Our Church
We believe that the local church is a body of believers in Christ who are joined together for the purpose of worshipping God, edifying one another through the Word of God, proclaiming the Gospel, fellowshipping, praying serving, helping, caring, and loving one another. These believers will encourage the use of the gifts of the Holy Spirit in their life together.
Our Beliefs
The Bible
We believe the Bible, both Old and New Testaments, to be the inspired, inerrant, infallible, authoritative, Holy Word of God. (Matthew 5:18; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:19-21)
God
We believe that there is one God who is infinitely perfect, eternally existent, revealed in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. (Matthew 3:16,17; John14:26; Romans 8:1-3)
Christ
We believe in the deity of Jesus Christ, that He is the Son of God. We believe in His virgin birth, His sinless life, His miracles, His vicarious and atoning death through His shed blood, His bodily resurrection, His ascension to the right hand of the Father, and His imminent, personal return to the earth in power and great glory. (Matthew 1:18-23; Colossians 1:15-22; 2:9)
The Holy Spirit
We believe that the Holy Spirit is a Divine Person, sent to convict of sin and regenerate upon repentance, indwelling the believer, and guiding into ALL truth. (John 14:16; 15:26; 16:7-13) He gives gifts as He determines, so that the believer may minister to the world as Christ’s Ambassador. (1 Corinthians 3:16,17; 6:18-20; 2 Corinthians 5:18-21,12:1-11.)
Humanity
We believe that God created the human race male and female. All conduct with the intent to adopt a gender other than one’s birth gender is against God’s creation. (Genesis 1:26,27) Rejection of one’s biological sex is a rejection of the image of God within that person. (Matthew 19:4-6)
Fall Of Humanity
We believe that Adam was created in the image of God with a free will, sinless and without guilt or shame, and walked with God in purity and holiness. (Genesis chapters 1-3) Through his own disobedience, he sinned. (Romans 5:12-17) As a result, all mankind are sinners, lost, without hope, and without God. (Romans 3:23)
Judgment
We believe that all authority has been given to Jesus Christ to judge all mankind. (John 5:22-27) There will be a resurrection for both the saved and the lost – they that are saved unto the resurrection of eternal life, and they that are lost unto the resurrection of eternal punishment. (Romans 14:9-12; Revelation 20:15;21:6-8)
Salvation
We believe that regeneration by the Holy Spirit through the redeeming blood of Jesus Christ is absolutely essential for the salvation of lost and sinful people. (Acts 4:12; Romans 1:16; 3:21-24)) All who repent and believe in Jesus Christ are born again of the Holy Spirit, receive the gift of eternal life, and become the children of God. (John 1:12,13) This salvation is by God’s grace and not a result of our works. (Ephesians 2:8,9)
The Christian Life
We believe it is God’s will that each believer follow the Lord Jesus Christ in water baptism and observe the Lord’s Supper (Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-18) We also believe that each believer is filled with the Holy Spirit, sanctified wholly, and separated from sin and the world, thereby receiving power for holy living and effective service. This experience is worked in the life of the believer by Jesus Christ following conversion. (Acts 2:38,39) This life will result in the manifestation of the fruit of the Holy Spirit and the demonstration of the spiritual gifts. (Galatians 5:22,23).
Marriage
We believe the term “marriage” has only one meaning: the uniting of one biological man and one biological woman in a single, exclusive union, as delineated in Scripture. (Genesis 2:18-25) Only the combination of one man and one woman is a Biblical marriage acceptable to the Creator God (Genesis1:26-28; Matthew 19:4-5). Christian marriage is to reflect the loving, creative, covenant relationship that Jesus has with His Body the Church. (Ephesians 5:25-32; Hebrews 13:4)
Sanctity of Human Life
We believe the God-given inalienable right to life and dignity of all human beings from fertilization until natural death. (Psalm139:13-16) We believe, in agreement with Scripture, that abortion is incompatible with the person of Jesus Christ and the teachings of both the Old and New Testaments. (Psalm 106:36-39; Proverbs 24:11,12; Matthew 18:1-5) We also believe that all those who have been involved with an abortion need God’s forgiveness and love in order to be spiritually, mentally, and emotionally healthy. (Deuteronomy 30:19; John 8:12;1 Corinthians 6:9-11)
Sexuality/Gender
We believe that God wonderfully and unchangeably creates each person as male or female. (Psalm 139:14) Therefore we believe that sexuality is to be expressed within the covenant of marriage between one biological male and one biological female. Creator God gave us gender, male and female, for the order and preservation of human life and for our pleasure and procreation within the covenant of marriage. (Genesis 1:26,27) Therefore, any sexual activity or relationship other than one biological man and one biological woman are unacceptable according to the Scriptures. (Romans 1:18-32) Additionally, fallen human nature continues to drift away from God’s call in this regard (Matthew15:18,19) We believe that the individual engaged in those practices is to be loved and encouraged to seek the Lord’s forgiveness and guidance in their lives. (1Corinthians 6:9-20; 2 Corinthians 5:16,17;Galatians 6:1,2)
The Church
We believe that the Church is the body of believers worldwide, consisting of all those who have believed in the Lord Jesus Christ. (Ephesians1:22,23; 2:19-22) He is the Head of the Body, the Church, which He has commissioned to go into all the world as a witness, preaching the Gospel to all nations. (Matthew 28:18-20; Colossians 1:17-20; 1Timothy 3:14,15)
The Local Church
We believe that the local church is a body of believers in Christ who are joined together for the purpose of worshipping God, edifying one another through the Word of God, proclaiming the Gospel, fellowshipping, praying, serving, helping, caring, and loving one another. (Matthew 18:20; Acts 2:42-47)
Healing
We believe that divine healing is the power of the Lord Jesus Christ to heal the sick and the afflicted in answer to believing prayer. (Exodus 15:26; 23:25; Psalm 103:2,3; Isaiah 53:5; 1Peter 2:24) The laying on of hands and anointing with oil are privileges of the Body of Christ when praying for healing. (James 5:13-16) We also believe that God uses doctors, medicine, and other material means in the healing process
Israel
We believe that the nation of Israel was and is very precious to God (Zechariah 2:8) and He will not break His covenant with Israel. (Jeremiah 31:35-37) We believe that Replacement Theology is inconsistent with Scripture and God’s covenant with Israel. (Romans 11:25-27) We believe that Israel is God’s land with Jerusalem as His Eternal City and that He is restoring the Jewish people to Israel, their Promised Land. (Genesis 15:18-20; Leviticus 25:23; Psalm132:13,14; Jeremiah 23:7,8; Zechariah 12:2,3) We believe that even though the Jewish people are still “God’s people”, the Scriptures teach that all persons can be saved only by belief in Christ’s sacrificial death on the Cross. (John 14:6; Romans 3:9, 22,23; Ephesians 2:11-18) We believe that we are still called to pray for the peace of Jerusalem, that those who bless Israel will be blessed, and that whoever curses Israel will be cursed. (Genesis 12:1-3; Romans 15:27)
History
1966 – A Home prayer meeting and Bible study started.
1967-68 – The group formed a church called Suffield Fellowship and invited G.W. Busse to be the Pastor. They still met at his home in the area until they outgrew it and moved to Lake Center Christian School to meet.
1968 – A house and land were purchased and the house remodeled to fit the congregation and parsonage.
1969 – The congregation met for the first time in the parsonage basement on Easter Sunday. The congregation continued growing and soon outgrew the basement of the parsonage.
1973 – A new building was completed adjacent to the parsonage.
1978 – The search for a new Pastor began as Pastor Busse was now 74 and ready retire.
1979 – Jim Shuman was asked if he would serve as the new Pastor. He accepted and has been Pastor ever since.
Early 1980’s – The parsonage was still being used for classrooms, but a need was developing for additional classrooms.
1984 – Funds to build the new addition of five classrooms and a nursery were miraculously raised and the addition was built and complete in 1985 with no additional debt.
1992 – A new Sanctuary, with a gymnasium built-in, and several more classrooms was completed.
1990’s – The parsonage was lived in by the youth pastor and his wife and the basement was completely remodeled twice for the youth group. It ended up as Street Legals Underground, complete with video games a pool table, a stage area, air hockey and black lights.
1997 – The Pastor and Elders revised the original 1968 Constitution to meet more up-to-date needs of the church.
2004 – Suffield Fellowship Church became debt free by paying off the entire church mortgage.