Lake Land Church of Christ
An Independent Congregation of the Lord's People
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About Us
 
Are you a seeker of God's truth?  Do you thirst for the pure waters of the Word of God, undiluted by man-made doctrine?  Do you wish to be surrounded by like-minded individuals who are filled with true brotherly love and affection for one another?  If you are, then come and learn more about us!
 
We at Lake Land Church of Christ are a non-denominational, independent congregation of the Lord's people.  We try our best to follow the New Testament design of governance and worship, which means we are an autonomous group whose allegiance lies with no one or any organ
 
ization but Jesus Christ our Lord, Who is King of kings and Lord of lords.  We belong to Him because we are clothed in Him at baptism (Galatians 3:27) and it is through His blood that the church was purchased (Galatians 3:13; 1 Peter 1:19).  Therefore, the church belongs to Jesus Christ alone (Matthew 16:18).  We believe that in His infinite wisdom He has left the local congregations to be overseen by elders to watch over and guard the spiritual needs of the flock (1 Peter 5:1-2); deacons to assist the elders in seeing that its members are being provided for (Acts 6; 1 Timothy 3); teachers to help the congregation grow spiritually and in wisdom (1 Corinthians 12:28; Ephesians 4:11); and a minister or evangelist to proclaim God's word in season and out of season (Ephesians 4:11; 2 Timothy 4:2).
 
If you are looking for a congregation that has no creed but only seeks to follow God's word as it is written, but acknowledges our own human foibles and weaknesses, then you need look no further!  We want you to be a part of our congregation!
 
Church History
 
We believe the church, comprised of those who have been saved by the blood of Christ, came into existence with power on the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2 just as was prophesied by Jesus and the Prophets. 
 
The congregation of the Lord's people at Lake Land has been meeting together since September 19, 1965 with 61 in attendance.  This first group, known then as the Central Church of Christ, gathered at the Masonic Temple building until relocating to Maison Blanche in Mattoon, IL on the first Sunday of October 1965 until March 27, 1967.  It was on April 3, 1967 that we moved to our present location.  On November 14, 1967 our first elders and deacons were appointed.  Andrew Zupka and Byron Wright were our congregation's first elders while David Ellison, Shon Floyd, Charles Cahill and A.L. Carter were ordained as deacons.  It was in July of 1969 that we changed our name to the Lake Land Church of Christ.
 
One of the things that you will notice immediately about us is that we do not use mechanical instruments of music during our times of assembling.  We sing a capella, which is a fancy way of saying we just use our voices and our hearts to sing praises to God.  We do not do this just to be different . . . we do this because that is the way we believe God has told us He prefers it, and as we said earlier, we are striving to do His will as much as possible in all matters.  And a study of the historical record shows that this is also the way the first century church did when they gathered together, too.
What others have had to say about us in their own words:
 
"I have attended several congregations in my life and none has ever felt so much like home as does Lake Land Church of Christ!" 
--D. L., visitor from MS in 2004
 
"I always come here when I am in this area . . . it is my second 'home' congregation." 
--K. L., visitor from IL in 2007, and former EIU student
 
"Boy, you sure have a friendly congregation here!"
--Mr. and Mrs. R., visitors from IL on June 29, 2008
 
"Your Vacation Bible School is more fun than playing Wii!"
--8 year old attendee of our 2008 VBS, July 23, 2008