are seeking to follow the new testament pattern of having elders and deacons, Acts 14:23, Phil.1:1, and we believe in being autonomous, I Pet.5:2-3 (self-governing under Christ our head). We seek to worship the Father in spirit and in truth, Jn.4:23-24, in the 5 acts of worship listed in the new testament pattern, Teaching apostolic doctrine, singing, prayers. We teach the new testament pattern on the plan of salvation: hearing, believing, repent, confess faith in Christ, and be immersed for the remission of sins, Acts 18:8, Rom.10:9-10, Acts 2:38. We believe the new testament church that Jesus died for, Acts 20:28, began on the first Pentecost after the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus in Acts chapter 2. We seek to love one another as Jesus commanded us in Jn.13:34-35.
We are committed to spreading the truth of the gospel here and around the world. We are helping some in the support 7 men preaching in the United States, and 7 men in foreign countries each month. We have a radio program each week at 8:00 AM on Sundays on 1460 AM. We have a weekly newspaper article in the Mt. Vernon Signal. Our website is: www.WhatSaithTheScriptures.com We have a active teaching program with Bible classes and preaching every Sunday. We meet Sundays at 10:00 AM for Bible Study and at 10:40 AM for worship. We also meet at 6:00 PM on Sundays for worship. We meet on Wednesdays at 7:00 PM for Bible Study and worship. We are always seeking to promote the truth of the gospel via home Bible classes, Bible Correspondence Courses by mail, gospel meetings, etc.. We are most happy to study with all who are seeking divine truth. Maybe you are sick and tired of denominational error and division and looking to be simply a Christian by following the pure, unadulterated new testament pattern. Then you will be pleased to get in contact with us. You can come visit us at our services. Check us out via the internet, radio program, Bible Correspondence Course, or give us a call to set up a Bible class, 606-758-9316.
