WHAT WE BELIEVE

God:

We believe God is the Creator and sovereign Ruler of the Universe.

We believe in the Trinity, God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  The three function and act consistently as one.

Jesus:

We believe Jesus is God’s son and that he was born of a virgin and lived in the flesh on the earth yet was fully God.

We believe He was tempted in every way but was without sin.

We believe He gave his life as a sacrifice for men’s sins by willingly dying on a cross of crucifixion.

We believe Jesus rose from the dead as He promised, appeared to his disciples and others and ascended to heaven and lives forever at the right hand of the Father.

We believe He will return and redeem the creation and His followers and will share His eternity with them.

We believe as Jesus stated, salvation is through Him and Him alone.

Holy Spirit:

We believe the Holy Spirit is given as a gift for every Christian and lives within each believer.

We believe the Holy Spirit gives spiritual gifts, power and help, to those He indwells.

Man:

We believe men and women were created by God in His spiritual image.

We believe every person has the freedom to choose to decide to believe and follow God or to reject Him, and is free to choose how one lives.

We believe every man and woman has sinned, broken God’s law, and thus have been separated from God.

We believe man and women can have a restored and eternal relationship with God through belief in Jesus Christ and the acceptance of Him as Savior and Redeemer.

Salvation:

We believe salvation is a gift from God and cannot be earned or achieved by good works. Salvation is by grace and not one’s own merit.

We believe God desires and pursues relationships with men and women. And that every man and woman can have a relationship with God by believing and trusting in Him accepting His grace and by surrendering to Him and His Lordship.

We believe one’s proper response to God’s grace is to believe in God the Father, confess the need for redemption, trust Jesus as one’s Redeemer and Savior, and turn one’s life over to His direction and Lordship.

We believe man’s response to God’s love and grace will be a life aimed to glorify and honor Him in word, in thought, and in action.

Baptism:

We believe baptism is active participation in Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection, and is man’s surrender to God where one dies to himself, is cleansed and purified and resurrected to a new life and receives the indwelling of the Holy Spirit as a gift from God.

Church:

We believe in God’s church.  That it was ordained by Jesus and established by the apostles with the power and direction of the Holy Spirit.

We believe the church consists of the followers and believers of Christ who have submitted to His reign in their lives.  It is the fellowship of all people from every nation and race who love and accept one another, share life with one another, encourage one another, and reminds one another of God’s grace and power.

We believe the church is the body of Jesus on the earth and should reflect this spirit and life and serves as a witness to the world of God’s grace and nature.

We believe the church meets each Sunday, the day of resurrection, to honor and worship God, to be reminded of the love sacrifice of Jesus through Holy Communion, and to encourage, instruct and build one another up.

We believe every Christian is a minister and witness for God, equipped with spiritual gifts by the Holy Spirit, to build one another up, to serve one another and to fulfill God’s purposes.

We believe each local congregation is to be self-governing, with elders chosen as the scriptures direct, to oversee the spiritual well being of its members.  Deacons are chosen to offer ministries of service.  And each member is of equal importance and value within the body.

Bible:

We believe the Bible is the inspired Word of God given to reveal God to man and to show man how to honor Him.

We believe the Bible, written by human authors under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, is the truth and the authority and guide for our lives.

Afterlife:

We believe man will live forever spiritually.

We believe in Heaven, as a place where those redeemed by Jesus will live eternally with God.  The inhabitants will have a new body, with no pain or suffering and will live in ultimate joy and celebration and all truth will be known and understood.

We believe Hell is eternal separation from God for those who reject him.

Worship:

We believe true worship is a life of service to God and others.