This Sunday: instead of our evening service, we're having a potluck lunch following our morning service! Everyone is welcome; bring enough for yourself and someone else if you're able, and we'll see you at the Hall ..read more

August 15-19, Monday to Friday, from 1-4 PM at Frank Wills Hall! We're thrilled to announce that this summer, we'll be running our first-ever Vacation Bible School, "Zoomerang," for kids entering grades Kindergarten to Grade 6! And it's no cost to you! Zoomerang takes kids to the "land down under" as we explore the sanctity of human life! Like a boomerang, we are returning kids to the value of life, from the lives of preborn babies to eternal life in the kingdom of God. You’ll marvel at the unforgettable wildlife, culture, and beauty of Australia while discovering that from the ..read more

It's summertime, and with that comes a change in our Sunday schedule! While our 10:30 AM service will continue, we'll be taking a break from Sunday evenings and the kids' Sunday School until the fall. See you this Sunday morning ..read more

Here's another iteration of "Means of Grace," a collection of recommended resources from around the Web to help you in your Christian walk! Last Sunday was Trinity Sunday, and so (especially in light of our recent look at Revelation 3 and 4, and some of the points we’ve touched on in the Nicene Creed series), here’s a really helpful article at TGC by Dr. Matthew Barrett of Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary: On Trinity Sunday, Delight in the Radiance of God’s Glory Carl Trueman had a must-read article called “Is God A Therapist” on how crucially important holiness will be for the church i ..read more

And as they were going along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?” (Acts 8:36) Once you’ve taken the classes, been interviewed by the elders, and prepared a testimony, a day will be set when you will be immersed publicly. What should you do to get ready for that day? AS THE DAY APPROACHES First, and foremost, we recommend that you approach the day soberly and deliberately, examining yourself and confessing your sins. Believers who are about to participate in the other ordinance of the church, the Lord’s Supper, are re ..read more

in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you...(1 Peter 3:15) (As a "sample" baptismal testimony, what follows is what I might write if I were to pursue baptism today.) Growing up in a Reformed Christian family, I always presumed I was a Christian. I attended Christian schools for my entire elementary and secondary education and attended church with my family every week. I “asked Jesus into my heart” when I was around eight years old, but I don’t think I fully understood what it meant to ..read more

And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son... (1 John 5:11) A key moment in every baptism service is the testimony of the one being baptized. Baptism itself is a testimony, a tangible picture of the Christian’s death to the old self and resurrection to spiritual life as he or she was united with Jesus in his death, burial, and resurrection. This picture or illustration is amplified and clarified when it is accompanied by a brief account of what God has done in the life of the believer who is being baptized. It is a great encouragement to every Christi ..read more

Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account... (Heb. 13:17a) When it comes to baptism, the pattern we find in the Bible is that new believers are usually baptized almost immediately. That said, simply because an event or a practice is described in the pages of Scripture does not mean it is prescribed for us to do today. The Bible does not explicitly tell us how a church or how a pastor determines who is ready to be baptized. And the Bible does give at least one example of a man, Simon the Magician, who was baptized ..read more

and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him. (Acts 2:38) So what happens at a baptism service? At Grace Church, here is a rough sketch of what you can expect. 1. A baptism is a public service where all are welcome Baptism is designed and intended to be a public event, putting spiritual realities on visible display. So, at Grace Church, we will usually hold baptisms on Sundays, usually either at the end of a regular Sunday worship service (kind of as a “service within a service”) or a short time after the service. You are welcome, and encouraged, to inv ..read more

Why do we immerse new believers in the first place? What is the meaning or significance of this act? Baptism signifies three vitally important realities in the life of a new Christian. It is a display of Trinitarian glory, for it declares that the believer is joined to Jesus, that the believer has been forgiven by the Father, and that the believer is being sanctified by the Spirit. Can anyone withhold water for baptizing these people, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have? (Acts 10:47) Peter promised that those who repent and believe, their faith being made visible by baptism, woul ..read more