God
is bigger and better and closer than we can imagine.
The
Bible is God’s perfect guidebook for living.
Jesus is God showing
himself to us.
Through His Holy
Spirit, God lives in and through us now.
Nothing in creation
“just happened.” God made it all.
Grace is the only
way to have a relationship with God.
Faith is the only
way to grow in our relationship with God.
God has allowed
evil to provide us with a choice, God can bring good even out of evil events
and God promises victory over evil to those who choose him.
Heaven and hell
are real places. Death is a beginning, not the end.
The church is to
serve people like Jesus served people..
Jesus is coming
again.
About
God: There is one eternal God, existing and made known to us
as Father, Son and Holy
Spirit ---- the Trinity.
God
the Father is the creator of the universe and continues to rule over
it and sustain it by His power and providence.
God
the Son is known to us in the person of Jesus Christ. While being fully
God, He was born of a virgin and became fully human. He lived a sinless
life, in perfect obedience to God. When He took upon Himself the judgment
of God for everyone's sins by dying on the cross, He accomplished humanity's
salvation and made possible a new relationship with God for all those who
trust in Jesus Christ. Three days after He died and was buried, He demonstrated
his power over sin and death by rising again. He ascended into Heaven where
He intercedes on our behalf to the Father. Whe wait for the day when He
will return to earth to reign as Lord, thereby fulfilling God's plan and
purpose for all of history.
God
the Holy Spirit was sent into the world by the Father and the Son to
open the eyes of humans to their sin and their need for a savior; to tell
them of the grace of God available through a personal relationship with
Jesus Christ. When we respond by faith in Christ the Holy Spirit dwells
in us, guarantees and assures us of our salvation, gives us spiritual gifts,
and opens our hearts and minds to the truths of God's Word. He sustains
and guides us in the life-long process of transformation as we become more
and more Christlike in character.
About
the Bible: The sole basis of our beliefs is the Bible, composed
of the 66 books of the Old
and the New Testaments.
The Bible is God's Word to us, written by human authors under the inspiration
and guidance of
the Holy Spirit. The Bible speaks with God's authority and truth and, therefore,
is our only rule of faith
and behavior. There are no other writings similarly inspired by God.
About Humanity: People are distinct from the rest of creation.
We were made in the image of God and are the supreme recipients of God's
affection. Humans
were created in perfect fellowship with God, but broke that relationship
through disobedience (sin).
Sin eternally separates us from God; it prevents us from pleasing God;
it damages every
relationship we have with other people; it keeps us from becoming all God
intended us to be. We
cannot save ourselves from the consequences of sin by our own efforts at
self-improvement or by
doing good deeds. We need salvation.
About
Salvation: Salvation is God's free gift to all who receive it by faith.
We can never make up for our sin by self-improvement, effort, or good works.
When we
recognize our sin and its power over us, earnestly repent and trust in
what Christ did for us on the
cross, we are saved from sin's eternal consequences and power; we are given
eternal life. We are
not only saved, but we are indwelt with the Holy Spirit who leads us through
the life-long process of
being transformed into the character and likeness of Jesus Christ.
About the Church: There is one Church-- made up of all those who trust
in Jesus Christ as Lord
and Savior.
The Bible calls the Church the "body of Christ," the living presence of
Jesus Christ,
commissioned, gifted and empowered to carry on the ministry He began. Each
believer is part of
this body, with Jesus Himself as the head, leading and guiding it through
the Bible and by the
direction of the Holy Spirit. The Bible also commands believers to gather
together for worship, for
teaching, for fellowship, for prayer, for service, and for celebration
of Baptism and the Lord's Supper
as initiated by Jesus Christ.
The Sacraments
Baptism and The Lord's Supper
We celebrate two Sacraments as tangible
examples of God's grace designed to teach us about and assure
us of God's forgiveness and the gift of
eternal life made possible through the death and resurrection of God's
sinless son, Jesus.
Jesus gave us two Sacraments to observe:
Baptism and the Lord's Supper, both of which take place within the
congregation as they gather to worship
and not at separate times.
Baptism: We baptize infants and children of Christians
because they, like their parent(s) are part of God's family and the
gift of God's grace is for them too, even
though they cannot yet understand nor articulate their faith. During the
Baptism service both the parents and the
congregation pledge to provide the support, nurture, and modeling
needed for that child to someday stand
before the Church and make a profession of their faith and trust in
Jesus Christ.
We baptize adults who were not baptized
as children as a reflection of their decision to follow Jesus Christ with
their life and put their trust in Him
alone for salvation.
The
Lord's Supper: We celebrate the Lord's Supper (sometimes
called "Communion" or "the Eucharist") six times a year
both as a reminder and an affirmation
that Jesus Christ died for our salvation, that He continues to be the bread
of life for us, and that we are called
to follow Him. Anyone who is a Christian is invited to participate.
If you would like to find out more about
Baptism for yourself or your child(ren), or if you have further questions
about either sacrament, please Get in
Touch with our pastor.
God
is bigger and better and closer than we can imagine.
About
God: There is one eternal God, existing and made known to us