BELIEFS   THE TRINITY There is only One God, creator of heaven and earth, who exists eternally as three persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, each fully God yet each personally distinct from the other. GOD THE FATHER God the Father, first Person of the Trinity. He is God Almighty, ever-existing, uncreated, yet Creator of heaven and earth, both seen and unseen.  He is all-powerful and all-knowing and all-loving.  He is perfect. He is Holy. Still, He gave His only Son, sinless, that sinful man might become righteous through Him and have relationship with Him. JESUS CHRIST, THE SON Jesus Christ, second Person of the Trinity, was born of the Virgin Mary, lived a sinless human life, willingly took upon Himself all of our sins, died and rose again bodily, and is at the right hand of the Father as our advocate and mediator. Some day, He will return to consummate history and to fulfill the eternal plan of God.  THE HOLY SPIRIT The Holy Spirit, third Person of the Trinity, convicts the world of sin and draws people to Christ. He also indwells all believers. He is available to empower them to lead Christ-like lives, and gives them spiritual gifts with which to serve the church and reach out to a lost and needy world. THE BIBLE The Bible is God's unique revelation to people. It is the inspired, infallible Word of God, and the supreme and final authority on all matters upon which it teaches. No other writings are vested with such divine authority. GOD LOVES PEOPLE All people are created in God's image and matter deeply to Him. Central to the message of the Bible is that God loves people, and invites them to live in communion with Himself and in community with each other. God has a purpose and a plan filled with hope for our lives. ETERNAL DESTINY Apart from Jesus Christ, all people are spiritually lost and, because of sin, deserve the judgment of God. However, God gives salvation and eternal life to anyone who trusts in Jesus Christ and in His sacrifice on his or her behalf. Salvation cannot be earned through personal goodness or human effort. It is a gift that must be received by humble repentance and faith in Christ and His finished work on the cross. Death seals the eternal destiny of each person. At the final judgment, unbelievers will be separated from God into condemnation. Believers will be received into God's loving presence and rewarded for their faithfulness to Him in this life. THE PURPOSE OF THE CHURCH All believers are members of the body of Christ, the one true church universal. Spiritual unity is to be expressed among Christian by acceptance and love of one another across ethic, cultural, socio-economic, national, generational, gender, and denominational lines.