You may have noticed that we said, “Interested In Joining?” This is because we have developed a way for you to get to know more about Sylvania and for the leadership at Sylvania to get to know more about you, without requiring that you join the church. We call this meeting the Discover Sylvania Luncheon. The primary purpose of this time is to help you determine whether Sylvania is the place God wants you involved as an active member of the body of Christ.
Here’s how it works.
First, we feed you lunch. For free. And yes, you read “free” correctly.
Following lunch, one of the ministerial staff or elders will walk you through what Sylvania believes, what Sylvania does, where Sylvania is going, etc. Afterward, you will have the opportunity to ask questions or make comments about… well… anything, really. This is not to suggest that we know everything, but that you are welcome to ask anything. And this is fun for you and great us because it allows you put our ministerial staff and elders on the spot.
At the end of this discussion and once all questions have been answered satisfactorily, we typically pray for you and end the meeting, adding that if any person or family is all ready convinced that Sylvania is where God wants them, they may stick around afterward for a time where we share testimony of how God saved us and where you share testimony of how God saved you. The purposes of this are, 1) to let us hear that you understand and believe the Gospel of Jesus, and 2) to encourage one another with stories of God’s truly amazing grace.
Now, you may be thinking, “If Sylvania is a Baptist church, why don’t they accept letters of transfer from those coming from other Baptist churches?” The real reason is that we believe God is going to hold the leadership at Sylvania, not the churches from where our members transfer, accountable for who joins Sylvania Church. As such, we take the responsibility very seriously. Plus, we are always blessed to hear how God saves His people, and are also blessed to explain the Gospel to those who do not yet know it!
If you’re interested in attending, check the calendar below to find the next Discover Sylvania Luncheon (if you don’t see a Discover Sylvania Luncheon on the calendar, please let us know you’re interested and we’ll gladly get back to you about that!). To register, click here or simply fill out the form no later than 3 days prior to the luncheon you want to attend.
If we can be of any further assistance to you, please contact one of our secretaries, who may be reached by phone at (903) 592-1591 or by emailing us. Simply let us know you’re interested and we’ll walk you through the rest of the details.
We hope to see you there!
