UNITED COMMUNITY BAPTIST CHURCH
About us
United Community Baptist is a community oriented church, rooted in the belief that Christians are defined, not by their theological beliefs or denominational affiliations but rather, by their love for God and their fellowmen.
As a fellowship, we strive to reach out to people from all walks of life with the message of love, peace and brotherhood, and provide a loving and caring
environment where everyone can come and "worship God in Spririt and in Truth".
As a church family, we seek always to demonstrate the love of Christ among our fellowmen through a life of caring and sharing. Christ declares:
"By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you have love one for another." (St. John 13: 35)
Fundamental Beliefs: (Adapted from the National Association of Evangelicals)
·We believe the Bible to be the only inerrant Word of God. It is our only ultimate and infallible authority for faith and practice.
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We believe that there is one God, eternally existent in three Persons; Father, Son and Holy Spirit. God is omnipotent, that is, God is all-powerful. God is omnipresent, that is, God is present throughout all Creation but not limited by it. God is omniscient, that is, nothing is hidden from His sight. In all things God is limited by nothing other than His own nature and character. We believe the God we serve is holy, righteous, good, severe, loving and full of mercy. God created the heavens and earth, and everything in them, in the space of six ordinary days, and all very good. God is the Creator, Sustainer, and Governor of everything that has been made.
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We believe in the true deity and full humanity of our Lord Jesus Christ, in His virgin birth, in His sinless life, in His miracles, in His vicarious and atoning death through His shed blood, in His bodily resurrection, in His ascension to the right hand of the Father and in His personal return in power and glory.
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We believe in the full deity of the Holy Spirit, acknowledging Him together with the Father and the Son in the works of creation and redemption
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We believe that because of Adam's sin all humanity is in rebellion against God. For the salvation of such lost and sinful people, regeneration by the Holy Spirit is absolutely necessary.
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We believe that salvation is by grace through faith alone, and that faith without works is dead.
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We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit, by whose indwelling the Christian is enabled to live a godly life.
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We believe in the resurrection of both the saved and lost; those who are saved to the resurrection of life, and those who are lost to the resurrection of damnation. We believe in the spiritual unity of all believers in our Lord Jesus Christ.
Core Beliefs and Values
The Church
1. The Covenant Church:
The church is referred to as an organism and also an organization. The organism is the invisible church; the organization is the visible church. However the Bible speaks of one church – the covenant people, and one covenant given by God. (Deut. 7:6-12) In the Old Testament the Israelites are referred to as the “covenant people.”
2. The Nature of the Church:
The church is made up those who are born again and entered into covenant with God. To this body of people God has promised to be their God and they his people. The unifying principle of the church is contained in the covenant that God made with his people. “My tabernacle also shall be with them; yea, I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” (Ezek. 37:27) “And I will walk among you, and will be your God, and ye shall be my people.” (Lev. 26:12). This promise finds fulfillment in Christ in New Testament writing. “….His name shall be called Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.” (Matt. 1:23) “And the Word was made flesh, and dwell among us… (Jn. 1:14)
3. Divine Ownership:
Jesus Christ is the Lord of the Church, which, as the Apostles' Creed tells us, is one, holy, universal, and apostolic. In Jesus Christ and through the Holy Spirit, God the Father offers forgiveness of sin and reconciliation to all the world. Those who respond to God's offer in faith become the people of God. “Upon This Rock” says Christ, “I Will Build My Church” Matthew 16:18. We recognize that God is the owner and giver of all we have and His resources are not limited. Our time, talents, finances, people and buildings belong to Him. (II Corinthians 9:6-15)
4. The Centrality of God’s Love and Grace:
We believe the central, driving force of the universe and in our lives is the unmerited grace and love of God (Romans 2:7-9). We believe His grace is responsible for producing eternal life, freedom from sin and its control, and lasting change in our individual character. We are committed to focusing on and celebrating that grace and fostering an environment that reflects it in our lives and relationships.
5. Free Will:
Although human nature was seriously affected by the fall, man has not been left in a state of total spiritual helplessness. God graciously enables every sinner to repent and believe but does not interfere with man’s freedom. Each sinner possesses a free will, and his eternal destiny depends on how he uses it. Man’s freedom consists in his ability to choose good over evil in spiritual matters; his will is not enslaved to his sinful nature. The sinner has the power to either cooperate with God’s Spirit and be regenerated or resist God’s grace and perish. The lost sinner needs the Spirit’s assistance but he does not have to be regenerated by the Spirit before he can believe, for faith is man’s act and precedes the new birth. “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. Hebrews 11:6).
6. Universality of the Church:
We believe that all those who are born again are one body in Christ, constituting a universal church (John 1:12). As members of the Church Universal, we join with all true believers in proclaiming the Lordship of Jesus Christ and in embracing the historic Trinitarian creedal statements of Christian faith. With all the people of God we confess and praise Jesus Christ the Lord.
7. Unity of the Church:
We believe that in divine love, God offers to all people forgiveness of sins and restored relationship. In being reconciled to God, we believe that we are also to be reconciled to one another loving each other as we have been loved by God, forgiving each other as we have been forgiven by God. We believe that our life together is to exemplify the character of Christ. We stand with Christians everywhere in affirming the historic Trinitarian creeds and beliefs of the Christian faith.
8. Witnessing:
As Christians, we commit ourselves to share Jesus Christ with individuals who do not have a personal relationship with Him. (Matthew 28:19, 20)
9. The Scripture:
We look to the Scripture, which is the Church's only norm of faith and life. The Lordship of Jesus over the Scripture means that we are to understand the Scripture through the witness of the Holy Spirit as they testify of Jesus. To confirm and correct our understanding of the Scripture, we honor and heed the ancient creeds and other voices of the Christian tradition that faithfully explain the Scripture. We also allow our understanding of the Scripture to be guided by the voice of the Holy Spirit speaking to us in repentance, faith, and assurance. We test our understanding of the Scripture by seeking the reasonableness and coherence of its witness to Jesus Christ. We look to Scripture as the primary source of spiritual truth confirmed by reason, tradition, and experience. Jesus Christ is the Lord of the Scriptures.