WAYNESBURG CHRISTIAN CHURCH

ENCOUNTER - CONNECT - SERVE

 

WAYNESBURG CHRISTIAN CHURCH

ENCOUNTER - CONNECT - SERVE

 

 

 

ENCOUNTER.  CONNECT.  SERVE. 

 

​At Waynesburg Christian Church our goal is to create opportunities for individuals to encounter Jesus Christ, to connect with one another, and to serve in the community, church, and world!

 

Encounter – Jesus’ love for us never stops and never gives up.  His love for us is relentless!  We want to create environments for people to explore the person and message of Jesus Christ – to have an encounter with Him!

 

Connect – One of the deepest desires of the human heart is to belong.  We are made to know God and to do life with one another!  We offer multiple opportunities for individuals to connect with others and to grow in their walk with God through small groups and other regular gatherings. 

 

Serve – God made us so that we can make a difference!  We recognize that God has called us to serve – to demonstrate His love to a broken world!  We want to look for opportunites to serve in our day to day routines and relationships.  We also look to serve through organized opportunities in the community, in the church, and in the world.

 

 

ABOUT US

 

We are a non-denominational, independent Christian church committed to basic Christianity as it is expressed in the Bible.  

 

We believe in one God—Father, Son and Holy Spirit. 

  • We believe in God the Father Almighty, Creator of all things visible and invisible. 
  • We believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the eternal Word, the one and only Savior. 
    • Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, both fully human and fully divine; Who lived a sinless life; Who suffered and was crucified as an atonement for sin; Who rose again bodily from the dead on the third day; Who ascended into Heaven; and Who will return in victory to rule forever. 
  • We believe in the Holy Spirit.
    • Who convicts of sin; Who indwells every Christian; Who helps us in our weakness and intercedes for us in prayer; and Who empowers us to a fruitful Christian life. 

 

We believe in the Bible—God's Holy Word, Scripture.

  • We believe God inspired the original writings of the Scripture and those original writings were consequently without error. 
  • We believe that the Bible is the final authority for all matters of faith, truth, morality, and Christian living. 
  • We believe the Bible teaches that God is the Creator and Sustainer of human life; that God creates each person in His image; and that life is therefore sacred, from conception to natural death. We believe that God creates each person as male or female; that these two distinct, complementary genders together reflect the "image of God" in humankind; and that each person's biological gender is an intrinsic, immutable aspect of his or her nature and identity. 
  • We believe the Bible teaches that God established marriage in the beginning as a lifelong, exclusive relationship between one man and one woman; that He has reserved sexual intimacy as an expression of love and commitment between married couples; and that any intimate expression of sexuality outside of Biblical marriage is sin. 

 

We believe in the Gospel—the Good News of Salvation.

  • That man, created by God, willfully sinned against God and is consequently lost and without hope apart from Jesus Christ. 
  • That salvation—the forgiveness of sins—is only by grace through the blood of Jesus Christ. 
  • That one receives salvation by putting faith in Christ, repenting of sin, and confessing Christ, and that the Bible commands every believer in Christ to be baptized by immersion. 
  • That those who have received salvation through faith in Jesus Christ are sent into the world to proclaim the gospel and to love and serve the world just as Jesus Himself did.

 

We believe in the Church of Jesus Christ, founded on the Day of Pentecost, consisting of all Christians everywhere, and organized into local assemblies, called churches. 

  • We believe the Bible teaches that every Christian should be an active member of a local church. 
  • We believe that the Elders of the church are the overseers of its affairs and the shepherds of its members; that they are the final interpretive authority of the Bible's meaning and application for the church; and that they are responsible for the oversight, instruction, edification, discipline, and restoration of church members. 
  • We believe that the Bible instructs church members to:
    • Meet together regularly for fellowship, worship, teaching, and the Lord's Supper. 
    • Use our natural abilities and spiritual gifts to serve one another.
    • Love one another, bear with one another, accept one another, and forgive one another. 
    • Seek unity, agreement, and peace with one another. 
    • Encourage and build up one another. 
    • Bear one another's burdens and pray for one another. 
    • Spur one another to love and good deeds. 
    • Submit to the authority of the elders of the church. 
    • Support the church financially. 
    • Pursue personal holiness and obedience to God's Word. 
    • Strive together to fulfill the Great Commission.

 

CORE VALUES

 

 1.  Lost people matter to God!

 2.  Be culturally relevant while remaining true to God's word

 3.  Life change happens best in small groups

 4.  Excellence honors God and inspires people

 5.  The church is to be led by people with leadership gifts

 6.  Full devotion to Christ is normal for all and every believer

 7.  The church is to be characterized by:  love, acceptance, and unity

 8.  The church is to teach, preach, and follow the whole council of God

 9.  Every member of the church is encouraged to grow to maturity

10.  Every member is a minister

 

HISTORY

 

The village of Waynesburg was platted on November 4, 1844.  The early church records state that on January 12, 1854 the brethren of Waynesburg and vicinity met at Smiley Scott's house and organized a church under the leadership of the Hartsville Church, appointing brothers Charles and Horace Jones Elders of said church.  The church so organized shall be called The Christian Church of Waynesburg.  The brethren agreed to take the Word of God as the rule of faith and practice and live in fellowship with each other and keep the ordinance of the house of the Lord blameless.

 

There were seven men and thirteen women listed as charter members.  The church was led by the elders and they shared the preaching responsibilities.  Elder William Patterson was probably the primary preacher.  A small crude building was the first meeting place of the church until a nice frame building was built across the street.  This facility was dedicated in May 1878 by William Hacker.

 

In 1898, during a thunderstorm, lightning struck the church building and the building was destroyed.  Stating that they did not believe lightning would strike twice in the same place, a new building was reconstructed on the same site.  However, May 12, 1993, lightning struck the bell tower and though church members and neighbors were able to save almost all of the church furnishings, the fire and water damage destroyed the ninety-five year old facility.

 

With a vision for growth and the desire to see the Gospel of Jesus Christ reaching this community for many years to come, the church family, led by the Holy Spirit, constructed a new education wing and then a new worship facility to carry on the work of the church.

 

The brick building in which the church family gathers to worship today stands as a symbol of our belief that by faith, when Jesus Christ returns, He will find us faithfully preaching His Word and offering the love and hope to our community and extending God's plan of salvation to the rest of the world.