"And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers." Acts 2:42

Sunday School - 9am

From September to May, there are classes downstairs for children and an adult Bible study led by our elders. All are welcome to come on any given Sunday to participate.

Worship Service - 10:15am

As we sit together as families, we all greet each other, worship God, read Scripture, hear the preaching of the Word, share prayer requests, and pray for one another during the service. Busy bags with toys and books are available for children in the narthex (the room north of the sanctuary). In the back of the sanctuary, there is a comfortable area designated for nursing mothers. Communion occurs once a month, where all who believe Jesus Christ may partake of His body and blood for the forgiveness of sins (1 Cor. 11).

Food and Fellowship - 11:15am

Each Sunday, somecsnacks and treats are offered so all may eat together with our brothers and sisters in Christ. Potluck occurs once a month during the school year.

Bible

The 66 Books of the Bible are the verbally and plenarily inspired Words of God, and that its original manuscripts are free from errors and contradictions. It is the one and only infallible, authoritative, and trustworthy rule for faith and life. (2 Peter. 1:21, 2 Tim. 3:16, Proverbs 30:5). We believe as Lutherans, the Bible is to be taken as literal as except where Scripture tells us it is figurative. Genesis, for example, is literal, and Adam and Eve were actual people.

God

The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is the one true God with no gods before or after Him in all of existence, in all places, in all time (Isaiah 43:10; 44:6; 44:8; 1 Tim. 1:17). He has always been God and was never anything else (Psalm 90:2). He is Holy (Rev. 4:8), Eternal (Isaiah 57:15), Omnipotent (Jer. 32:17, 27), Omnipresent (Psalm 137:12), Omniscient (1 John 3:20); etc. He is Love (1 John 4:8, 16); Light (1 John 1:5); Spirit (John 4:24); Truth (Psalm 117:2); Creator (Isaiah 40:12, 22, 26), etc. He is to be worshiped (Gen. 24:26; Ex. 4:31; 2 Chron. 29:28; 1 Cor. 14:25; Rev. 7:11). He is to be served (Matt. 4:10; 1 Cor. 6:19; Phil. 3:7 (http://biblia.com/bible/nasb95/Phil.%203.7); 1 Thess. 1:9; Heb. 9:14). He is to be proclaimed (Matt. 28:19f.; John 14:15f; Acts 1:8).

Trinity

There is one God in whom there are three eternal, distinct, simultaneous persons -- the Father, the Son (Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit. All three are the one divine essence, coeternal, coequal, etc., yet there is only one God, not three gods, and not one person who took three modes, offices, or forms. (Isaiah 44:6,8); 45:5; Gen. 1:26-27; 3:22; Matt. 3:17; 28:19; Luke 10:35; 2 Cor. 13:14).

Jesus

Jesus Christ is the Word (God) who became a man. (John 1:14) He added human nature to His divine nature. He is both human and divine, and, therefore, has two natures. Yet, He is one person, not two. He is not part God and part man. He is presently a man, one person, with two natures where one nature is wholly God and the other wholly man. (Phil. 2:5-11; Col. 2:9; 1 Tim. 3:16; Heb. 1:5-13; John 1:1-3, 14). Jesus will eternally remain as a man and intercedes for us eternally as a high priest after the order of Melchizedek (Heb. 6:20; 7:25). We look upon Jesus as stated in the second Article of the Apostles Creed.

Virgin Birth

Jesus Christ was miraculously conceived and born of the virgin Mary, (Luke 1:42). Mary ceased to be a virgin after the birth of Jesus (Matt. 1:25).

Resurrection

Jesus Christ rose from the dead in the same body He died in after being in the grave for three days. He was raised in a glorified, physical body (still retaining his crucifixion wounds). He ascended bodily into heaven, sits at the right hand of the Father, and rules over, justifies and sanctifies believers of heaven and earth. (John 2:19; 1 Cor. 15; Luke 24:39). Likewise, we Christians will be raised bodily from the dead and spend eternity with the Lord.

Doctrine

We accept the Apostles', Nicene, and Athanasian Creeds as true declarations of the scriptural faith we believe, teach, and confess. We believe, teach, and accept the Unaltered Augsburg Confession and the Small Catechism as true witnesses to the Word of God, normative for our teaching and practice. We acknowledge that we are one in faith and doctrine with all churches that likewise accept the teachings of the Unaltered Augsburg Confession. We believe, teach, and confess the other confessional writings in the Book of Concord namely, the Apology of the Augsburg Confession, the Small Catechism Articles, the Treatise, the Large Catechism, and the Formula of Concord, as further valid expositions of the Holy Scriptures.

Male Leadership  

Biblical male leadership is encouraged in this congregation.  (1st Timothy 2:12-14, I Corinthians 14:34-35, Ephesians 5:23, I Peter 3:1-7)

Substitutionary Atonement

God the Father so loved us that He sent His only begotten Son Jesus Christ. Jesus, the Word, became man, bore our sins in His body on the cross (1 Peter. 2:24), and died in our place, suffering the consequences of the breaking the Law (1 John 3:4), which is physical death (Rom. 6:23) and spiritual death (Isa. 59:2), that was due us (Isaiah 53:4-6). He became sin on our behalf (2 Cor. 5:21). His sacrifice was a legal substitution for us (1 John 2:2; John 19:30; 1 Pet. 2:24). It was legal since sin is breaking God's Law (1 John 3:4) and substitutionary since Christ took our punishment (Isaiah 53:4-6) and tasted death for everyone (Heb. 2:9).  As a result, God's justice was satisfied, Christian believers are released from eternal punishment (1 Pet. 3:18); Matt. 1:21; 25:46; Rom. 5; 1 John 2:2), and their debt that our sin brings against us has been cancelled. And we are reconciled to the Father. (2 Corinthians 5:18-20; Romans 5:10).

Baptism

Baptism is a means of grace.  We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we to may live a new life.  (Romans 6:4)

Man's Condition

Man is fallen, corrupt, and wicked. Man believes in God by God's grace through faith (John 6:28-29; 15:5; Phil. 1:29), is unable to come to God through his own efforts (John 6:44; Rom. 3:10-12), nor is he born again of his own will (John 1:13), nor can he understand the spiritual things of God on his own (1 Cor. 2:14; Rom. 8:7), nor can he earn salvation by his attempt at good works (Eph. 2:8-9; Rom. 4:1-6), however active participation in God’s works are important.  Eternal punishment in hell and separation from the blessed presence of God are the consequences of the unregenerate person's sinfulness who has not trusted in the redemptive sacrificial work of Christ on the cross (Eph. 2:1-3; Rom. 6:23). 

Divine Election

God elects/chooses people for salvation.  "But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth," (2 Thess. 2:13). And, "From all eternity God chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will," (Eph. 1:4-5).  And, "So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy," (Rom. 9:16).

Salvation

Salvation is being saved from the righteous judgment of God upon the sinner. Salvation is obtained by grace alone, through faith alone, in the work of Christ alone (John 3:16) and not by our good works (Rom. 3:20; Eph. 2:8-9). We are chosen for salvation by God (2 Thess. 2:13).

Justification by Grace through Faith Alone

Justification is being declared righteous by God. This justification is received by faith alone (Rom. 4:1-6), in the work of Christ fulfilling the Law in his earthly ministry (1 Pet. 2:22), and his removing of sin by his sacrificial death. Justification is a gift from God (Rom. 3:24) and is received apart from the works of the Law (Rom. 3:28; Gal. 2:21).

Regeneration

Regeneration is the work of God that occurs with faith.  This regeneration means the person is made a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17) and is then able to resist his sin and seek to increase in sanctification before the Lord. Those thus regenerated do not seek to abide in sin, though they do fall into it, but war against it and repent of sin before the Lord.

Eternal Security

John 10:27-28. Christ has done all that is needed for our salvation and he says that those who have eternal life will never perish. Eternal security does not mean that we have a license to sin. (Rom. 5:21-6:2). (2 Tim. 2:25) Scripture warns us that it is possible to fall away. (Luke 8:13)

Sanctification

Sanctification is the process by which the Holy Spirit makes us more like Christ in all that we do, think, and desire and increases our ability to repent from sin -- by God's grace, (1 Thess. 4:7; Eph. 2:10; 1 Tim. 4:4; 1 Peter. 3:15; 2 Tim. 2:25). This process continues all of the Christian's life and is the result of salvation, not a cause of it, nor a contributing factor to it.

Christian Church

God calls Christians to his Church where the Word of God is preached, where baptism and the Lord's Supper (communion) are administered, where believers are discipled and disciplined, and where believers serve to build up one another (Matt. 16:18). There is no one true earthly ecclesiastical body that is 'the true church.' Rather, the True Church consists of believers in Jesus Christ wherever they might be.

Second Coming

Jesus Christ will bodily and visibly return from heaven to earth with great glory and majesty. (Matt. 24:30-31, John 14: 1-4, 1 Thess. 4:16)

Spiritual Realm

There is a spiritual realm of angels and demons. Angels serve God and carry out his will. Demons are fallen angels (2 Pet. 2:4; Jude 6) who war against God and who will ultimately face eternal punishment (Matt. 25:41; 2 Pet. 2:4). Christians cannot be demon possessed.

Eternal Judgment

All who are not justified by faith in Christ and the blood of Christ will face eternal, conscious, and agonizing judgment away from the presence of God in hell.(Matt. 8:12; Luke 16:19-31; Rev. 20:14-15; 21:8)

Evangelism

As Christians we are to carry out the work of evangelism which means that we must teach the gospel of Jesus Christ to all people, in every nation (Matt. 28:19-20. Also, we are to refute false doctrines, false religions, and whatever else might contradict the word of God but we are to do this without insult (1 Pet. 3:15) if per chance God would grant them repentance (2 Tim. 2:25).

Marriage

Marriage is between one man and one woman. (Gen. 2:18-25, Matt. 19:5, Mark 10: 6-8)

Creation and Evolution

God created the universe and all that is in it by his creative effort. God brought the universe into existence by the exertion of his will.   Adam and Eve were real people, created by God just as Genesis says.  We did not evolve from other species into our present condition.  God did not guide evolution of species by which humanity, the animal kingdom, or the plant kingdom was developed. The General theory of evolution is unscriptural and counter-factual.( Gen. 1 & 2, John 1: 1-3, Col. 1: 15-17) God created mankind by his direct act. 

Gender

Genesis 1:27 states that God created human beings, male and female, in His own image.  Adam and Eve, male and female, belonged to God’s created order, which He declared to be very good. Male and female are the distinct biological sexes. Sex/gender is determined by a person’s DNA, not by mental assent or identification. Disagreement with one’s biological sex or an attempt to change one’s sex is against God’s design. An attempt to change the sex of one’s child is also a sin. Jesus said, in Luke 17:2 ESV, “it is better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were cast into the sea, than that he should cause one of these little ones to sin. Corrective procedures may be utilized in rare cases of biological mutations.

Abortion

Jeremiah 1:5 states that God knew us before He formed us in the womb. Psalm 139:13–16 states that God’s had an active role in our creation and formation in the womb. Exodus 21:22–25 states that this creation is a baby and causing its death is murder.  This law and its punishment clearly indicate that God considers a baby in the womb to be just as much a human being as a full-grown adult.  The baby is already present and living. Abortion is choosing death of a human created in God’s image (Genesis 1:26–27; 9:6).

Forgiveness

We believe and teach that God forgives all sin.  That we receive His forgiveness through confessing our sins according to 1 John 1:9, "That if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to cleanse us from all unrighteousness".  This was accomplished by our Savior, Jesus Christ at the cross.

The Church of the Lutheran Brethren

The Church of the Lutheran Brethren of America (CLBA) is a family of 123 congregations in the United States and Canada, with 1,500 daughter congregations in Cameroon, Chad, Japan and Taiwan now organized into four national churches. The CLBA congregations are Lutheran in theological tradition and evangelical in practice.

The CLBA as a denomination exists to serve congregations in their obedience to the Great Commission, locally, nationally and internationally. This commission call us to proclaim Christ, causing people to trust and follow Him

For the first 50 years of CLBA history over 50% of denominational funds were spent on overseas missions, living out the vision that was in the founders hearts. Today the people of the CLBA are experiencing a growing desire to reach out to our communities and to plant more congregations in North America. Our vision is to found congregations that are aligned to the Scriptures as authoritative, and to the Gospel of Jesus Christ as central.

We believe this is God’s primary way of bringing truth and meaning to a broken world. Congregations with living ministries of worship, nurture, evangelism, caring and loving fellowship that are well led are the hope for light and life in our communities and in our world. The prayer of our congregations is that the Lord will use us who have received grace through faith, to be centers for spiritual life.

Church of the Lutheran Brethren Website