About Our Church

First, about the building...

The white frame building that we worship in was built by the Lutherans in 1883. They used it until 1965, when three area Lutheran churches were combined to form one congregation in the nearby town of Ickesburg. In 1978, the Lutherans sold the building to the Eshcol Cemetery Association, a non-profit group of local residents who happen to own cemetery plots in one of the two Eshcol cemeteries. The Cemetary Association then agreed to sell the building and the ground it sits on to us.

When we began to rent the building in December of 1996, it had not had much upkeep for 60-70 years, other than painting the clapboard siding. Since then, the outside and inside has been painted, new efficient heaters have replaced the stinky old kerosene stoves, a drop ceiling has been installed, and new insulation and electrical wiring have been completed. We built a closet for storage and a ramp for easy access.

Once we bought the church we moved on with our projected work. We installed new carpet on the floor, replaced the 115 year old pews with padded chairs, drilled a well, and installed two restrooms in the back of the church to replace the two old outhouses.

In spite of all we have yet to do, the building has met our needs so far and is a wonderful place to worship the Lord. When you visit, come early enough to hear us ring the bell!

Second, about the people...

On June 6, 1996, Pastor Harry had the misfortune of falling 17 feet off a roof and breaking his pelvis in four places. God gave him assurance from the very first moments of the accident that He had a very specific purpose in mind for allowing it. During the months of recovery, he often had to take long rides in the local ambulance to and from the doctor visits at Hershey and Mechanicsburg. In the back of the ambulance was a lady named Edith. Like Pastor Harry, she had a burden for the people of Eshcol, and had tried to start a church there before. During those conversations, they began praying for God's will.

They, along with Edith's husband, Vernon, decided to begin Sunday School in November. Since Edith was a local school bus driver, she knew the children, and they responded. When they began worship services on December 8, 1996, Vernon and Edith's son Jason brought his family with six children there to help out.

Many others have come and gone since, as people take a look and then move on. Our prayer has been for God to give us people who are willing to pioneer the work with us, and He has answered our prayers. On December 7, 1997, one year from the humble beginning, 9 adults became the first members. Vernon, Edith, Jason; and his wife were among those. We are now in the year 2002. The church is still growing in membership. We have accomplished much with God's direction!

The 40-50 who are presently attending are of all ages and economic status. They are learning to connect well with each other during our coffee fellowship that takes place right after the worship time and ends just before Sunday School begins. We have decreased the hour to 15 minutes to allow more time for Worship and Praise. Although we decreased the time, this has been a very valuable time in the new life of the church.

What We Believe

The Bible

The Bible is inspired by God (2 Tim.3:16-17) and is uniquely the written revelation of the Living Word (John 1:14). It is superior to all other writings because it is historically correct, is prophetically agreeable (prophecies in it come true 100%), does what it claims to do, is authoritative (from recognized experts), doesn't contradict itself, has a consistent doctrine of God throughout, and the Holy Spirit bears witness with our spirit that it is the truth. It gives all the glory to God and has as its purpose to point men to salvation through Jesus Christ.

Salvation

God's Word through the Holy Spirit brings guilt to our conscience, showing us that we are unjust before God. There is no way for us as sinners to make restitution with God for our sins. God loves us as His creation and does not want us to die, but He cannot allow our sins to be in Heaven either. So Jesus came to die so that His blood could be the price necessary to redeem us. When we repent of our sins and accept by faith the payment that Jesus made for them on the cross, we can believe that we have eternal life forever with God.

Baptism

Baptism is a symbol of both cleansing from sin (Romans 6:1-11), and of beginning a new life. It is the outward sign of repentance of the old life. It signifies that we are separating ourselves to a new life and a new way. Without true repentance, it is meaningless. Therefore we believe that it must follow conversion to be Biblical. Although we do not believe that baptism is a requirement to get to Heaven, we believe that all those who desire to obey Jesus will follow His example in being baptized.

Choice

To have free will means that God has allowed us the choice to follow our own will, the will of another, or the will of God. When Adam and Eve sinned, it was because they chose to do what another wanted. The choice was before them, just like it is before us, and we can choose to do God's will or not to do God's will. Regardless of how we choose, we will not affect God and His imminent sovereignty in the sense of His power and rank. If all chose against God, His power would not cease to be in control. We would simply not be included in His plans.

The Person of God

God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are three separate persons with individual accomplishments, yet they are the same being. They all have the identical attributes of their characters: personal, living, true, only, holy, eternal, righteous, loving, merciful, creator, jealous, the only way to salvation, omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent. God is unchangeable (Eccl.3:14, Jas.1:17, Heb.13:7). The trinity is united (Jn.4:24; 8:58, Isa.9:6, 2 Cor.3:17-18, Gal.4:6).

The Position of Man

All men are sinners (Romans 3:23). Sin is the action of our selfish heart to act in behalf of ourselves. It is to not seek the Lord with all your heart. It is found in our attitude toward God and man, not just in what we do or don't do. It is the opposite of faith, hope, and love. All sins need to be repented of and forgiven, for any one sin can begin the separation of our hearts from God.

Jesus Christ

There are nine essential facts about Jesus Christ. (1) He was born of the virgin Mary as conceived by the Holy Spirit. He was both (2) fully God and (3) fully man. (4) He lived a sinless life. (5) His death was for the atonement of the sins of the whole world. (6) He arose bodily from the grave. (7) He ascended bodily into the Heavens and will come again in like manner. (8) There is no salvation apart from the blood of Jesus Christ. (9) He is the one and only Messiah.

Dedication of Children

Scripture exemplifies that we should dedicate our children publicly to the Lord (1 Sam.1:24-28, Luke 2:22, Mark 10:13-14). It emphasizes the dedication of parents to raise their children in the fear of the Lord (Dt.6:6-9, Prov.22:6). It in no way provides for their salvation, but encourages parents to raise their child(ren) to know the way of salvation through Jesus Christ.

Marriage

It is for life (Mt.19:6). Remarriage is not the Biblical pattern, especially for the initiator of the divorce (Mk.10:11-12). A believer should not marry an unbeliever, but such a marriage is binding (2 Cor.6:14, 1 Cor.7:39). Sex before or outside of marriage is strictly forbidden (Heb.13:4). Homosexuality is absolutely forbidden (Rom.1:26-32). Marriage is an example to the world of Christ's love for the church (Eph.5:25). Although marriage is the norm in society, the church must lovingly reach out to the single, divorced, remarried, or unequally yoked persons without being judgmental.

Communion

It symbolizes our commitment to participate in the life of the body of Christ. The bread represents Christ's body, broken so that each of us could become a part of it. The cup represents His blood, shed to wash away our sins. We practice it to remember His suffering and sacrifice for us. All those who are saved by faith in Christ may partake in it with us.

Feetwashing

It symbolizes the attitudes of servitude and humility that is to be a part of us, especially of the leadership. We believe that Jesus wants us to literally practice it regularly (Jn.13:14-17).

Sanctification

It is the outcome of yielding our members as instruments of righteousness to God (Rom.6:19-22). It means to set ourselves apart for God's holy purposes. It is a crisis in the process of maturity as a Christian. It is a crisis of our will to do God's will. It is trusting God to be Lord and Master of my life. It frees the Holy Spirit to come in and purge me with fire (Mt.3:11).

Holy Spirit Baptism

More than water baptism, it is God's power flowing through the life that is totally yielded to God (Acts 8:9-24). It is the completion of preparation for usefulness in the Kingdom of God. It is God's part of the process to make us His witnesses (Acts 1:8). It purifies us from the sin nature and gives us the purity and power to do as we ought for the glory of God.

Divine Healing

God gave the church the provision for healing (1 Peter 2:24), the process for healing to occur (Jas.5:14-16), and the people through whom healing occurs (1 Cor.12:9,28). Jesus came to restore the whole man. It may not always be God's will to heal, but it is always God's will for us to ask for healing. Regardless of the outcome, we must always give God the glory, remembering that our bodies are only the present housing for our eternal souls. All of us will eventually die (Heb.9:27), unless Jesus comes first.

Principles for Dress, Hair, etc.

Our outer appearance is a continual symbol in our world of both modesty/immodesty and submission/rebellion. The Scriptures indicate that the church should give the world the best image of modesty and subordination that we can, for the sake of the gospel.

Non-Resistance

We believe that to go to war would be against the love ethic that Christ presents (Mt.5:43-48, Acts 5:29). We believe that we should strive to be at peace with all men, love them, and leave vengeance to God (Rom.12:18-21). We ought not to fight over property rights because all that we have and are belongs to God. We are to seek God's Kingdom and His righteousness (Mt.6:33).

Stewardship

We are to be good stewards of everything God has entrusted to us, our bodies, abilities, possessions, time; and money. All these belong to God and we are to learn to be a good manager of them, returning a portion of them for the sake of God's Kingdom.