About Our Church

At Water Street you will find a caring family of Christians who are diligently seeking the truth of God’s word. Our Bible classes are relevant and Bible-based, while our sermons always seek to be both challenging and inspiring. Above all, it is our mission to bring people to a right relationship with the Lord God of Heaven through the saving blood of Jesus Christ.
Our ServicesOur Beliefs

Our Services

What Our Services Are Like

Please, come visit us during one of our weekly worship services, bring your children to one of our Bible classes, or attend one of our scheduled events.

Service Times

We begin Sunday mornings with classes for all ages starting at 9:00 am. Our services start promptly at 10:00 am and end at about 11:00. It’s best to get here a little early so you can find a seat. Our auditorium currently holds about 200 people and it does get a little crowded sometimes. We also have a 6:00 Sunday evening service and a Wednesday night Bible study at 7:00.

Lord’s Supper

The Lord’s Supper is the pinnacle of our worship together. This is the time in which we eat unleavened bread and drink grape juice to remember the death of Jesus on the cross. It is a reminder to Christians of the price that was paid so that we might live eternally and we are cautioned to take this act of worship very seriously (1 Cor 11:28-31).

Prayer

We pray many times during our worship to God. We always open and close with a prayer, and we usually have three or four more prayers at various times. Prayers are led by men of the congregation.

Invitation

At the conclusion of the sermon, we will offer an invitation for anyone who is not yet a Christian and wants to become one to obey the gospel. If you wish to do so, just come to the front row and the minister will meet with you there. You will be asked to make a public confession in front of the church that you believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God (you may answer yes or say “I believe Jesus is the Son of God”). Then the congregation will sing a few songs while we get ready for your baptism.

Nursery

We love to see a room full of children so please do not be embarrassed to bring a squirmy kid to worship service. There is no one here that will worry about the children making noise during service. But if you get to your wits end with an unruly kiddo, we provide a room that serves as a nursery for mothers with children. It is equipped with sound and a TV so you can still participate in the worship service.

Music

Our song service is simple and uplifting. We do not use any mechanical instruments when we sing.

Giving

At the conclusion of the Lord’s Supper, we take up an offering. We do not want our visitors to feel any pressure to give money. It is not your obligation to give. The church of Jesus Christ is not funded by soliciting donations from non-members, selling things for fundraisers, or by taking government money. The church is funded by the freewill offerings of its members. It is the duty and privilege of the active members of this congregation to financially support the work that we do here. If you are a visitor and want to contribute, you may.

Teaching

Sermons tend to be between around twenty-five minutes in length. You are encouraged to bring your bible along so you can actively participate in the study. If you don’t have a Bible, we will let you borrow one, or often we project the scriptures on a screen so you can still follow along.

Baptism

You will be baptized by being immersed in water. That is the actual meaning of the word baptism. We have rooms to change into baptismal clothes (you can bring your own clothes if you want). If you need assistance, some of the men or ladies of the congregation will help. We also have towels on hand. You will be immersed in water, typically by the preacher. The water is about waist deep and we keep it heated. The preacher will say a few words and you will be asked to lean backwards and bend your knees and he will gently lean you backwards into the water. You will go completely under the water for just a moment, then lifted up out of the water. This is reflecting the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ in you. Your old man of sin is dead and buried in the water, and you are resurrected out of the water to live a new life.

Special Needs

We offer free valet parking for anyone who needs help getting in and out of the building. Just pull up under our awning and one of our men will assist you.

We are totally committed to the truth of God’s word and will follow His truth where ever it leads us. Ultimately, our mission is the mission of Jesus Christ; To seek the lost; realizing that God does not call us to simply “go to church” but rather to “be the church”.

– Brother Thomas Southerland

Our Beliefs

We believe that the Bible is the inspired word of God and that it gives us instruction about how to live and worship in accordance with God’s will. (2 Tim 3:16, 2 Pet 1:3) The Bible is our only creed and we seek to follow what it says.

What denomination are you?

The Bible teaches that there should not be divisions among us. We should all teach the same thing. Christians should not follow men, but Jesus Christ. Christians should not wear the names of other men, only the name of Christ. Paul saw different factions developing in the city of Corinth and wrote a letter condemning them for it (1 Cor 1). Here at Water Street, we seek only to be members of the church that Jesus Christ built himself and paid for with his own blood. We reject any man-made division of the church and encourage all Christians to do so as well.

Who is Jesus?

Jesus is the Son of God. He exists from all eternity with God and He is in fact God. All things were created by Him (John 1:1-2). Jesus left his place in heaven and took on the form of man so that he could save mankind from sin (John 1:14). He was crucified for our sins and was resurrected on the third day. (1 Cor 15:3-4). He ascended into heaven and will return at the final day of Judgement (Acts 1:9-11). The Bible teaches that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life; no one has access to God the Father except through Jesus his son (John 14:6).

What do I need to be saved from?

Simply put, the wrath of God (Rom 2:5). When we sin, that sin incurs a penalty. Since God is a God of justice, he will always make sure that when the “crime” of sin is committed, the just penalty is paid. The penalty for sin is death (Rom 6:23). However, God is also a merciful God and is not willing that any should perish (2 Peter 3:9), so He sent His sinless son Jesus to pay the penalty of death for us. In doing this God is both just, and the justifier of those who believe on Jesus (Rom 3:26). Even though Jesus came into the world to save mankind, many reject him and will bear their own sin eternally (John 3:18-19).

What do I have to do to be saved?

The Bible says that you must have faith to be pleasing to God (Heb 11:6). How do you get faith? Faith comes by hearing the word of God, that is, the Gospel of Jesus Christ (Rom 10:17; Rom 1:16). Faith in Jesus is more than just a mental acknowledgement of the facts of his death burial and resurrection. It is true that we must believe the gospel, but we must also obey it (James 2:14-26). Obeying the gospel does not earn us a right to heaven. Rather, it is how we come to receive the gift of the grace of God on his terms, through faith (Eph 2:8-9).

How do I obey the Gospel?

Once you have heard the gospel and believe it, then you must repent of your sins (Luke 13:3.) Repenting means to turn away from sin and turn toward God. You must also confess that Jesus Christ is the son of God (Mt 10:32; Rom 10:9-10). You can then be baptized (immersed) into water for the remission of your sins (Acts 2:38). This shows that your old man of sin is dead, and you have been resurrected a new creature in Christ (Rom 6:1-6). Then we are instructed by the Bible to live faithfully, honoring God, and growing as a Christian by continually learning and practicing the teachings of Christ. Worshiping together regularly with other Christians is a vital part of faithful living.

Our Preacher

Brother Thomas Southerland

Water Street is a hard working congregation and you will find here many opportunities to be involved in the Lord’s work. We have a variety of classes that help our members grow in Grace and the knowledge of our Lord.

We are totally committed to the truth of God’s word and will follow His truth where ever it leads us. Ultimately, our mission is the mission of Jesus Christ; To seek the lost; realizing that God does not call us to simply “go to church” but rather to “be the church”.

W.H. Batey

W.H. Batey

Elder

Robert Hayes

Robert Hayes

Elder

Bobby Speight

Bobby Speight

Elder

Bob Thomas

Bob Thomas

Elder

Jeff Adams

Jeff Adams

Deacon

Jeff Addison

Jeff Addison

Deacon

Trent Batey

Trent Batey

Deacon

Sonny Hart

Sonny Hart

Deacon

Tom Mastalerz

Tom Mastalerz

Deacon

Freddy Miller

Freddy Miller

Deacon

Gabe Peer

Gabe Peer

Deacon

Joe Riley

Joe Riley

Deacon

Kane Sesler

Kane Sesler

Deacon

Chris Hayes

Chris Hayes

Deacon

Water Street Church of Christ in 1914

The History Of Our Building

The land on which the Water Street Church of Christ building stands was acquired February 15, 1913. The land was bought from a Mr. B.F. Dunnaway by Mr’s W.E. Hicks, Will Hooper and Graham Egerton for a sum of $75.00. They paid $25.00 down and the remainder was placed on two (2) equal promissory notes of $25.00 each.

It is stated in the original property deed that the land was to be used for a house of worship, using only what is ordered and required in the NEW TESTAMENT.

The original structure was built by brothers W.E. Hicks and J.T. Hicks shortly after the acquisition of the land. The building is built of all yellow poplar, it is said that Mr. W.E. Hicks inspected every load of lumber from the mill, if it failed his standards it was threw out.

Originally, there were two front entrances under the bell tower, one facing north and the other east. Robert Hicks, a teenager, worked inside the bell tower nailing lumber because he was the only worker thin enough to fit inside.

The building was originally heated with two cast iron stoves, located in the front of the building on the left and right of the middle pews. Mr. W.E. Hicks handcrafted those original pews that were used up until around 1960.

Between 1913 and 1947, visiting preachers would come to Water Street about twice a month to preach. In 1947 Mr. Grover Stevens became our first located preacher. In 1967 Mr. Robert Cullom came to Water Street and was the preacher until his death in 2016.

This building has been home to many wonderful people over the years and we hold a debt of gratitude to those who saw a need for a place to worship. Even though we know that the Church is not a building but rather the people, we are thankful for this wonderful old building.

Our average attendance is around 180 for Sunday morning worship. Our outreach programs include a nursing home ministry, meals-on-wheels, jail ministry and Christmas Food Baskets. In addition we also support several local and foreign missionary fields.