What We Believe

God loves the people of the world, even though they are sinful, rebel against Him and do not deserve His love. He sent Jesus, His Son, to love the unlovable and save the ungodly. We are not saved because of any "good works" we try to do, we instead are saved because it is the gracious gift of God. We do have to make a conscious choice to receive that gift though by accepting Christ into our hearts as He is the one who paid our price. 

By His suffering and death as the substitute for all people of all time, Jesus purchased and won forgiveness and eternal life for them. Those who hear this Good News and believe it have the eternal life that it offers. We cannot do anything to add to or complete this gift of forgiveness – we only receive it by faith. 

The Bible is God’s inerrant and infallible Word, in which He reveals His Law and His Gospel of salvation in Jesus Christ. It is the sole rule and norm for Christian doctrine. 

There is one eternally existing God who has three distinct persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. He is the creator of all that exists, both visible and invisible, and is therefore worthy of all glory and praise.  God is perfect in love, power, holiness, goodness, knowledge, wisdom,  justice, and mercy. He is unchangeable and therefore is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. 

God has revealed himself to us through his son, Jesus Christ, who is the visible image of the invisible God, the holy scriptures, and through all of creation itself. 

Jesus Christ came to reconcile us with God. He lived a life without sin and willingly died on the cross to pay the penalty for our transgressions. God raised him from the dead and now, by grace, offers as a free gift eternal life to all who follow Christ, by faith, as their Lord and Savior. That is why salvation can be found in Christ alone. 

Communion is a holy exchange between God the Father and we, His children. This is the body and blood of Christ, our Lord and Savior, given as a sacrifice on our behalf. We prefer people have gone through what is called the "confirmation" process before they engage in this sacrament - because that way you really understand it. We use the honor system though, and just ask for your respect. Everyone is welcome when it's time for communion, and if you are not confirmed, you can cross your arms in front of you and you will receive a special blessing instead of the bread and wine. Children also receive a special blessing. The red wine is real, the white "wine" is grape juice, and gluten-free wafers are also available. 

We practice baptism from age infant to adult, and believe in one baptism for the remission of your sins. Confirmation (usually around middle school through adult) is different from baptism. It's basically when someone has learned what it means to take "ownership" of their own faith, and confirms the choice that may have been made for them in infant baptism. Sometimes if someone has never been baptized or confirmed, they do it all at the same time. If you are interested in baptism or confirmation, please reach out and Pastor Eli can answer any questions you have about your own spiritual journey. 

Why do we stand up and sit down so much? You will find more of this at the traditional service, and less of it at the contemporary service. Basically, we stand at certain times as a show of respect, or to more actively worship. Sometimes, it's good to just stretch a little after the sermon! If you have a difficult time standing, please feel free to sit as needed - it's OK - you won't get in any trouble. 

Simply put, we try to do good things and love others well as a reflection of our gratitude and devotion to what God did for us. It's not to earn something, and it's not for praise. It's done to worship God.