Visit

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Welcome!!

We’re glad you’re thinking about visiting us. If you have a background in our tradition, most of what you see will be familiar and comfortable for you.

If your visit will be the first time you’ve visited one of our fellowships, we’re especially happy to welcome you and want to tell you about what you can expect in our assemblies.

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Location

1032 Pat Booker Rd.
Universal City, TX 78148
(210) 659-1373

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Interactive Map

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Meeting Times

Sunday Morning Worship — 10:00 AM

Also available via YouTube GoLive videostreaming on the RCOC YouTube channel
at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWDOyhhhDcfyLHdCfYntV6A/videos.
Just go to the preceding link on Sunday and the streamining video should appear around 10 am.

Sunday Evening Bible Classes — 5:00 PM

Wednesday Devotional — 7:00 PM Suspended TBD

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What to Expect in Worship

We assemble to worship in an auditorium. There are no special sections or reserved seating except for the first row, which is mostly taken up by people who will be officiating in the worship.

Our worship includes the following: Prayer, Singing, Communion, Offering, Preaching.

If you visit, you will be our guest. We hope you will meet some of the people and benefit from worshiping with us. You may be asked to fill out one of our attendance cards (found in the brochure given to visitors). If you are comfortable doing this, we will use the information to respond appropriately to your visit.

Do you have any questions? Ask any of the members of the congregation and they will help you or introduce you to someone who can. All of our elders are available before and after services to help with any questions. Our minister will also be happy to talk with you at your convenience.

Prayer

There will be several prayers during our worship service. These will be spoken from the heart by men of the congregation. During prayer, we usually stand or sit quietly with heads bowed.

You may hear members of the congregation assent to thoughts in prayers or at the close of the prayer by saying “Amen.”

Singing

Churches of Christ are known for singing a capella, which has come to mean “without musical instruments,” although that term originally meant “in choir or chapel style.” Randolph continues in the tradition of not using instrumental instruments for a number of reasons: Among other things, a capella singing …

• Helps ensure those who stand before the congregation in worship do so because of their character and commitment to the congregation rather than simply their musical talent.
• Is consistent with the Bible and connects us experientially with our roots in the first-century church.
• Encourages emphasis on music from the heart rather than instrumental performances. It is what comes from our hearts and what we say to God and one another that matters.
• Highlights our view of the church as a “contrast community” over against the disordered values of the world.
• Avoids a host of costs, concerns, complications, and conflicts inherent in using musical instruments.
• Is a subject upon which we at Randolph have a unity of mind.  

All of the above fit within the arena of corporate faith and are matters of wisdom that should not prevent fellowship with those who think otherwise, hence we do not insist you reach the same conclusions as we, but we do ask you to understand our reasons. We believe you will find our singing to be inspirational and spiritually uplifting.

Communion

In most Churches of Christ, we have communion — the Lord’s Supper — every Sunday. Communion is a tradition instituted by Jesus before his death in which believers look back on the death and resurrection of Jesus and look forward to his return. It is a memorial in which believers manifest the corporate body of Christ to the world and their participation in it. Our only request of visitors is they be respectful regardless of whether they choose to partake.

Communion begins with a preparatory song followed by the communion leader and servers finding their places behind the pulpit and communion table respectively. The communion leader will usually make some short comments leading into Jesus’ “words of institution. At that point, the leader will offer a prayer for the bread, and the servers will pass plates of unleavened bread (that is, bread baked with no yeast) among the congregation. Each participant will break off a small piece of bread, reminding him or her of the broken body of Christ, and pass the plate on to other participants or back to the server as appropriate.

Immediately following this, there will be a prayer for the cup, reminding participants of the blood of Christ. Trays of individual small cups filled with grape juice are passed among the people.

Each participant takes a cup, drinks from it and returns it to the tray to be passed on to the next person.

During this time the bread and cup are distributed, the congregation sits quietly and meditatively, or perhaps a song appropriate to this time will be sung while the trays are passed.

Offering

Our offering reflects three principles: (1) fellowship, (2) cheerfulness, and (3) preparedness. We normally take up an offering immediately after the Lord’s Supper. In doing that, we “realize” (make real) the fellowship expressed in the Lord’s Supper in a practical way by participating in the material support and progress of God’s Kingdom via a particular congregation of God’s people. At the same time, it is a unity of mind toward that end that allows us to give cheerfully. Lastly, we don’t manipulate or pressure members into giving. Rather we expect them to come prepared. Since none of this necessarily applies to visitors, please feel free to just pass the collection plate to the next person without making a contribution.

Preaching

Usually part of each worship period will be devoted to preaching from the Bible. At Randolph, we strive to make these sermons interesting and relevant to the lives of the audience. At the end of the sermon, one of our elders will commend the sermon to the congregation and offer an opportunity for people to come forward to the front of the auditorium to express any need they have for the special attention of the church.

There may be no response, or some may ask for prayers for special circumstances in their lives. Often this is a time when people let it be known that they wish to be identified as members of this congregation. Also, this is a time when people may confess their faith and be baptized into Christ to become a part of his body … to become a Christian.

We look forward to your visit.

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What to Expect in Bible Classes

We’re glad you’re thinking about visiting us. If you have a background in our tradition, most of what you see will be familiar and comfortable for you.

If your visit will be the first time you’ve attended one of our fellowships, we’re especially happy to welcome you and want to tell you about what you can expect.

At our weekly Bible classes, adults assemble in the Family Life Center and children go directly to their class. Members stand ready to assist visitors in finding the right classes for their children.

Children’s classes center on the Bible using age-appropriate material.

The adult class opens with a song and a prayer. Communion is available for those who were not present at the morning’s worship. The teacher then presents the material for the day.

Praying

Prayers are spoken from the heart by men of the congregation. During prayer, we usually stand or sit quietly with heads bowed. You may hear members of the congregation assent to thoughts in prayers or at the close of the prayer by saying “Amen.”

Singing

Churches of Christ are known for singing a capella, that is, without instruments. This is based on the practice of the early church which, as we understand, sang without instrumental accompaniment. The universal musical term a capella actually means “as sung in the church.”

We also believe this is consistent with the teaching of the Bible. It is what comes from our hearts and what we say to God and one another that matters. We do not require that you interpret this matter the same as we, but we ask you to understand our reason. We believe you will find our singing to be inspirational and spiritually uplifting.

Offering

Offerings are seldom solicited during Bible classes, being limited to one occasion during Sunday worship.

Bible Class Content

Bible classes center around Scripture. At Randolph, we strive to make our Bible classes interesting and relevant to the lives of participants.