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Moreno Valley Church of Christ is a Bible-based church located in Eagles Nest, New Mexico. We have no other desire but to see the Gospel of Christ lived out within Moreno Valley and across the globe. Our belief is in the fact that Jesus was crucified to pay the debt of our sins, and by faith, we are connected to Jesus through baptism and raised with Him to new life through the gift of the Holy Spirit. We invite you to join us as we pursue Christ in community. Please get to know our congregation by taking a look at our website.

What We Believe

“I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. (Ephesians 4:1-6)

 While it is impossible to adequately treat each of these deep theological realities with a paragraph, we offer this as an introduction of what we hold true and dear, and as an invitation to deeper study.

The Bible - All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)
We affirm that both the Old Testament and New Testament Scriptures are divinely inspired, breathed out as the only written word of God, without error in all that it affirms, and is the only infallible rule of faith and practice.  Written originally to specific people and specific times, today it has fresh application for men and women of every nation.  Through it the Holy Spirit continues to illumine each generation with the light of truth.  It reveals the wisdom, will, nature, and glory of our unchanging God.  Through its record of the history of all created things it explains what we see and experience in the world today, and communicates what is necessary for humans to have a relationship with God.

God the Father - He showed you these things so you would know that the Lord is God and there is no other  (Deuteronomy 4:35, NLT).
We affirm our faith in the One, Eternal, Creator, Provider, Sustainer, and Lord of the world.  Father, Son and Holy Spirit comprise our triune God.  God reveals himself to us through the Bible and is Sovereign as He governs everything by His wisdom, purpose and goodness.  As the apostle Paul told the people in Athens, By his power we live and move and exist  (Acts 17:28, NCV).  He created humans in His image, but that image has been spoiled by sin, which is why our world is messy and groaning.  He is calling people out of the world for Himself, then sending His people back into the world to be His servants and witnesses to further His Kingdom, build up the body of Christ, and glorify His Name.

God the Son - “The Word became human and lived among us.  We saw his glory.  It was the glory that the Father shares with his only Son, a glory full of grace and truth”  (John 1:14, GWT).
We affirm that Jesus Christ is the Messiah, the one and only begotten Son of God.  Humans have found it difficult to relate to an invisible God, so God took on flesh and lived on earth for roughly 33 years.  He is Immanuel, God with us (Matthew 1:23).  As God, His experience in the flesh makes Him a perfect Mediator.  His mission to earth was not social; it was a mission of justice – to perfectly meet the standards of God and pay the penalty for our inability to meet those standards (sin) in order that we might be reconciled to God.  By His innocent sacrifice on the cross, He displayed God’s mercy while satisfying God’s justice.  His sacrifice revealed God’s deep love and desire to save all men and women while preserving His righteous nature.  Hence, Jesus Christ is the only Savior, and His story is the only gospel.  There is no other Name by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12).  God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name (Philippians 2:9, NIV).  We look forward to the day He will return and take us home to be with Father in heaven.

God the Holy Spirit - Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you?  (1 Corinthians 3:16, NIV).
We affirm our belief in the Spirit of Truth, the third and perhaps lesser known but no less important, Person of the Godhead.  Where Christ is God with us, Holy Spirit is God in us as a promised indwelling at baptism (Acts 2:38). In creation, He hovered over the dark waters of the formless and empty earth as the Agent of Power when God spoke the Word (Genesis 1:2).  He became that same promised Agent of Power for the early disciples after Jesus ascended to heaven; empowering the faithful followers with understanding and heavenly abilities.  He is the Helper, without the limits that Christ had while in a human body, who comes alongside disciples of Jesus Christ to transform us from the inside out.  Through Him we are born again to newness of life and grow in spiritual maturity as we submit to and walk with Him.  In short, He renews us, inspires and confirms the will and Word of God in us, teaches us the mind of God, stirs us to great things, strengthens us, and enables us to die to the flesh.  He mediates between believers and God and speaks to God for us when we do not know how or what to say.  The apostle Paul warned, And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live  (Ephesians 4:30, NLT), pointing to the fact that it is possible to resist, quench, insult and even blaspheme the Holy Spirit.

Humanity - No one needed to tell him [Jesus] about human nature, for he knew what was in each person’s heart  (John 2:25, NLT).
The first human, Adam, was created in God’s image.  He and the wife that God formed from taking one of Adam’s ribs were put in a garden paradise to care for it and enjoy relationship with God and each other.  They were also given choice, or free will, when they were told not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  Unfortunately, their decision to sin by disobeying the word of God ushered in curses that have resulted in the pain and suffering we see today.  Human hearts became deceptive and easily deceived (Jeremiah 17:9).  The apostle Paul summarized our condition this way: For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities — his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.  Yet, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks.  And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like.  As a result, their minds became dark and confused  (Romans 1:20-21).  Still with a capacity for good or evil, humans were separated from God by sin. Due to our own individual sins, we are each lost and in need of a Savior and salvation.  But thanks be to God, He did send a Savior to restore in us the hope of the glory of God  (Romans 5:2b) so that we can once again live out the purposes He intended when He created us in His image.

Salvation - The Son of Man came to find lost people and save them  (Luke 19:10, NCV).
The Son’s trip to planet Earth was more than a social visit; He came to address the problem of our sin that separates us from God.  All men and women are perishing because of sin, but God loves everyone, not wishing that any should perish but that all should repent. To proclaim Jesus as "the Savior of the world" is not to affirm that all people are either automatically or ultimately saved, still less to affirm that all religions offer salvation in Christ.  Rather it is to proclaim God's love for a world of sinners and to invite everyone to respond to him as Savior and Lord in a wholehearted, personal commitment of repentance and faith.

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast  (Ephesians 2:8-9, NIV).  

The mission of Jesus was to pay the price for our sin against God’s love and reconcile us to God, making us His adopted children.  To receive that priceless gift, we are to respond with faith.  Calling on the Lord through faith includes a belief that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.  It includes repentance, a turning away from self-will, and submission to God’s will as we seek Him with all our hearts.  And it includes baptism in the Name of Christ for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2).  With this, we are born anew, cleansed from sin, clothed with Christ, saved and added to the family of believers in order to live lives that continue the mission and ministry of Christ. 

The Church - And you all are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple.  What’s more, you are his holy priests.  Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God  (1 Peter 2:5, NLT).
The Lord has given each member of His spiritual body gifts and abilities meant to edify, or build up, His Kingdom.  Through followers of Christ, God continues the mission to reconcile lost people to Him and restore a broken world to its original design.  Followers serve as living sacrifices to please and honor our Lord.  Using our Spirit-given gifts, we work with the body of believers to build one another up in faith and spiritual maturity.  Using many of those same gifts, we work outwardly to love and reach lost people and minister to a world that struggles under the curse of sin.  We speak truth in love to a world that has lost connection with God.  We gather regularly, particularly on Sunday, to refocus on our Lord, revive our spirits, and remember Christ in communion.

We confess with shame that we have not always lived up to the Name of Jesus Christ.  We have often denied our calling and failed in our mission by becoming conformed to the world or by withdrawing from it.  Transformation is an ongoing process even for the saved.  Yet we rejoice and give thanks that despite our flaws and deficiencies, we are privileged to bear and share the precious treasure of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

What to Expect

As a visitor to Moreno Valley, we always want you to feel welcomed and loved by God and by us. Our youth, as a part of the church and a big part of our mission, play an active role in our gatherings. Therefore, our gatherings are fairly informal and casual. Your level of participation in our worship service is up to you. When you visit a Sunday morning worship service, you can expect to find the following:

Singing – Various songs of praise and encouragement will be sung as a body together thought-out our Worship services.

Prayer – There will be several prayers lead during the service.

Preaching – The preacher will talk approximately 30 minutes. He bears no special title and wears no special vestments since the Bible calls all members to the priesthood and considers all to be equal. The preaching will be Bible-centered.

Invitation – At the close of the sermon, the preacher will extend an invitation to provide the opportunity for anyone in need to respond publicly.

Lord’s Supper – Each Sunday morning, we observe this ceremony established by Jesus and practiced by the early church. It is designed to focus our minds on the sacrifice of Christ.

Offering – As our guest, you are not expected to contribute. Feel free to pass the collection plate down the row.

Our History

Though Jesus established the church in Acts chapter 2, the congregation that meets in the beautiful Moreno Valley has its own history. Our latest records and conversations with long-time members takes our story back to the summer of 1979 when Curtis Camp, a retired preacher from Amarillo TX,  met two sisters who were meeting at the Vietnam Memorial Chapel on Sundays for Bible reading, prayer, and communion. Curtis began working with the sisters to reach out to the community and other Christians in the area. As respectable numbers grew and became regular Curtis worked with the Village of Eagle Nest to allow the young growing church to meet in the Community Center on Sunday mornings.

God faithfully brought families to work and lead the young church, along with support from larger sister churches in Texas and Oklahoma. Some of these families include Dwayne Smith, Ernie Arco, Kenneth & Lawnda Moore, Delbert & Betty McCloud, Michael Stevenson, Cecil & Barbara Burch, Damon Waggoner, Kenny & Cassie Garcia, Nathan & Melanie Hill, and now Eddie & Annika Stillwell.

Along with these leaders God has also worked through many local residents, both seasonal and full time, to be a consistent shining light of the gospel in the beautiful Moreno Valley. With generous help from local businessmen like Johnny Dahl and Stan Samuels, the present property was purchased and a permanent building built in 1989.

When Damon Waggoner moved to the valley in 2010 as a school teacher he helped the church begin a concentrated effort in outreaching to the youth in the community. This focus and heart for young people has remained a part of the vision and mission of the Moreno Valley Church of Christ today. It is not unusual for youth to outnumber adults in our gatherings, especially during the winter months. Our Wednesday night program which provides transportation from the school to the church building for students has seen great success and growth. There students build relationships with the church, one another, and the Lord. This program provided such growth that attendance often exceed the capacity of the original building. 

With Spirit led vision and forethought, plans were created to better meet the needs of our community and the church. In 2017 we broke ground on a second building on the property that would serve as an event center with a large open area, a commercial kitchen, bathrooms/showers, and two large classrooms.

Our youth program has opened many doors into our community, and into homes where the message of Christ is still transforming lives on a daily basis. Our hope and prayer is that we will continue to join Holy Spirit in the work that He is doing in the hearts of so many in our community, and continue to grow the Kingdom not only in this valley but also in surrounding areas, northern New Mexico and southern Colorado, and across the globe.