What brings us together — We members of Mossy Creek are a moderately conservative group of worshipers who find support in the many friendships we establish within the congregation. Most of us prefer a traditional style of worship and a church mission which has a local emphasis. While some of us were literally born into the congregation, many of us have come to Mossy Creek from a variety of other protestant denominations.

    While we are certainly not clones of one another, we hold many common values around which our church programs are organized — the most important being our love of Jesus Christ and our love for each other.

    Where we live — Almost all of us live within 15 miles of the church; half within a five mile radius. Most of us live in rural areas although few of us are farmers.

    Our ages — When you look at us as we worship on Sunday mornings, you will be surprised to see so many young children come forward for the children’s sermon. This is the result of having an involved group of young married couples and a very active youth program.

    You may also notice quite a few white heads in attendance because over one-third of us are 60 years of age or older.

    Our education — A recent survey of the congregation indicates that we are a rather educated bunch for a small rural church with more that half of us having persued schooling beyond high school—24 percent hold baccalaureate degrees, and 15 percent graduate degrees.

    How we became members — About half of us made our initial professions of faith when we joined Mossy Creek Church, and half became members by transfer of membership from a variety of denominations with the Methodist Church and the Church of the Brethren leading the way. Seventy-three per cent of respondents have been members of the church for more than 11 years.

    How we serve — Several items on the survey asked us to indicate our degree of involvement in church activities and Bible study, and we reported that we were about as involved today as we were five years ago. On the average, three-fourths of us attend church weekly and devote fewer than two hours per week to church activities. More than a third of us indicated that we devoted two or more hours a week to Bible study. Church activities with the highest level of overall participation are Sunday worship services, the Sunday school, fellowship meals, the annual clothing drive, and the Harvest Sale.

    How we rate ourselves — On the survey, many of us indicated that we especially like the sense of community in the church and the Biblical and spiritual aspects of worship services. Few of us indicated any things we disliked about the church. However, we take criticisms seriously and provide many ways to make our thoughts known.

    How we finance our programs — The congregation has not experienced any difficulty in securing funding for its programs. An increase in worship offering has been evident in the last several years. Recent annual budgets range between $90,000 and $100,000. About twenty-five per cent of the budget goes to benevolent causes, and seventy-five percent is retained for operating costs and maintenance. Many of us prefer that a greater portion of benevolent funds be directed toward local causes; and during the past few years, this preference has resulted in larger contributions to Mercy House, Joy of Life, and Habitat for Humanity while support for General Assembly programs has remained about the same. In addition, proceeds from the Harvest Sale and the Four-Cents-A-Meal offering have provided additional funds for local benevolent causes.