Our History
It is a rare privilege to be part of such a church as First Christian with a great historic past. Alexander Campbell, one of the founding fathers of Christian churches, preached several times in New Philadelphia. James A Garfield preached as a guest minister in this church before he became President of the United States. We are blessed to be part of a rich heritage of faith.
The physical building of FCC has undergone many changes that date all the way back to 1844 when the first building was erected. Our stained glass windows are original to the building that was dedicated in 1899. The Kid City wing was built in 1958. The original design of our auditorium and social hall took shape in 1975. Today we are blessed with our current structure that underwent a major renovation in 2004.
Our Beliefs
We invite you to explore our beliefs and join us in our pursuit of living out our faith in boldness and passion.
God
God is the Creator and Ruler of the Universe. He has eternally existed in three personalities: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. These three are co-equal and are one God.
(Genesis 1:1, 26, 27, 3:22; Psalm 90:2; Matthew 28:19; I Peter 1:2; II Corinthians 13:14)
Jesus Christ
That Jesus in the flesh was both God and man. He is co-equal with the Father. Jesus lived a sinless human life and offered Himself as a perfect sacrifice for our sins by dying on the cross. He rose 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, 23 Isaiah 9:6; John 1:1-14 Hebrews 4:14, 15; Philippians 2:5-8 1 Corinthians 15:1-8 Romans 1:3, 4; Acts 1:9-11, I Timothy 6:14,15; Titus 2:13)
Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is co-equal with the Father and the Son of God. He is present in the world to make men aware of their need for Jesus Christ. He also lives in every Christian from the moment they are baptized into Christ. (Acts 2:38) 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.
(II Corinthians 3:17; John 16;7-13; 14:16,17; Acts 1:8 I Corinthians 2:12; 3:16; Ephesians 1:13; Galatians 5:25; Ephesians 5:18)
Marriage
That marriage in Scripture is defined as the sacred union between one naturally born man and one naturally born woman. While the culture in which we live would recognize such practices as adultery, homosexuality, cohabiting without marriage as acceptable behavior, scripture defines these practices as sinful behavior. These are not unforgivable sins.
(Genesis 1:27; Genesis 2:22-24: I Corinthians 6:9-11)
Salvation
Salvation is God’s free gift to us, but we must accept it. We can never make up for our own sin by self-improvement or good works. Only by trusting in Jesus Christ as God’s offer of forgiveness can anyone be saved from sin’s penalty. When we believe in Jesus as our Savior and Lord, turn from our self-ruled life, confess our faith in Him, and are baptized into Him, the Bible promises that we will receive the forgiveness of sins and the constant abiding gift of the of the Holy Spirit.
(Romans 6:23; 10:9, 5:1; Ephesians 2:8,9; John 1:12; 14:6; Acts 2:38; Mark 16:16 Titus 3:5 Galatians 3:26)
The Church
That the church is the Body of Christ on earth and exists to save the lost and to build spiritually maturity.
(Esphesians 4:13-18)
Eternity
That Jesus Christ will one day return to earth and reign forever as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. We will either exist eternally separated from God by sin, or eternally with God through forgiveness and salvation. To be eternally separated from God is hell. To be eternally in union with Him is eternal life. Heaven and Hell are real places.
(John 3:16 John 2:25; John 5:11-13, Romans 6:23; Revelation 20:15; Matthew 1:8; Matthew 2:44 I Thessalonians 4:13-18)
Our Values
We are committed to living out the values of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We want to love God, love others, and share the good news of Jesus Christ.
Worship
We are created to be worshipers. Worship can be an individual act, expressed thru things like Bible study, prayer, meeting others’ needs, or any number of everyday actions that we choose to use to glorify God. It’s also a corporate act, when the individual members of the church gather together as one body every Sunday.
(Acts 2:46)
Prayer
A daily and personal conversation with God which shapes and changes us to be dependent on him.
Prayer is vital in the life of a follower of God, it’s our personal conversation with him. We pray so we may know God and become obedient to his plan for our life.
(Eph 6:18, Phil 4:6)
Community
Building authentic Christian relationships while growing closer to God.
No one should do life alone and we are designed for relationships. We want everyone to be a part of a community where everyone is welcome, no one is perfect, and Jesus is discovered.
(Hebrews 10:25, Acts 2:42, Acts 5:42, Matt 18:20)
Mission
The average person has been given over 500 different skills and abilities from God. However, it is not about how many you have but what you do with what you have.
Each of us is called to use whatever gift God has given us to serve others.
(Romans 12:6)