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You are always welcome!
Here is what to expect:
Welcome Home! I love the feeling of returning home after being away. It feels familiar, safe, and secure. You can let your guard down. You can be real. You can be vulnerable. It just feels right. At BFA, we say to you “welcome home!” You are always welcome here. You matter. Come be a part of a group of people that will befriend, encourage, and do what they can to help you know God and have the best life possible. Come discover (or rediscover) the real life found in a relationship with the God that loves you more than anything and always welcomes you home.
Here is what to expect at BFA:
Experience God. Our services and events are geared for you to have a safe place to encounter the Living God that loves you and wants you to know Him and be in right relationship with Him.
Enjoy friendships and build lifelong relationships. You will meet very friendly people that will make you feel like you belong. It is always awkward feeling like an outsider but that will evaporate quickly as you get to know the people of BFA.
Come just as you are! No need to dress up or try and make your life right first.
Find your niche and make a lasting impact. You are always welcome to attend a service or event to simply enjoy the experience. Your experience is enriched even more when you find your place in serving others too. It might be greeting people as they arrive and helping them find a seat or where the kids meet. Or it could be teaching a class and helping people grow in their relationship with God. Or you might assist when we help people in the community. Or you use your landscaping skills to help the outside of the church look nice. How you help is up to you. Each of us have different skills and abilities that when combined help us to make a lasting impact in someone’s life.
Be a part of something bigger than yourself! Come be a part of local church that has been around for a long time being made new. Join us as we build a place that loves people because every life matters to God and helps people because our heartbeat is to make lifetime followers of Jesus. We are a church that has committed itself to reaching and helping a community and partnering with other churches to change the world.
You matter to God
And you matter to us
You matter to God. You are priceless and irreplaceable. God wants you to have the best life possible. The best life starts with a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Living in right relationship with God doesn’t mean life will be perfect, carefree, or without disappointments, struggles and heartbreaks. It does mean that you get to know God while living out His best plan for your life. It means that you will be accepted by an Amazing God and will connect with a community of people that love God too.
When do you meet?
We meet on Sunday mornings at 10:00 for our worship experience. Come early for free coffee and pastries while getting to know people or to take some time to pray in the worshipful environment in the auditorium before service begins.
Join us at 9:15 for Bible Classes and Conversations which are a fresh take on the classic Sunday School. It is a time to learn about the Bible while also asking questions and talking about life in a small group environment. The best way to grow strong in your relationship with God is in a community of people that love Jesus too and are living life with you. Our classes provide an opportunity to do life together with others while asking questions and being real. You will be able to put into practice on Monday what you are discussing on Sunday.
Join us on Wednesday nights at 6:30 for our Prayer Meeting. It is my favorite thing that we do!
The battle is won in prayer!
Let's see what God will do
The battle is won in prayer! Our weekly prayer gatherings are my favorite thing we do as a church and the most important thing we do as a church. Yes, you can pray alone at home—and you should. However, something special happens when we pray together too.
The gathering starts with a time of celebration reflecting on what God is doing in lives. Next a relevant devotional teaching from the Bible is shared. Then we spend time in prayer and worship. Some people sit quietly on a bench and others walk around the auditorium. Everyone enjoys a powerful time of connecting with God in prayer.
So, join us at the next prayer meeting and let’s see what God will do!
Always be joyful and never stop praying. Whatever happens, keep thanking God because of Jesus Christ. This is what God wants you to do (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).
Every Child Matters
Reaching the next generation
What about my kids?
We have kids too. We know how much they matter to you. You want the very best for them. So do we. While you are in the service, we have FirstKids for your children.
FirstKids is designed to help children ages 4 – 11 develop a personal relationship with Jesus and learn about the Bible. On Sundays during the 10:30 a.m. service, we have a fun interactive service with worship, games, crafts, music, and a kids-centered message.
Nursery is provided for children 0 to 3 years during all service times. Parents can check in their children at the FirstKids counter located next to the lobby where you can find more information about our kids’ ministries.
The best is yet to come
Rejoice always,
pray continually,
give thanks in all circumstances!
Our Core Values (The DNA of who we are):
Every life (soul) matters to God… God loves people, all people. With everything we do as a church family, we desire to love people the way God does! That’s why we can say, “You matter to God. And you matter to us.” Your life is priceless and irreplaceable. You are always welcome to visit us.
The Bible is our guidebook for living… The Bible is a road map; it’s an instruction manual. We want to make sure that we follow its instruction in the way we live our lives, and we make it the central focus of our teaching and ministry.
Connect with God through worship and prayer… We were created for relationship with God. It’s who we are! The greatest way to experience that connection with Him is through worship and prayer. The best hour of your week will be gathering together with us at the Wednesday night prayer meeting. As we seek God in prayer and allow His Spirit and His Word to guide our lives, we can say boldly, “let’s see what our God will do!”
Everyone has a part to play… Serving in the local church is one of the best ways to connect with others, and our church will be stronger and more effective when we work together.
Make lifetime followers of Jesus… At Belleville First, it is our goal to see people become life-long followers of Jesus. We want to see lost and broken people have an encounter with Jesus that changes their lives forever!
Our Beliefs: Assemblies of God Fundamentals of Truth
WE BELIEVE…The Scriptures are Inspired by God and declare His design and plan for mankind.
WE BELIEVE…There is only One True God–revealed in three persons…Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (commonly known as the Trinity).
WE BELIEVE…In the Deity of the Lord Jesus Christ. As God’s son Jesus was both human and divine.
WE BELIEVE…though originally good, Man Willingly Fell to Sin–ushering evil and death, both physical and spiritual, into the world.
WE BELIEVE…Every Person Can Have Restored Fellowship with God Through ‘Salvation’ (trusting Christ, through faith and repentance, to be our personal Savior). [1 of 4 cardinal doctrines of the AG]
WE BELIEVE…and practice two ordinances—(1) Water Baptism by Immersion after repenting of one’s sins and receiving Christ’s gift of salvation, and (2) Holy Communion (the Lord’s Supper) as a symbolic remembrance of Christ’s suffering and death for our salvation.
WE BELIEVE…the Baptism in the Holy Spirit is a Special Experience Following Salvation that empowers believers for witnessing and effective service, just as it did in New Testament times. [1 of 4 cardinal doctrines of the AG]
WE BELIEVE… The Initial Physical Evidence of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit is ‘Speaking in Tongues,’ as experienced on the Day of Pentecost and referenced throughout Acts and the Epistles.
WE BELIEVE…Sanctification Initially Occurs at Salvation and is not only a declaration that a believer is holy, but also a progressive lifelong process of separating from evil as believers continually draw closer to God and become more Christlike.
WE BELIEVE…The Church has a Mission to seek and save all who are lost in sin. We believe ‘the Church’ is the Body of Christ and consists of the people who, throughout time, have accepted God’s offer of redemption (regardless of religious denomination) through the sacrificial death of His son Jesus Christ.
WE BELIEVE…A Divinely Called and Scripturally Ordained Leadership Ministry Serves the Church. The Bible teaches that each of us under leadership must commit ourselves to reach others for Christ, to worship Him with other believers, to build up or edify the body of believers–the Church and to Meet human need with ministries of love and compassion.
WE BELIEVE…Divine Healing of the Sick is a Privilege for Christians Today and is provided for in Christ’s atonement (His sacrificial death on the cross for our sins). [1 of 4 cardinal doctrines of the AG]
WE BELIEVE…in The Blessed Hope—When Jesus Raptures His Church Prior to His Return to Earth (the second coming). At this future moment in time all believers who have died will rise from their graves and will meet the Lord in the air, and Christians who are alive will be caught up with them, to be with the Lord forever. [1 of 4 cardinal doctrines of the AG]
WE BELIEVE…in The Millennial Reign of Christ when Jesus returns with His saints at His second coming and begins His benevolent rule over earth for 1,000 years. This millennial reign will bring the salvation of national Israel and the establishment of universal peace.
WE BELIEVE…A Final Judgment Will Take Place for those who have rejected Christ. They will be judged for their sin and consigned to eternal punishment in a punishing lake of fire.
WE BELIEVE…and look forward to the perfect New Heavens and a New Earth that Christ is preparing for all people, of all time, who have accepted Him. We will live and dwell with Him there forever following His millennial reign on Earth. ‘And so shall we forever be with the Lord!’