We at Faith Community Church of the Nazarene firmly believe the great doctrines of historic Christianity as they are revealed in the Bible. A complete statement of faith appears in the church’s manual, and we summarize it for you here.

“The doctrines upon which the church rests as essential to Christian experience are brief. We believe in God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We especially emphasize the deity of Jesus Christ and the personality of the Holy Spirit.

We believe that man is born in sin; that he needs the work of forgiveness through Christ and the new birth by the Holy Spirit; that subsequent to this there is the deeper work of heart cleansing or entire sanctification through the in-filling of the Holy Spirit, and that to each of these works of grace the Holy Spirit gives witness.

We believe that our Lord will return, the dead shall be raised, and that all shall come to final judgment with its rewards and punishments.”

We believe that the gospel message is a message of hope. That the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ brings hope to a world that seems hopeless. There is forgiveness for anyone and any sin if we will confess that sin to God, turn from a life of sin, and believe on Jesus alone for salvation.

We believe that God not only wants to forgive us from our outward sins, but that He also provides us cleansing from the sinful nature inside. He is able to take our selfish hearts and recreate them to be hearts of pure love for God and pure love for others. This is great hope for so many who are plagued by attitudes and thoughts that seem out of control.

As a church we want to proclaim hope. God has brought hope to our lives and we want to share this hope with all who will listen.

Nazarenes are just ordinary people made up of all different backgrounds, yet who in the tradition of the Augustine, Luther, Wesley, Moody, and millions of others have discovered the joy of a meaningful relationship with Jesus Christ.

We are excited about what God has done for us. Many of our lives have been changed dramatically by Him. We have discovered that we all need forgiveness and that Jesus died to forgive us all! We rejoice in the new life that He has given us.

As Nazarenes, we do not claim to be the only true church of Christ. We are, however, proud of our holiness heritage, and we praise God for a denomination that boldly proclaims a message of full salvation. We have found great victory through the ministry of this church and we are proud to wear the name Nazarene.

The name Nazarene was chosen because it “symbolized the toiling, lowly mission of Christ.” This name was used in derision of Him by His enemies. This name above all others linked Him to the great toiling, struggling, sorrowing heart of the world. It is Jesus, Jesus of Nazareth, to whom the world in its misery and despair turns, that it may have hope.”

When Nazarenes gather for worship, the music is spirited, the friendship warm, the preaching practical, and the service informal. An occasional “amen” may even punctuate the meeting (“amen” is church talk for “yes I agree”). All Nazarene services are planned to be God-honoring, Word centered, and people-oriented.

Heaven is a real place. Jesus taught us that. He said, heaven is where His Father lives. He said He came from heaven and was about to return to heaven. He told His disciples that He was going to prepare a place for them in heaven, and that there would be great happiness and reward for them there. He made the prospects of going to heaven so very attractive that His disciples wanted to be sure they knew how to get there. “How can we know the way?” They asked. He told them plainly; “I am thee way, the truth and the life; no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6).

What does it mean to come by Christ? His conversation with an extremely religious man named Nicodemus may help us understand it. He said, “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). “The kingdom of God” would include Heaven. Jesus said we must be born again to enter into it.

When we were born the first time we received physical life from our parents, but we lacked spiritual life. The scripture says we were “…dead in trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1). That includes all of us. “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Unfortunately our sin makes it impossible for us to enter heaven, for God says, “…there shall in no way enter into it anything that defiles” (Revelation 21:27). We all need a second birth that gives us spiritual life and forgives our sins. How are we going to get it?

That’s where Jesus Christ, God’s eternal son, enters the picture. First, by voluntarily giving His life on Calvary’s cross, He paid the penalty that our sin deserves (I Corinthians 15:3; II Corinthians 5:21; I Peter 2:2-4). And now, with the penalty paid, He can freely forgive us and offer us the gift of eternal life. “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23). “And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life” (I John 5:ll, 12). When a person puts his trust in Jesus Christ for forgiveness of sins, and receives Christ as his Savior from the guilt and condemnation of sin; he receives new life, spiritual life, eternal life. In other words, he is born again! And he has the assurance that some day he will enter heaven.

How do you get to heaven ? By receiving Jesus Christ as your personal Savior from sin, “But as many as receive Him to them gave He the power to become children of God even to them that believe on His name” (John 1:12). God’s children will spend eternity with Him in heaven. And you can be born into His family right now. With sincerity of heart, pray something like this: “Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner. I believe that you died for my sins. I here and now place my trust in You for eternal salvation. Come into my life, forgive my sins, and make me a child of God.”