LEARNING ABOUT HCC

We are Christians

In saying we are Christians, we are not simply saying that we go to church.

We are not speaking about a religion, but a relationship; a relationship with a living person whom we love, and His name is Jesus Christ.

We believe that Jesus is the Christ, Son of the living God and Savior of the World.

We believe that Jesus is not one of many divine teachers. He is the only One.

We live for an audience of One. We will not live in a way that makes others feel comfortable if that means compromising our relationship with Jesus Christ in any way.

We believe that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

We believe that everyone needs a Savior, and that Savior is Jesus Christ.

The Bible: We believe the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments are the inspired Word of God.

The Bible is our source of knowledge about God and Christ, and contains all the truth necessary for understanding our way to salvation. (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21)

We believe God is the one living and true God, but who forever (and mysteriously) exists in perfect community as three equal and fully divine Persons: the Father, Son, and Holy  Spirit. Each form of God, while having different but complementary roles in our lives, has the same nature, characteristics and being, and is worthy of equal praise and obedience. (Matthew 28:19-20; John 1:1-4; Acts 5:3-4)

We believe God the Father is the creator of the universe. He has unimaginable intelligence, infinite knowledge and is all-powerful. God has authority and control over all creation and yet desires to love us very personally as His children. (Colossians 1:17; Hebrews 1:3; John 1:12-13)

We believe Jesus Christ is uniquely God’s Son—fully God and yet fully human, sent by God, to be born of Mary. He lived a sinless life and serves as our role model for life on earth.  It is because of His death on the cross and resurrection from the dead that people are forgiven of their sins, brought into relationship with God, and promised real life here and now and eternal life to come. (John 14:9-12,19; 2 Corinthians 5:19)Text...

We believe the Holy Spirit is God’s presence with us on earth today - our primary teacher, comforter and source of God’s power.  The Holy Spirit came in a new and mighty way upon Christians at Pentecost and is present in the world today.  The Holy Spirit convinces the world of sin and leads people to respond in faith to the Gospel message. (Acts 2; John 16:7-11; Romans 8)

When someone receives Salvation from Jesus, the Holy Spirit leads and guides that person to live differently (more holy) than they did before they were saved. Christians learn to live out their faith through reading the Bible and seeing what God desires for them; praying and building a personal relationship with God; building relationships with other Christians by attending worship services; and serving others in a way that shows God's love to the world.

We believe that because of rebellion against God going all the way back to Adam, all people sin, and therefore, deserve separation from God.  On our own, we can never overcome sin or please God.  Jesus’ death on the cross was a sacrifice on our behalf, and makes possible our forgiveness and reconciliation with God. This is not because of anything we might do for God, but out of His grace and love for us.  To repent from (to have remorse for and turn away from) our sins and trust in Jesus Christ are the only requirements for us to receive this gift from God of forgiveness and eternal life. (Romans 2:22-26,5:1; 2 Corinthians 5:21)

As the result of commitment to God through Jesus, we grow in faith.  Our love for God and for one another becomes more complete, although we can never become sinless.  As we grow in our Christian faith, our desire to please God and live like Jesus also grows. (Romans 8:29)

We believe that God desires for all of us as His children to spend eternity with Him in heaven.   Jesus alone will judge our eternal destiny, but those who have not accepted Jesus’ offer of forgiveness and new life risk living apart from Him for all eternity. (2 Peter 3:9)

We believe that communion is a remembrance of the suffering and death of Christ and a way of drawing Christians’ focus back to the essentials of faith on a regular basis.  We believe in an open table—that all who believe in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord are welcome to participate in this blessing from God. (Luke 22:14-21)

We acknowledge and celebrate the grace of God, freely offered to us before we were even aware of it.  We confess our sin, accept membership in the family of Christ, and vow to trust in and serve Jesus Christ.  Baptism is the public sign of God’s covenant with us.  It is a communal celebration; the congregation vows to nurture and support those being baptized—adults or infants.  We believe baptism may occur at any age.  We enter this world as imperfect beings in need of salvation, and it is through God’s grace that we can be in this covenant relationship with Him. (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 2:38-39, 16:15,33)

We are committed to the understanding of God's grace.

We believe that through grace, the invitation of God is open to everyone. 

We believe that God is holy, and that He calls us to live holy lives. We believe in a personal conversion that opens up a personal relationship with God. 

We believe that the Holy Spirit works to transform our hearts and our characters into the image of Jesus Christ. 

We believe that the culture should not change the church, but that the church should change the culture.

The church is a collection of all people who believe in Jesus Christ for salvation and seek to live their lives in obedience and love to Him.

The Scripture commands believers to gather together to offer themselves to worship, prayer, teaching the Bible, being baptized, taking communion, having fellowship, serving each other with talents and gifts, and outreach to the community.

Wherever God's people meet regularly in obedience to this command, there is the local expression of the church. Under the care of pastors and leaders, the church's members are to work together in love and unity, intent on the ultimate purpose of promoting and pleasing Jesus.