DISCOVER ABBEYDALE CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP
II. A Brief History of Abbeydale Christian Fellowship
III. What is the Purpose of Abbeydale Christian Fellowship?
VI. What are the Benefits of Joining the Abbeydale Christian Fellowship Church Family?
VIII. What are The Responsibilities of Church Members?
IX. How is the Church Organized?
X. What Are The Requirements For Membership?
XI. What’s My Next Step After Becoming a Member?. 3
XII. ARTICLE I -
Statement of Faith
Ephesians
2:19-22 1 Corinthians
12:7-27 1 Peter 1:9, 10
|
1971 |
Church planting in |
|
1971 |
Arrival of Abe Giesbrecht
(Loretta) to begin the work |
|
1972 |
Arrival of Dave Dueck (Lydia) to assist the Giesbrechts.
|
|
1972 |
Giesbrecht’s leave to begin another
work |
|
|
Rented various facilities to hold
services.
|
|
1974 |
September 19, 1974 the |
|
1977 |
Attendance up to 75. |
|
1979 |
The Dueck’s leave the
church. |
|
1979 |
Dave Thiessen (Myrna)
takes over as senior pastor |
|
1981 |
The church became
autonomous (no longer depended on the EMC Mission Board for financial
support). Name changed to |
|
1981 to 1983 |
Time of growth as well as
decline due to the economic situation in |
|
1985 |
A two acre plot of land
was purchased |
|
1987 to 1988 |
Building project started
and completed |
|
1988 |
Dave Thiessen (Myrna)
leave the church. |
|
1988 |
Name changed to Abbeydale
Christian Fellowship |
|
1989 |
The arrival of Charles
Koop (Lorraine). |
|
1994 |
Half-time Assistant Pastor
hired - Rod Reimer (Tina) |
|
1995 |
Rod Reimer (Tina) steps down from Assistant
Pastor. |
|
1998 |
Assistant
Pastor hired - Garth Koop (Carly)
|
|
1999 |
Decision was made to build
an addition to the existing building. Dedication of the new addition was held
in February 2000. |
|
2001 |
The Spanish church, “ |
|
2003 |
Garth Koop (Carly) leave
at the end of February |
|
2004 |
Charles Koop (Lorraine)
leave the church in June. |
|
2004 to 2005 |
Levi Smoker (Wilma) agrees
to become interim Lead Pastor in September while the search for a new Lead Pastor
is undertaken. |
|
2005 |
Levi Smoker (Wilma) steps
down in August after a new Lead Pastor is found. |
|
2005 |
David Funk (Kendra) begins
as Lead Pastor in September. |
|
2005 |
Trevor Plett agrees to
lead the youth while the search for a Young Life Pastor is undertaken. |
|
2006 |
Martha Burrell-Fandrich
(David Fandrich) begins as Young Life Pastor in September. |
|
2007 |
Martha steps down due to
health problems in February. |
|
2007 to 2008 |
Trevor Plett interns at
Abbeydale and becomes part time Young Life Pastor. |
|
2008 |
Trevor’s term as intern is
completed in June and a New Young Life Pastor is found. |
|
2008 |
Shane Dell becomes full
time Young Life Pastor in June. |
Why do we exist?
What are we called to do?
The purpose of the church is to glorify God by
proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ and to lead men and women into a life of
faith in Christ and obedience to God’s Word. “To Know Christ to Make Him Known.”
·
Our church is committed to Jesus’ teaching of the Great Commandments and
the Great Commission, as the early church in Acts was. Matthew 22:37-40 Matthew 28:19, 20
Acts 2:41-47
·
Worship - “Love the Lord your God with all your heart...” Matt. 22:36-38
We celebrate God’s presence. Psalms 34:1-3
Psalms 103:1-5
·
Ministry - “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Matt. 22:38, 39
We
serve one another 1 Peter 4:10 John 13:12-17
·
Evangelism - “Go and make disciples of all nations.” Matt. 28:19a
We communicate the Good
News John 20:21 Acts. 1:8
·
Fellowship - “Baptize them...” Matt. 28:19b
We
are a community of God’s People
Eph. 2:19 Heb. 10:24,25
·
Discipleship - “Teaching them to obey...” Matt. 28:20a
We educate God’s
people Col.
1:28 Eph. 4:11-13
•
We will provide opportunity for you to worship, thus preparing you
spiritually and emotionally for the week ahead.
•
We will provide groups so you can fellowship and receive encouragement
and support as you face life’s problems.
•
Our Church Family will encourage and provide you with opportunities to
discover and use your God-given gifts for service.
•
You will also receive “discipleship helps” to fortify your faith along with
building them into your daily lifestyle.
•
Our Church Family will help you to fulfill your mission of reaching family and friends for Jesus Christ.
The Bible calls each of us to
be a participating and contributing participant in our local church and to grow
in our spiritual walk with God. 1
Peter 2:9, 10
Membership is a defining
moment for each of us as we formally ‘step out of the stands’ and publicly
affirm a commitment to Christ and to a local church. Membership is joining the ‘team’ of committed followers of Jesus.
•
Striving towards having unity within the church, i.e. acting in love,
refusing to gossip, following its leader.
Romans 14:19; 1
Peter 1:22; Ephesians 4:29; Hebrews 13:17; 1 Thess. 5:12, 13.
•
Sharing responsibilities of the church, i.e. praying, inviting
un-churched to attend, warmly welcoming visitors.
1 Thess. 1:1,
2; Luke 14:23; Romans 15:7
•
Serving in the ministries of the church, i.e. discovering my gifts and
talents, being equipped by leadership, developing a servant’s heart.
1 Peter 4:10;
Ephesians 4:11,12; Philippians 2:3-5
•
Support the witness of the church, i.e. attending faithfully, living a
Godly life, giving regularly.
Hebrews 10:25; Philippians
1:27; 1 Corinthians 16:2; Lev. 27:30
The church
congregation elects two groups of leaders: the Board of Elders and the General
Board. The elders provide overall
spiritual leadership to the church, leading, encouraging, guiding, giving
insight and new ideas, and mentoring.
They provide direction to the pastor and lead the caring ministry of the
church.
The General Board
includes the individuals who are responsible for the other ministries of the
church: education, worship, outreach, missions, discipleship, young life, and
property management. Each ministry
leader may appoint a committee to help him or her, and workers to carry out
programs.
Several
congregational meetings are held each year to provide opportunity for communal
decision-making, including electing people to positions and setting
budgets. Every person who is part of
the Abbeydale Christian Fellowship community is welcome to attend.
The church employs
pastors to preach, teach, lead and counsel the congregation, and an
administrator to support the pastors and to coordinate the church’s work on a
day-to-day basis.
1)
Having a personal profession of Jesus as Savior and Lord.
2)
Having been baptized as a public symbol of one’s faith in Jesus.
3)
Giving a brief testimony of one’s faith.
4)
Signing a membership covenant with Abbeydale Christian Fellowship
thereby making a commitment to abide by it, which includes our Statement of
Faith. (See Appendix).
As a local community of faith, we believe it is
important to be connected with a larger Christian church in an accountable
way. Therefore, in keeping with this,
we are affiliated with the Evangelical Mennonite Conference and hold to the
constitution and by-laws of this conference.
Because our desire is that
each member shall be committed to the purpose of
ACF (Acts 2:41-47; 1
Corinthians 12:4-7, 27),
·
FIRST, you need to be willing to
serve in a ministry that you have an interest in and/or have been asked to
consider, and are willing to learn.
·
SECOND, you need to use your
God-given gifts and abilities to minister to people in the church and those who
aren’t part of the church yet.
·
THIRD, you should meet with a pastor or Elder to identify a couple of
areas In which you could serve.
·
FOURTH, seriously consider taking a discipleship class on the topic of
discovering your spiritual gifts, your passion and the abilities that God has
given you.
PREAMBLE
This Statement of Faith is a consensus reached
after several years of discussion. It
should be seen as a confession, showing how the teachings of the Scriptures are
currently interpreted and understood by the congregations of the Evangelical
Mennonite Conference.
These are the fundamental beliefs of the
Christian faith as they have been discerned in the Scriptures. While this statement reflects convictions
inherited from the Anabaptist-Mennonite theology of the 16th-century
Reformation, the Bible has been regarded
as the final authority on what is to be believed.
This statement has been designed to create
clarity, to give direction and to provide the basis for fellowship and working
together. Because of the confessional
nature of this statement, it will be normal to continue to reflect on the
accuracy with which it reflects the teachings of the Scriptures.
1. THE BIBLE
We believe that
the Scriptures, the Old and New Testaments, are the inspired and infallible
Word of God. They are the supreme and
final authority in all matters of faith and conduct (Matt. 5:18; 24:35; II Tim.
3:16,17; II Peter 1:16-21).
2. GOD
We believe in only
one God, eternal, infinite and unchanging.
He alone is the Creator, the Sustainer and Redeemer. He exists and reveals himself in three
persons: Father, Son and Holy
Spirit. All persons in this trinity are
fully and equally God (Gen. 1:26; 17:1; Deut. 6:4; Psalm 90:2; 139:7-12; 147:5;
Isa. 40:28; 44:6; 57:15; Mal. 3:6; Matt. 11:25; 28:19; Mark 12:29; John 6:27;
8:41-59; 15:26; 16:13,14; 17:1,8,18,23; Acts 5:3,4; Rom. 15:6; I Cor. 2:10,11;
8:4; II Cor. 13:14; Heb. 1:8,12).
2.1 God the Father
We believe in God,
the Father of all believers and, in a special sense, the Father of Jesus
Christ. He has revealed himself in nature,
in the Scriptures and especially in the person of Jesus Christ (Gen. 1:1-2:3;
Deut. 6:4; Psalm 47:1-9; 139:1-12; Mal. 2:10; Matt. 11:26; Mark 14:36; Luke
22:42; John 1:8,9; Acts 17:28; Rom. 8:15; Gal. 4:6; Eph. 4:4-6; Titus 3:4-6).
2.2 God the Son
We believe that
Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God.
He became man , being conceived
by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He is fully God and fully man, yet without sin.
We believe that
Jesus Christ, the divinely appointed Substitute, provided the only atonement
for sin by shedding his blood. Through his death he defeated the Devil,
enabling people to be set free and to be reconciled to God. He arose from the dead, bringing life and
hope. He ascended to the right hand of
the Father. There he rules as Lord and
lives to intercede for those who come to God by him (Isa. 7:14; 53:5,6; Matt.
1:20-23; 28:5; Luke 1:35; John 1:1,14; Rom. 1:4; 5:8-10; 6:2-4; I Cor. 15:20;
II Cor. 5:21; Eph. 2:4,5,; Col. 2:15; Heb. 2:9,10,14; 7:25).
2.3 God the Spirit
We believe that
the Holy Spirit exists eternally as one of the persons of the Trinity, co-equal
with the Father and the Son. He
convicts the world of sin, of righteousness and of the judgment to come. He indwells believers and is the guarantee
of their salvation. He encourages,
comforts and guides them into the truth.
He empowers for service and enables believers to live holy lives (Matt.
28:19; John 16:7,8,13; Acts 1:8; 5:3,4; Rom. 8:1-4; I Cor. 3:16; II Cor.
3:3,17; Gal. 4:6; Eph. 1:13,14).
3. THE
CREATION
We believe that
God created everything as revealed in Scripture (Gen. 1-2; Ex. 20:11; Neh. 9:6;
Job 38-39; Psalm 8; Mark 10:6; John 1:3; Col. 1:15-17; Rom. 11:33-36; Heb.
1:1-3).
4. THE DIGNITY OF THE HUMAN RACE
We believe that
God created the human race, both male and female, in his own image. We believe, therefore, in the sanctity of
all human life, regardless of age, ability or stage of development (Gen.
1:26,27; 2:7,16,17; Ex. 20:13; Psalm 139:13-16).
5. THE FALL OF THE HUMAN RACE
We believe our
first parents, in unbelief and disobedience, fell into sin by their free
choice. This broke their fellowship
with God and brought the whole human race into the same state of sin and
separation (Gen. 1:26,27; 2:7,16,17;3:1-24; John 6:44; Rom. 3:23; 5:12; Eph.
2:1-10).
6. SATAN
We believe Satan
is a personal spirit being. He heads
the kingdom of all evil and opposes God and all that is holy, pure and just
(Matt. 4:1-11; Luke 10:17-21; Eph. 6:10-18; I Tim. 4:1; Rev.12).
The destiny of
Satan will be the lake of fire, which God prepared for him and his angels
(Matt. 25:41; Rom. 8:38,39; Gal. 4:8; I Cor. 2:8; II Cor. 4:4; Eph. 1:19-23;
2:1-3; 3:10; 6:10-18; Col. 1:13; 2:14,15; Heb. 2:14; Rev. 12; 20:7-10).
7. SALVATION
We believe people
are saved by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. The basis of this salvation is Christ’s
life, his atoning death and his resurrection.
Justification, the new birth and the transformed life come about through
repentance and faith in Christ. His
atonement covers children until they reach the age of accountability (II Sam.
12:22,23; Matt. 18:1-14; Mark 10:13-16; Luke 24:47; John 1:9-13; 3:3-8; 15-18;
Acts 4:12; 20:21; Eph. 2:1-10; James 2:14-24).
We believe it is
the privilege of all Christians to know that they have passed from death to
life and that God can keep them from falling.
Faith and obedience are essential in maintaining this assurance and
growth in grace (John 8:31,32; Rom. 8:14-17; Gal. 3:11; II Cor. 5:21; I Peter
1:5-11; I John 3:14; 5:13).
8. DISCIPLESHIP AND NONCONFORMITY
We believe that
our relationship to the Saviour is to be an unconditional commitment to
discipleship. Discipleship is the total
life of the believer patterned after the life and death of our Lord (Matt.
4:16-22; Acts 11:26; 26:28; Rom. 5:5; 12:1,2,7-12; 13:8-14; II Cor. 6:14-7:1;
Eph. 1:1-10; 4:32-5:2; Col. 3:1-17; Titus 2:11-14; I Peter 2:13-24; 4:16).
9. THE LIFE OF PEACE
We believe in the
life of peace. We are called to walk in
the steps of the Lamb of God, the Prince of Peace. Everything about his life, his teachings and his redemptive death
on the cross, summons us to a life of nonviolence.
As nonresistant
Christians, we cannot support war, whether as officers, soldiers, combatants or
noncombatants, or direct financial contributors. Instead of taking up arms, we should do whatever we can to
lessen human distress and suffering, even at the risk of our own lives. In all circumstances, we should be
peacemakers and ministers of reconciliation (Isa. 53:3-9; Matt. 5-7; 28:18-20;
John 18:36; Rom. 12-13; Phil. 2:3,4; Col. 2:14,15; Heb. 1:1,2; 2:14; I Peter
2:9, 20-23).
10. THE CHURCH
We believe all who
have experienced new life in Christ belong to his church. All who repent and make a faith commitment
to Jesus Christ as Lord are united to his holy church by the baptism of the
Holy Spirit (Matt. 16:18; 28:18-20; Luke 24:47; Acts 1:8; 16:31; 17:30; 20:21;
Rom. 8:20; I Cor. 12:13; Gal. 3:25; 4:19; Eph. 1:22,23; 4:5; Col. 1:18; 3:1-4;
I Peter 3:21).
We believe God
calls the church to conform to the image of Christ, to care for its members and
to evangelize all people. Those who are
a part of the church seek to:
1) live holy lives, considering their bodies
as temples of the Holy Spirit and denying themselves and their lusts (Mark
8:34,35; Rom. 13:14; I Cor. 6:19,20; II Thess. 3:6; Titus 2:11-14).
2) avoid entering into binding relationships
with unbelievers (
3) exercise proper stewardship of their
abilities, time and possessions (I Cor. 16:1,2; II Cor. 8-9).
11. ORDINANCES
An ordinance is a
symbolic observance, instituted according to Scripture, which is to be
administered in and by the church as a visible sign of spiritual truth.
We believe Christ
instituted three ordinances: water
baptism, the Lord’s Supper and footwashing (Matt. 28:18-20; John 13:1-17; I
Cor. 11:20-32).
11.1 Believer’s Water Baptism
We believe a
Christian should be baptized in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy
Spirit. To qualify for baptism, one
must repent of sin and by faith accept Jesus Christ a s Lord and Saviour. Water baptism represents the baptism of the
Holy Spirit at the time of conversion and the washing of regeneration which the
believer has experienced. It is an act
of obedience which identifies the believer with the
11.2 The Lord’s Supper
We believe that
Christians are to celebrate the Lord’s Supper as instituted by Christ. The elements - the bread and the cup -
symbolize the body of Christ and his shed blood.
With this celebration,
Christians call to mind Christ’s suffering for the sins of the whole human race
and proclaim the Lord’s death until he returns to take his followers to
himself. It involves fellowship, self examination, testimony, confession,
praise and thanksgiving. Christians
should examine their own relationship to God and to other people before
participating in this commemoration
(Matt. 26:26-29; I Cor. 10:16,17; 11:17-34; Eph. 2:11-22; Heb. 9:12,
25-28; 1 John 2:1,2)
11.3 Footwashing
We believe in the
practice of footwashing. When Jesus
washed the feet of the disciples he gave the church an example to follow. Footwashing is an expression of humility,
love and equality. It symbolizes
cleansing from sin and the Christian’s commitment to a lifestyle of
servanthood. When we accept the washing
of our feet by other Christians, we demonstrate that we accept Jesus’ ministry
to us (John 13:1-20; I Tim 5:10).
12. THE RESURRECTION
We believe Jesus
Christ rose bodily from the dead. All,
believers and unbelievers, will be
raised from the dead as well, the believers to the resurrection of life and the
unbelievers to the resurrection of condemnation. We also believe that people already enter the eternal state at the
time of death. The righteous go into the
presence of their Lord and the unrighteous into conscious suffering (Dan. 12:2; Luke 16:19-31; 23:43; John
5:28,29; 20:20, 24-29; Acts 24:15; I Cor. 15; Phil 1:19-26; Rev. 20:11-15).
13. THE RETURN AND FINAL TRIUMPH OF CHRIST
We believe in the personal,
visible, bodily return of Jesus Christ.
This is the blessed hope of believers.
Christ’s return will be the occasion of the resurrection of the dead and
the eternal separation of the just and the unjust. Everything will be brought into the subjection of his authority
and rule as his eternal kingdom is realized (Matt. 24:44; 25:31-46; John
14:1-6; Acts 1:11; I Cor. 15:19-28; I Thess. 4:13-18; Titus 2:11-14; Heb.
10:37; II Peter 3:3-13; Rev. 20-22).
At his return,
Christ will judge all people. After the
judgment, the righteous will be with God, the unrighteous in hell. Death will be destroyed, and Satan and his
angels will be thrown into the lake of fire.
Christ will hand over the kingdom to God the Father, after destroying
all dominion, authority and power. Then
the righteous will reign with Christ forever (Matt. 25:31-46; John 5:22,23; I
Cor. 15:20-28).