About Us...
OUR CORE BELIEFS
Ephesians 4:1-6
I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.
We submit these core beliefs in the context of leading a life worthy of the calling we have in Christ. In humility, gentleness, patience and with a sincere love for all, we believe these seven “ones” are the essentials we must cherish in order to have the unity of the Spirit and live in peace.
one body
We believe the body of Christ, the church, is composed of all those who are saved and is not a denomination, but the universal representation of Christ on earth. (Eph.1:22-23)
one Spirit
We believe in the Holy Spirit who indwells God's children and leads them to become like His Son. (Romans 8:9) We believe the Spirit inspired the Bible which is the authority for all we do and believe. (2 Peter 1:20-21)
one hope
We believe Jesus will return someday to take those who believe in Him to their eternal reward. (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17)
one Lord
We believe Jesus Christ is the resurrected Son of God who died on the cross to provide salvation. He is the way, the truth and the life. We believe no one comes to the Father except through Christ. (John 14:6)
one faith
We believe the grace of God teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and live upright lives, eager to do what is good (Titus 2:11-14). We believe in order to please God we must earnestly seek him with all our hearts (Hebrews 11:6).
one baptism
We believe people come into a right relationship with God, not by religion, but by grace through faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior (Romans 4:5). We believe baptism does not earn salvation any more than faith earns salvation. It is an obedient faith response to God’s grace as demonstrated in Christ’s sacrifice. Baptism forgives the past, refreshes the present, and embraces the future (Romans 6:4-6). It also brings us the gift of the Holy Spirit, the indwelling of the Spirit within us. Acts 2:38.
one God and Father of all
We believe in Jehovah, the one and only God, who is all powerful, holy, just, all-loving and all-knowing (Romans 11:33-36).
Our Distinctiveness:
1. Approach to the Scriptures:
--We recognize the ancient manuscripts of the Bible as God's Word. (2 Timothy 3:16).
--We attempt to understand the original meaning of these Scriptures in their historical and biblical context.
--We work to derive timeless, cultureless, principles from this understanding.
--We rely upon the Spirit to help us apply these principles to ourselves in our culture (Ephesians 1:17-19).
--We use a variety of English Bible translations, commentaries, and study helps, recognizing them as human attempts to better understand His word.
--Bible knowledge is important to us. So we strive to have an excellent Bible learning program (2 Timothy 2:15).
2. Priesthood of ALL Believers:
--We believe every Christian is a priest (1 Peter 2:4-12).
--Every Christian has the privilege to come before the throne of grace and connect to God. We have no clergy or laity (Hebrews 4:14-16).
--All men and women are called to serve before God as his priests. In worship any Christian can lead prayer, read scripture, preach or offer Communion (Acts 2:17-18).
--We believe in open communion; everyone is invited to participate (1 Corinthians 11:27-29).
--We want people to be honest in their search for God, so we attempt to create an atmosphere which is open to questions and expressions of other points of view.
3. A cappella Music:
--We mostly sing with a cappella music (without musical instruments) This practice beautifully demonstrates the concept of the priesthood of believers in a real way; we all sing.
--We also believe it is a dynamic model for unity; we all sing with differing abilities, we sing different parts, but we all sing the same song.
--We hold singing without instruments as a part of our heritage and value it as a cherished tradition.
4. Family Model of Worship:
--We have chosen a “Family” model of worship to express our praise to God. We strive to create an atmosphere of interconnection with each other as we connect to God in worship.
--We attempt to create an informal, welcoming family atmosphere.
--Kids are often "distractions" but we believe the kids own the kingdom.
--We laugh, cry, sing, praise and express thanks as a family of God. There are special times during our assemblies to share joys and sorrows with the family (Ephesians 2:19-22).
5. Congregational Autonomy:
--Our congregation is independent. We do not have any denominational organization.
--We have elders, chosen from the congregation, who oversee and serve our congregation (Acts 20:28). They are our spiritual leaders.
--Our paid staff are not elders or pastors, but each has ministerial responsibilities to teach, preach and minister to the church family.
6. Baptism:
--We baptize by immersion in water (Acts 8:26-39).
--We baptize believers who confess their faith in Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection.
--We baptize the believer as soon as he or she is ready.
--We do not baptize infants. We do have a “Baby Dedication Service” to encourage parents and the congregation to make a commitment to dedicate the children to God.
--We believe baptism enters the New Covenant.
7. Facilities:
--Because of our family model of worship, our building is designed to be used for a variety of functions including education, fellowship and worship.
--We strive to keep our facilities presentable, safe, clean, fun, and available as tools for carrying out this emphasis.
