• Welcome - At each entrance we have people who serve as greeters that will greet you and help you with any question or special need you have.

• Church News Bulletin - Each week, a bulletin is prepared and distributed by the greeters as you enter the building. On the back of the bulletin is description of the worship order so that you will know what’s happening.

• Worship - If you are arriving for one of our worship assemblies, you can enter the Auditorium anytime, which is located on the center of our building, and take a seat anywhere you would like to sit. Most people arrive 5-10 minutes before the assembly is scheduled to begin.

• Bible Classes - If you are arriving for our Bible Class hour, you may attend any class that you like. Classes are available for all ages, including children (infant through elementary), youth (junior high and high school), and adults. One of the greeters can assist you in locating a classroom for you or your children. Our classes are geared to help us learn God's will and discuss the practical matters of what scripture is calling us to do.

• Restrooms are located in the “education wing” located on the right side of the Auditorium. Go to the back of the Auditorium, go to the left and down the hall or ask one of our greeters for directions to the restrooms.

• Nursery - An attended Nursery, for babies age birth to 2 years, is available for our 9:30am worship assemblies. For more information, see our Children’s Ministry.
 

What is a worship assembly at Mentor like?
 • Location - We have a morning worship assembly that is held in the Auditorium at 10:30 a.m. and Sunday evening at 6:30 p.m. . Sit wherever you would like. Most people arrive 5-10 minutes before the scheduled time.
• Music - The music is chosen and directed by our song leader. Our music is done with everyone singing together “a cappella” (or without instruments). We believe you will be amazed and inspired by the blending of voices in worship and praise to God.

• Bible Reading - Our worship time includes public reading of a portion of the Bible as a means of encouraging us believers and listening to God. The passages read bring together a common theme central to the worship plan for that day. We believe that God's Word is living and active and capable of impacting our lives today.
• Lord’s Supper (Communion) - Each Sunday we celebrate the death and life of Jesus with Communion. By eating bread and drinking grape juice in this community meal, we celebrate the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This will be passed down the pews to everyone, in trays with unleavened crackers and small cups with grape juice. The bread and grape juice that are served symbolize to us the body and blood of Jesus’ sacrifice. If you wish, you may participate, or just pass the tray down the pew to the next person.
• Contribution - Each week we also encourage our members to contribute money to the church at Mentor. This is used to support the work of the Mentor church and provide for the physical and spiritual needs of those who are in need. As our guest, we do not expect you to give unless you want.
• Children’s Worship - is held during the 10:30 assembly for children ages 2 through Kindergarten. It usually begins after Communion time so that families may spend some time in worship together. Parents may take their children before the message. It provides age appropriate activities and is located in the education wing.

The message - Our minister, Gary Davenport, will speak to us about the relevance of God to our lives today. You can expect to hear stories of faith, and be challenged to follow Him in your daily life.
• Response - Following the message, an invitation is extended to anyone who wants to respond. This may include requesting a public or private prayer with an elder or minister, standing at the front. The response may be to confess faith and put Jesus on through baptism. A desire to become a member at Mentor can also be made known at this time, or any other time.
• Prayer - The congregation participates in thoughtful, public prayers to God in the name of Jesus Christ. One of our shepherds (elders) will lead the congregation in a pastoral prayer at the close of our worship addressing special needs within the church. If you have something you would like to have prayed for, you can write it on one of the blue cards, located in the pew rack, and place it in the contribution tray.
• What to Wear - You may dress as formally or casually as you want. People at Mentor wear all different kinds of clothes to worship assembly, from jeans and t-shirts, to suits and dresses. We would like to encourage everyone to dress modestly, out of respect to others.

What will be expected of me when I attend?
• We invite you to participate in whatever capacity you feel comfortable. If you would like to simply observe the assembly, that is totally acceptable. If, on the other hand, you feel comfortable joining us in singing, prayer, eating the Lord's Supper, or responding to the invitation, we encourage you to do that. At times during the service, we may stand for a song, prayer or scripture, you may stand or sit, whatever you feel comfortable doing.
 

• While we encourage our members to participate in the contribution, we do not expect our guests to make a gift, but you are welcome to do so.
 

What kind of people are at Mentor?
Mentor is comprised of a wide variety of people who come from different walks of life. We celebrate our diversity and the way that God uses our differences to complete each other.
• We are a group of imperfect people. We each have our own weaknesses and struggles. If you are looking for the perfect church full of perfect people, Mentor is probably not for you. But, if you are looking for a place to join a group of people to worship God and become like Jesus, you have found the right place.
• We believe that unity is something very important to God, and we make every effort to remain united with each other. No two people will believe exactly the same thing on every issue and we promote the freedom that God has given us to come to know Him and understand His will, while at the same time not abusing our freedom as a means to hurt or cause others to stumble.
• You probably won't find anyone at Mentor who is exactly like you, but you will find a group of people on a journey together working towards a common goal of becoming like Jesus and bringing others to Him, who are interested helping in each other.
 

What should I do if I need someone to counsel or pray with me?
• During each worship service, an invitation is extended to anyone who would like to meet with either an elder or minister for prayer. Someone will be available in the front during this time.
• You may also ask any elder or minister before or after the worship service to discuss a special need or arrange a time to counsel with them. If you don’t know any of the elders or ministers, just ask anyone to introduce you to one.
 

I like what I see at Mentor. How do I become a member?
• Make sure you understand and believe the gospel – The good news of what God accomplished through the death and resurrection of Jesus is the heart of the Christian message. If the meaning of this great event is not clear to you, please speak with one of the ministers.

• Turn to God, Acknowledge Jesus as Lord, and Be Baptized – Turning away from sin and toward God (repentance), and embracing Jesus as your leader and Lord are key responses to the gospel. Baptism (immersion) with faith in God is another vital response. In baptism, we are connected with the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus (Titus 3:4-7; Romans 6:3-4). When we respond to the gospel with sincere repentance, an earnest confession of Jesus as Lord, and baptism with faith in him, he forgives our sins and adopts us as his children. If you have already responded in these ways, we will gladly welcome you into our fellowship. If you’d like to discuss or study any of them further, or if you need help with them, please see one of the ministers.

• Make a Commitment - When you become a member, we ask you to make a commitment to God, to yourself, and to the other members at Mentor to learn to live in love and to become what God has planned for you. We will in turn commit to walk side-by-side with you on this journey to become like Him.

Many people have asked us what we mean by membership.
Membership has traditionally been a term used for clubs, groups, organizations, or teams. While many churches have tried different terms such as workmanship, on the role, or identified with this congregation the terminology means the same. Membership in the church means that we are an active part of that community of faith. While some churches have suggested that the church is universal we believe that the church can also be local. God desires each church to have elders in each city (Acts 14:23; Titus 1:5). The elders are the shepherds and overseers of each church (Acts 20:17-34; 1 Peter 5:1-5). Their responsibility is to pastor (shepherd) the flock of God, and help members develop, mature, and practice ministry in each church (Ephesians 4:11-16). Members respect and support these leaders in their congregations (Hebrews 13:17).

Members attend church regularly (Hebrews 10:22-25). Jesus went to the synagogue every Sabbath because He knew that the assembly was necessary to encouragement and spiritual growth (Luke 4:14-16). When we come together we do not observe worship (as was done at the temple) but we participate in worship. We do this when we sing, pray, listen, and take communion every week together (Ephesians 5:19-20; Colossians 3:16-18; Acts 20:7). Since the church needs money to continue its ministry we give every week and in special circumstances (1 Corinthians 16:1-3).

Finally, members submit to Christ and extend His ministry through the Spirit. Jesus is the head of the church, which is His body. He is our only head and authority (Matthew 28:18; Ephesians 1:22; Colossians 1:18). While He is our chief shepherd he has delegated leadership gifts to elders, deacons, ministers, missionaries, teachers, and other workers in the church (Acts 6:1-6; Ephesians 4:11-16; Philippians 1:1). These leaders help the members practice God’s ministry to the world through acts of mercy, service, aid, and preaching the gospel of Jesus (Ephesians 2:10; Titus 2:14; 3:8; Acts 8:4). We also practice the ministry of Jesus by promoting unity and harmony in His body, which is the church (Ephesians 4:1-6). Just as we have one Lord, so we are united as one body.

Members of the Mentor church of Christ are simply, Christians. We must be people who turn from sin and reject Satan. We have turned to God and been baptized into Jesus by being born of both water and Spirit (John 3:1-6). After our conversion the Spirit leads us to continue to turn from sin daily. We do this by resisting the devil and becoming like Jesus through prayer and spiritual discipline. Satan has no part of our lives and we ask him to flee from our presence (James 4:7). We worship and commune weekly together and avoid gossip, division, and hatred of our brothers and sisters in Christ. We love all people, share the good news of Jesus, and practice acts of mercy and love for all men, women, and children.