OUR MISSION
Loving people to a WHOLE new life
“A new command I give you: LOVE ONE ANOTHER. As I have loved you, so you must love on another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:34-35)
“The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.” (Galatians 5:6)
We are “making disciples” by Loving people to a WHOLE new life.
We are GROWING by Jesus’ command (John 13:34-35) by loving people. Love brought Jesus to earth (John 3:16), compelled his teaching and ultimately led him to a cross. We grow by living the same love that made Jesus who he was and shaped who his followers became. Loving people is his way. Jesus’ command to love is planted throughout the Scriptures in many different ways (as old as Deut. 6:4-5; and reframed by Paul in Gal. 5:6, as just a couple examples). The roots of God’s love are deep and expressed most vividly in the person of Jesus Christ, who made that love complete.
We are GROUNDED by Jesus’ commission (Matthew 28:18-20). All churches of Jesus’ followers have the same goal but each church expresses that goal to “make disciples” differently. Our end is to love people to a WHOLE new life. We recognize the truth and result of love’s end. As the love of Jesus is applied to the whole person, love changes people and makes them feel fully new and alive. We believe this aim is worth pursuing. As Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life and life to the full”. That fullness will be seen in the fruit our lives bear/produce: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Gal. 5:22-23).
Our Beliefs Based on Reading and Studying the Word of God:
THE BIBLE:
The history of God’s creation , interaction and love for all mankind is recorded in the Bible. We believe that Scripture in its entirety originated with God and that it was written for our instruction and learning. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 The Bible speaks with the authority of God and at the same time reflects the backgrounds, styles, and vocabularies of the inspired writers. We believe the Bible is the unique, full, and final authority on all matters of faith and practice, and there are no other writings similarly inspired by God.
GOD:
We believe that there is one true, holy God. We believe that God is eternal, that he is all-loving, all-knowing, and all-powerful. The bible teaches that God exists in three persons – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – each of Whom possesses equally all the attributes and qualities of deity. He continues to sustain His creation today by his sovereign power.
Salvation:
From the beginning, God desired a relationship with his creation. In the beginning that was possible for Adam & Eve. But when they rebelled and chose to go their own way, they were alienated from God and began to suffer the consequences of that decision. This is often referred to as “the fall of man” – because man fell out of that perfect relationship with God. This took place at the very beginning of human history, and all people since have suffered the same consequences for sin.
Jesus Christ:
We believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He was and is 100% God in every way. By a miraculous conception and virgin birth he became a man and walked on earth for about 33 years. He lived a life of perfect obedience to God the Father and taught by Word and example the truth that God wants us to know. Because of man’s sinful life he voluntarily gave up his life as a sacrifice his life for the sins of all mankind by dying on the cross in our place. After three days in the grave, God raised him from the dead victorious over eternal death. He later ascended into heaven, and is now reunited with the Father. At the end of time, He will come again to bring judgment to those who continue to rebel against God, and eternal life to those who have given their life to Him.
Baptism:
The book of Acts in the New Testament tells the story of the first generation of Christ followers. As they learned about their sin and the sacrifice of Jesus to be their Savior, people believed the message and began turning to God for salvation. They expressed their faith in three ways:
1. Verbally – they confessed their sinful life and acknowledged their need for a savior and their belief that Jesus was the way.
Baptism – they were immediately baptized. Baptism was a decision and choice made by believers. We believe, as Peter preached on the day of Pentecost, in Acts chapter 2 verse 38: Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Following that practice, we do not baptize infants. Only adults and children who are old enough to make this decision for themselves are baptized. Baptism in the bible was done by immersion – completely covering a person in water.