When dealing with the topic of communion (also known as The Lord's Supper) and baptsim, two questions usually arise:

1. How often do you do these things?

2. Who is allowed to participate?

Communion: 

Let us explain what communion is and what it is not.

The practice of taking a piece or wafer of bread and a drink of juice or wine (The Heights uses grape juice) is in accordance with the biblical example found in Matthew 26:26-28 and  Luke 22:14-20.

We practice taking communion together as a church body in order to remind ourselves in a tangible way what Jesus did on the cross for us when He died for our sins.

Having said that, the answer to the first question about the frequency of communion occurring at The Heights is: As the Lord leads!

Many churches take communion each week, and others schedule it for the first Sunday of each month.

Both of these practices are absolutely fine. It's just not how The Heights does it.

When we serve communion, the entire service revolves around the communion.

Why? Because we never want it to become something we do lightly or get used to. In fact, the Bible warns against taking communion in an unworthy fashion in 1 Corinthians 11:26-28.

When communion is served, we always take ample time to examine our hearts, confess any sin, and meditate on Christ and His death for us.

The frequency of communion being served probably boils down to about once every 4-6 weeks. But it may occur more often sometimes and less often other times.

The answer to the second question about who is able to participate is: Anyone who has believed in Jesus for salvation.

You do not need to be a member of The Heights. You do not need to have been baptized. The only pre-requisite is that you have come to believe that Jesus died for your sins, and that you must accept His payment on the cross for eternal life.

That's it!

We encourage parents to carefully monitor their children in taking communion. Some have full understanding and have accepted Jesus as their Savior. Many do not fully understand.

We leave that decision up to parents.

We also encourage families to participate in serving communion in their homes. It is not an act sacred to the church institution. A father serving his family in his home is a wonderful way to celebrate the Lord's Supper in a meaningful fashion.

By way of closing, let us also mention that partaking of communion in no way imparts salvation. You can take communion every single day of your life and go straight to hell when you die (excuse the bluntness).

The only assurance of Heaven is found in believing in Jesus and His payment on the cross for sin. See Ephesians 2:8-9 and  Titus 3:5 which tell us that salvation is not earned by the things we do (i.e. taking communion), but given freely by Jesus' atonement (payment for sin) alone.

Baptism:

You'll find a lot of information on Baptism in our FAQ section, including whether or not this is a necessary component of salvation.

As far as how often we do baptism services, this too varies. Usually we have a baptism service at all 4 weekend services about once every 2-3 months. When we do these services, we alert you through this website, the weekend program and the weekly email that you can sign up to be baptized. There are no classes to attend, but a pastor will talk with you and answer any questions you may have.

Eligibility is completely dependent on a person's decision to:

#1 Trust in Jesus Christ alone for salvation

#2 Want to publicly express the desire to follow Christ in obedience for the rest of his/her life

If you would like to participate in the next baptism service, please call the church office at 928.445.1421 and speak with a pastor, or fill out our online form. We'll contact you.