Our
History
On October
19, 1960, an assembly of Christians led by the Holy Spirit saw the need
and held a meeting in the home of Bro. & Sis. Willie Walker to organize
a new church in the Sunnyside area. These insightful pioneers were Rev.
Leroy Joseph, Rev. McGaffrey Bazar, Bro. & Sis. Willie Walker (Dorothy),
Sis. Bertha Joseph, Bro. & Sis. Sampson Rubin (Lessie), Bro. & Sis.
Joseph Tezeno (Lily), Bro. & Sis. Napoleon Edmond, Sis. Lutichia Johnson,
Bro. & Sis. Leandres Jones (Lula), Sis. Leana Jones, Sis. Margie Clark,
Sis. Lou H. Tezeno, Sis. Mabry Clark, Sis. Betty J. Wilson and Bro.
& Sis. Algeria Moore (Edna).
Rev. Leroy
Joseph was appointed Pastor and he named this new beginning, Christian
Faith Missionary Baptist Church. Three weeks later (November 20) and
with a growing flock of 36 members, the congregation held its first
worship services at 4105 Stassen Street, which was rented for eight
dollars ($8) per week. The inaugural organizations of the Church consisted
of:: Deacon and Deaconess Board, Sunday School, Senior Choir, Senior
Mission, Brotherhood and Usher Board. The inaugural officers were: Mother
of Church-Sis. Lutichia Johnson; Head of Deacons-Dec. L. C. Webster;
Deaconess Pres.-Sis. Lola White; Sunday School Superintendent-Bro. Lee
H. Tezeno; Sr. Choir Pres.-Bro. Napoleon Edmond; Sr. Mission Pres.-Sis.
Bertha Joseph; Usher Board Pres.-Sis. Lula Jones; Benevolent Treasurer-Sis.
Lutichia Johnson; Church and Financial Clerk-Sis. Lessie Rubin; Announcing
Clerk-Sis. Dorothy Walker.
In a bold
move for the times and with God at the helm, on November 13, 1961 a
mortgage note in the amount of $18,200 was signed for the purchase of
a new sanctuary at 4306 Brinkley. It is there that Christian Faith remained
for 28 years until at which time on August 6, 1989 a new sanctuary at
4304 Brinkley was dedicated and entered into. With God's blessing, the
mortgage for this sanctuary was eliminated in six (6) years. Christian
Faith has continued to grow as many changes have taken place, some very
difficult, as the Lord molds and shapes this church body into His perfect
will. During the 45th Anniversary Celebration, the theme "Celebrating
The Joy and Fulfillment of Serving God" was adopted based on Psalms
66:16, Luke 6:23. That anniversary began with an unbelievable joining
of members and former members and has continued with a drawing of the
Holy Spirit to a more dedicated congregation. It was this spirit that
started the Christian Faith Missionary Baptist Church "Project Outreach"
a comprehensive family restoration program that provides services to
youth and their families who are challenged by the demands of their
environment. As God continues to shower upon us his Blessings and we
continue to share them with others we will ever remember to "Enter into
his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: . . ."
(Psalms 100:4) To God be the glory!
| Our
Beliefs: People who attend our church come from
all type of different experiences and backgrounds. Some come from
churches of different types such as Catholic, Presbyterian, Methodist,
etc. Others come with no church or religious background at all.
We believe church should be fun and exciting, yet without compromising
the truth of God's Word, the Bible. We are a Christian church whose
primary purpose is to share the good news of Jesus Christ. We are
also a Baptist church. Listed below you will find a summary of the
essential beliefs that all Christians share and the Baptist beliefs
that makes us distinct from other denominations. |
| ESSENTIAL
CHRISTIAN BELIEFS |
God
|
There
is one God. He is the Creator and Ruler of the universe. He
eternally exists in three personalities: the Father, the Son,
and the Holy Spirit. These three are co-equal and one. He
is perfect in His many attributes of holiness, love, power,
knowledge, justice, and mercy.
|
Genesis 1:1, 26, 27, 3:222 Corinthians 13:141
Peter 1:2Matthew 28:19Psalm 90:2
|
|
Jesus
Christ
|
Jesus
Christ is God's Son. He is co-equal with the Father. He
is both God and man. He was born of a virgin. He lived a
sinless human life and offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice
for the sins of His people by dying on a cross. He died
to become a substitution/atonement for the sins of His people.
He arose from the dead after three days to demonstrate His
power over sin and death. He ascended to Heaven's glory
and will return again someday to earth to reign as King
of Kings and Lord of Lords.
|
Matthew
1:22-23Romans 1:3-4Hebrews 4:14-15Isaiah 9:6Acts 1:9-11John
1:1-5; 14:10-30, 14:16-17
|
|
Holy
Spirit
|
The Holy Spirit is co-equal with the Father
and the Son of God. He is the divine helper, assistant, counselor
and instructor. He is present in the world to make man aware
of their need for Jesus Christ. He also lives in every Christian
from the moment of salvation. He provides the Christian with
power for living, understanding of spiritual truth, and guidance
in doing what is right. He gives every believer a spiritual
gift when they are saved. As Christians, we seek to live under
His control daily. |
2 Corinthians 3:17Acts 1:8Ephesians 1:13; 5:18John 16:7-13;
14:16-271 Corinthians 2:12; 3:16Galatians 5:25
|
|
God's
Word
|
The Bible is God's Word to us. It was written by human
authors, under the supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit.
It is the supreme source of truth for Christian beliefs
and living. The Bible is inspired by God, and is the truth
without any mixture of error. It is the sole authority for
life.
|
2 Timothy 1:13; 3:16 2 Peter 1:20-21 Psalm 119:105, 160;
12:6 Proverbs 30:5
|
|
Human
Beings
|
Human
beings are made in the spiritual image of God, to be like
Him in character. As the supreme object of God's creation,
we were designed for dignity. However, Adam's sin catapulted
the creation into a fallen state, and plunged all his descendants
into depravity. Thus, all of us are marred by rebellion
and disobedience toward God, which is called "sin." Sin
separates people from God and causes many problems in life.
|
Genesis
1:27Psalm 8:3-6Romans 3:23Isaiah 53:6a; 59:1-2
|
|
Salvation
|
Salvation is God's free gift to us. We receive
this gift through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ alone.
Repentance means turning away from our sin and turning towards
Christ. Faith means trusting in Christ alone for the remission
of our sins. When we place our faith in Jesus Christ, His
perfect obedience is credited to us so that God sees us as
the righteousness of Christ. Every person who truly is saved
is eternally secure in the Lord Jesus Christ and will spend
eternity in heaven, while those who die in their sins will
spend eternity in hell.
|
Romans 6:23Titus 3:5John 14:6; 1:12Galatians 3:26 Ephesians
2:8-9Romans 5:1
|
|
Eternal
Security
|
God
gives us eternal life through Jesus Christ. If you have
made a genuine commitment of faith in Jesus, you cannot
lose your salvation. Salvation is maintained by the grace
and power of God, not by the self-effort of the Christian.
God's grace and power enable us to persevere in faith until
the end.
|
John 10:29Ephesians 2:1-101 Peter 1:3-5Hebrews 7:25; 10:10,
142 Timothy 1:12
|
|
Eternity
|
People
were created to exist forever. We will either exist eternally
separated from God by sin, or eternally with God through
forgiveness and salvation. To be eternally in union with
Him is eternal life. Heaven and Hell are real places of
eternal existence.
|
John 3:16Romans 6:23Revelation 20:15
|
| BAPTIST
BELIEFS |
|
|
Baptism
|
Baptism
is a symbolic act. Baptism by immersion best illustrates
the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ on our
behalf and our subsequent faith in Him. It is not necessary
for salvation, but is strongly associated with salvation
as it best illustrates our new identity with Jesus Christ.
We
believe in believer's baptism. A person must first exercise
faith in Jesus Christ, believing that He died for their
sins, was buried, and rose from the dead. An infant or person
who does not understand God's plan of salvation cannot make
that kind of commitment. The Scriptural order is belief
first followed by baptism. Baptism is limited to those who
have personally believed in Jesus Christ as Savior.
|
Mark
1:9-11Matthew 28:18-20 Mark 16:15-16 Acts 8:12 Matthew 3:13-17Colossians
2:12
|
|
Lord's
Supper
|
The
Lord's Supper is an ordinance of the church. It was instituted
when the Lord had the Passover meal before His crucifixion.
We observe the Lord's Supper on a regular basis in remembrance
of Jesus Christ atonement for our sins. It is a proclamation
of His death and an assurance of His second coming. We ask
only those who have made a profession of faith in Jesus Christ
to participate in the Lord's Supper. The elements of bread
and grape juice are used as symbols of Christ's body that
was broken and His blood that was shed for the remission of
our sins.
|
1 Corinthians 1:21-32 1Corinthians 5:11-13Matthew 26:29
|
|
Priesthood
of the Believer
|
Each
person is able to come to God for himself or herself. There
is no need for a third party to tell a person how to pray,
how to interpret Scriptures, or how to vote in church. All
believers are ministers of servants of God. Therefore the
church does not have a distinctive class of priests. All
members are made "priests unto God" by the death of Christ.
The church is a holy priesthood chosen by God to offer up
spiritual sacrifices. There is only one mediator between
God and man and that is Jesus Christ.
|
Revelation 1:5-6 Ephesians 4:11-12 1 Timothy 2:5 Romans
12:1 1 Peter 2:5
|
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