A. What do we believe about God?

We believe there is one divine Being who has existed eternally.  He

exists and reveals Himself to man in three distinct, equally divine Persons­

-Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  While we cannot fully comprehend His

divine nature, it is possible for people to know Him.

 At the beginning of time this divine Being created the entire

universe and all its creatures. He continues to exercise His supreme

power to sustain this creation. Throughout history He has expressed His

desire to be our God and to have a personal, eternal relationship with us. 

We believe that God loves us and wants what is best for us.

B. What do we believe about Jesus?

We believe that Jesus is the second Person of God, His eternal divine Son. He chose voluntarily to be made in human likeness and was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin.  Although He lived a sinless life, He allowed Himself to be executed by crucifixion. His death paid the penalty for the offenses of mankind against God.  However, as prophesied, He rose from the dead three days after His execution.  After appearing to witnesses on a number of occasions over a period of forty days, He ascended into heaven where He now serves as the only Mediator between God and man. We believe that at the end of time He will again visibly return to earth to complete His eternal plan. 

C. What do we believe about the Holy Spirit?

The third Person of God is the Holy Spirit. We believe the Holy Spirit dwells in every believer. His indwelling presence gives spiritual life to believers and distinguishes them as children of God.  The Holy Spirit guides believers in understanding and applying God's principles and values. Through the work of the Holy Spirit, believers are empowered to live Christ-like lives. The Holy Spirit also equips believers with talents and abilities for the purpose of building God's kingdom.

D. What do we believe about the Bible?

God divinely inspired human authors to write the 66 books of the Bible. He communicated through these writers the values, principles, and ideals which please Him and are in our best interests.  We believe the Bible is entirely accurate, complete, and reliable.  We look to the Bible as the final authority on all matters of faith and conduct.

E. What do we believe about Mankind?

God created mankind to live in a relationship with Him.  However, the first man and woman were deceived by Satan.  They rebelled and chose to be wrongfully independent from God.  Their decision alienated them from God.  Every human being since that time has suffered the consequences of that rebellion. We all fail to please God and are open to Satan's deception. Our failure to please God, unless a relationship is re-established with Him, results in condemnation under God's judgment and would cause us to spend eternity in hell.  Furthermore, there is nothing we can do on our own to re-establish our relationship with God.

F. What do we believe about re-establishing a relationship with God?

Our inability to re-establish our relationship with God leaves us

dependent on God's mercy.  God graciously provides the means to reconcile ourselves to Him through faith in Jesus Christ.  Our relationship is re-established when we make a commitment to accept Jesus as God's Son and our Savior and Lord. 

Practically speaking, this acceptance is demonstrated through both a private and public commitment. We demonstrate our commitment privately by faith (acting upon our belief that God has the power to save us) and repentance (turning back to God and depending on Him to control our lives). At the same time, we publicly express our commitment by confessing our acceptance of God's salvation and submitting ourselves in Christian baptism.

G. What do we believe about the Christian life?

Once our relationship is re-established with God, we naturally want to spend time with Him and know Him better.  The Holy Spirit enlightens us as we read God's Word, the Bible; as we communicate with Him in prayer; and as we enter into loving relationships with other believers. In this way we begin to know God more intimately.

As we become acquainted with God we desire to be like Him and please Him.  This process of spiritual development motivates us to seek ways to serve God and prepares us to spend eternity in fellowship with Him.

H. What do we believe about the church?

We believe the church represents Jesus Christ to a needy world.  The Bible speaks of the church as Christ's body.  It is compared to a living organism with Jesus as the head.  God arranges the parts of the body, the believers, just as He wants them to be.  He gives each believer special functions to perform for the good of the body. To remain healthy, the body's members must work together.  Each part contributes to the growth and maturity of the body. For this reason it is important for believers to regularly gather together for the purpose of worship.  During worship believers are equipped, built up, and encouraged through teaching, participating in fellowship, prayer, and the Lord's Supper.  Worship in this way enables believers to serve one another and the unchurched people in their sphere of influence.