what we
believe
We believe that there exists an eternal God who is supremely powerful, knowledgeable, and Holy.
Consider this: There is a divine Creator, God, who fashioned the entire universe for His glory. However, in the beginning, mankind rebelled against God’s design, and because of that, sin and death entered into God’s perfect creation. This corruption has tainted everything in the world – it is the reason for pain, evil, and death. All who sin and commit evil are deserving of God’s just punishment, and all have sinned and fallen short of God’s standard. Therefore, mankind stood condemned.
Here’s the crux of the matter: God, who created us, did not abandon us when we fell from perfection — far from it.
God became a man and dwelt among us. His name is Jesus, and, when He came to Earth, He lived a perfect life – not sinning in action or thought even once. Though He lived a perfect life, He allowed Himself to be crucified on a cross to offer His death as a substitute for our own. The punishment we all deserved, Jesus took upon Himself all at once. Being Man, He could die in our stead, since He was tempted as we are but did not stumble. Being an infinite God, His death could cover every sin. Jesus lay dead in a tomb, but on the third day, He was raised to life! It is in this resurrection that the power of God truly shines through because it proves that death was not stronger than God. After His resurrection, Jesus did not die again but ascended into Heaven and sat down at the right hand of God the Father, where He remains today.
We have faith that by believing these things about Jesus’ saving work on the cross and confessing that He is the Lord of our lives, we too will be saved from death and raised to life as He is.
We come to believe in these truths through the power of the Holy Spirit, who indwells believers to enable them to love God, obey Him, and worship Him rightly.
our values
We laugh, we cry, and we live as a spiritual family. But we are a family with a purpose. We display and proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ for the good of God’s kingdom, each other, Penn State, the surrounding community, and beyond. (1 Thessalonians 2:8; Matthew 28:19-20)
We believe God’s living word has been faithfully passed down to us. We haven’t invented anything new. We stand in awe of God’s Word and seek to handle and honor His word faithfully, and live dependent on its every word. (Matthew 4:4; Hebrews 4:12)
We eagerly anticipate the presence and work of God in our life, seeking to live in the rhythm of revelation and response. God reveals — we respond. We are a prayerfully dependent people expecting God to hear and act according to His good purposes. (Ephesians 6:18)
We confess that we have dishonored the image of God found in those different from ourselves. Our predisposition to sin has led to injustices opposed to God’s holy design and to divisiveness; but through the cross, Jesus has broken down every wall of hostility known to humankind. We long for our church to be one family from many nations, races, and social statuses, as it will be in the New Creation — coming together to follow Jesus in unity. God’s creativity and character is expressed in this diversity and His redemptive plan thrives on our unity. (James 3; Ephesians 2:11-22; John 17:20-23; Revelation 7:9)
We seek to be an inter-generational church where wisdom and experience of the mature is combined with the strength and zeal of the young. We have an intentional focus on investing in and partnering with college students because of the role Penn State plays in our community. (Psalm 145; 1 John 2:12-14)
Learn more about how we are pursuing the next generation by visiting The Well.
We want to come alongside people as they walk the path that God has for them. Every human being is uniquely created by God and every Christ follower is gifted by God to participate in His church. From our first meeting to sending our family throughout the world, it’s our great passion to journey with people and help them discover their design as they grow spiritually, physically, and emotionally. (1 Thessalonians 2:12; 1 Thessalonians 5:23)
God is the creator, owner, and beneficiary of every resource we have – even our bodies! He has given us time, relationships, finances, talents, skills, our town, and the world to nurture and invest in for His glory. We want to live like gardeners who wisely steward all their tools and land for a healthy and fruitful crop (Psalm 24:1, Matthew 25:21).
our staff
matt toms
lead pastor
olivia toms
coordinator
paige cowing
international missions
our leadership
Statement of Faith
Summary Statement of Faith; The Church’s deeply held religious convictions
The Word of God. We believe that the Bible is the Word of God, fully inspired and without error in the original manuscripts, written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and that it has supreme authority in all matters of faith and conduct.
The Trinity. We believe that there is one living and true God, eternally existing in three persons, that these are equal in every divine perfection, and that they execute distinct, but harmonious, offices in the work of creation, providence and redemption.
God the Father. We believe in God, the Father, an infinite, personal spirit, perfect in holiness, wisdom, power and love. We believe that He concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of men, that He hears and answers prayer, and that He saves from sin and death all who come to Him through Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ. We believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only begotten Son, conceived by the Holy Spirit. We believe in His virgin birth, sinless life, miracles and teachings. We believe in His substitutionary atoning death, bodily resurrection, ascension into heaven, perpetual intercession for His people, and personal visible return to earth.
The Holy Spirit. We believe in the Holy Spirit who came forth from the Father and Son to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment, and to regenerate, sanctify, and empower all who believe in Jesus Christ. We believe that the Holy Spirit indwells every believer in Christ, and that He is an abiding helper, teacher and guide.
Regeneration. We believe that all men are sinners by nature and by choice and are, therefore, under condemnation. We believe that those who repent of their sins and trust in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord are regenerated by the Holy Spirit.
The Church. We believe in the universal church, a living spiritual body of which Christ is the head and all regenerated persons are members. We believe in the local church, consisting of a company of believers in Jesus Christ, baptized on a credible confession of faith, and associated for worship, work and fellowship. We believe that God has laid upon the members of the local church the primary task of taking the Gospel of Jesus Christ to a lost world.
The Ordinances. We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ has committed two ordinances to the local church: baptism and the Lord’s Supper. We believe that Christian baptism is the immersion of a believer in water, into the name of the triune God. We believe that the Lord’s Supper was instituted by Christ for commemoration of His death. We believe that these two ordinances should be observed and administered until the return of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Last Things. We believe in the personal and visible return of the Lord Jesus Christ to earth and the establishment of His kingdom. We believe in the resurrection of the body, the final judgment, the eternal felicity of the righteous, and the endless suffering of the wicked.
We also hold to the Baptist Faith and Message 2000 as a summation of our deeply rooted religious convictions.
