By Pastor Paul Clairville

I believe in God Almighty, Ruler, Sustainer, Guide and Judge of all life, who creates and oversees all things no matter how large, no matter how small.

I believe that God being all powerful, freely created the world in all of its beauty through the power of God's Word. Into this world God placed man and woman, both equal in relationship to each other and in relationship and submission to Almighty God.

I believe however, that man and woman decided as prideful creatures to break relationship with God and so to fall from grace into the state of sin.

I believe that God freely draws to Himself all who would trust in Him, in the power of salvation bought by the son, Jesus Christ. Who, in the mystery that is God, was fully human and fully divine. Jesus Christ lived with humankind, taught, loved, ate, drank, and died. After three days in the glory of the resurrection He arose! Through our identification with Jesus' death and resurrection we are created anew, radically altered in our soul and thus changed in our nature. God's Word tells us that this transformation can only take place through Christ altering our soul. This is not something that we do, it is something that we bow to.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the sustainer of life, who fills us with the power of God, illumines the Word, renews the people, works for judgment and salvation, calls the people of God into fellowship, and points toward God's absolute power and sovereignty. The Holy Spirit walks with us in the ongoing process of orienting our lives to God's will.

I believe in the Word of God as written and contained in the books of the Old and New Testaments. The Word of God as scripture is the authoritative witness to the revelation of God. The Bible is to be interpreted in the full light of God's reconciling act of Christ, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and informed by historical and cultural truths.

I believe that since the nature of the trinity is community in perfect love, the reality of God among us will be seen not primarily in right doctrines (important as they are) but in the Church (imperfect as it is) which is God's called community of love and truth. The Spirit gives believers in God the power to be Jesus' representatives. Speaking the truth in love to all people, so that sometimes the Christian faith resembles "spiritual chemotherapy." In the Church, God's people are baptized, celebrate at the table, fellowship together, work for the reconciliation of the world, hold one another accountable for right action and look with certain hope and joy toward Christ's coming again to complete God's kingdom on earth. All of these duties are done in the power of the Holy Spirit for the glory of God Almighty.