Welcome to Berwick Church of Christ

Welcome to Berwick Church of Christ

One day in Berwick

In 1869, James Hamill walked from Prahran to Pakenham to a small church group meeting there. One day Hamill’s boot gave him trouble so he stopped by the Bootmakers Shop in Berwick to have it repaired. A conversation began and Hamill shared about Jesus with the bootmaker Reinholdt Metzenthin and his wife, Elisabeth. In June, he returned to Berwick and he baptised Reinholdt and Elisabeth in the Cardinia Creek. That was the beginning of Berwick Church of Christ.

Purpose

Being His presence in every place  

Vision

To be a movement representing Jesus Christ, transforming lives and communities through the power of the gospel.

Mission

We raise and equip followers of Christ who love people, serve their city and grow faith communities

Values

GOD HONOURING
We love God, glorifying and honouring Him as our act of worship

CHRIST CENTRED
Jesus Christ is the centre of creation, of all that we are and everything we do

SPIRIT EMPOWERED
We are led by the Holy Spirit who guides, comforts and empowers us for the work of Christ, producing in us the fruit of the Spirit

BIBLE BASED
We believe the Bible is the inspired word of God by which we live

KINGDOM FOCUSED
We passionately proclaim the Gospel of the kingdom, bringing about his rule and reign in our community

LOVING OF ALL PEOPLE
We demonstrate God’s love and care for every person in grace and truth.

Statement Of Faith

1.       We believe that the Bible is God’s revealed message to humanity and that every word was inspired by the Holy Spirit as it was being written down by various human authors (2 Peter 1:20-21; Acts 1:15-16; cf. Acts 4:25; 2 Timothy 3:16).

2.      We believe that there is only one God, creator of heaven and earth, who co-exists eternally as three distinguishable persons – the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, each fully God yet each personally distinct from the other (Matthew 28:19; 1 Corinthians 12:4-6; 2 Corinthians 13:14).

3.      We believe that all people are created in the image of God and matter deeply to Him (Genesis 1:27; 9:6; 1 Kings 8:23; Luke 15:1-32).

4.      We believe that every person since Adam and Eve have sinned and have fallen short of God's glory. It is sin that separates us from God and breaks our relationship with him. As a result, every person is in need of salvation – the restoration of their relationship with God; without which there can be no forgiveness or eternal life (Genesis 2:17; Ephesians 2:1-3; Romans 3:23; 5:12).

5.      We believe that Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God and the Saviour of the world. He came to restore our relationship with the Father by dying in our place to pay the penalty for our sins. As Jesus is the only one who can remove our sins, there is no access to God the Creator except by faith in Jesus Christ. (John 3:16; Mark 1:1; Luke 1:35; John 20:31; Luke 2:11; Acts 4:12; 5:31).

6.      We believe that salvation is a gift of God received by grace through faith in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ and comes as a result of turning away from sin and confessing that Jesus Christ is Lord and Saviour and that God has raised him from the dead (Luke 24:46-47; Acts 2:38; Romans 6:23; 10:9; Ephesians 2:8-9).

7.      We believe in the necessity of water baptism by full immersion in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit as the first step of obedience after repentance and faith in Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:19; Acts 2:34-36; 19:1-6).

8.      We believe in the work of the Holy Spirit as a powerful experience for every believer (Matthew 3:11; Acts 1:5 & 2:1-4): renewing and regenerating us that we might receive new birth as God's children (John 3:3-5; Romans 8:15-16; Titus 3:5) and coming upon us that we might experience His transforming work in our lives (Acts 1:5; 2 Corinthians 3:18; Galatians 5:22-23), be empowered to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ without fear (Acts 1:8) and receive spiritual gifts in order that we might serve others (1 Corinthians 12:7‑11).

9.      We believe in supernatural healing by God’s power as practised and experienced in the early church (Mark 16:17-18; Acts 4:30; Romans 8:11; 1 Corinthians 12:9; Hebrews 12:12-13; James 5:14).

10.   We believe in the Lord’s Table – commonly called “communion” or “the Lord's Supper” – as a reminder for all believers that their sins are forgiven and their eternal condemnation removed (Matthew 26:26-28; 1 Corinthians 11:28-32).

11.     We believe in the existence of a real and personal being known as Satan or the Devil, the enemy of God, his children and all of humanity, and his eternal judgment in the lake of fire which has been prepared for him, his angels and demons or evil spirits (Job 1:6-7; Matthew 4:1-11; 25:41; Revelation 20:2).

12.   We believe that there is one true universal church made up of genuine believers and comprising many churches in various localities each exercising autonomous government under the headship of Jesus Christ (Matthew 16:18; 1 Corinthians 4:17; Ephesians 1:22).

13.   We believe that the supreme task of every believer is to glorify God in life and conduct and be a Christ-like witness before the world. Each Christian is called to be a faithful steward of all they are entrusted with and to grow into full maturity in Christ (Romans 15:5-6; Ephesians 1:4‑6; 4:1; 1 Peter 2:12; 4:10‑11).

14.   We believe that all followers of Christ are called to partner with God and one another in the Great Commission. As representatives, sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ with all people and helping them experience a thriving relationship with God (Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15; 1 Corinthians 3:9; 2 Corinthians 5:14-21).

15.   We believe all humanity is condemned to eternal punishment in hell, because they do not know God and do not obey the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.
However, by God’s grace he has made the way for all who believe in Jesus Christ, to be received into God’s presence forever (Matthew 25:31-46; Luke 14:13-14; 2 Thessalonians 1:8‑9; 2 Peter 2:9).

16.   We believe in the biblical expression of marriage, which is between one man and one woman for life. We believe that any expression of sexual activity outside of the marital bond, as defined in scripture, is sin (Galatians 5:19; Matthew 19:4-6; Hebrews 13:4; Ephesians 5:3; Jeremiah 29:6).

Sunday 10am | Live stream | All welcome

Watch live stream on our YouTube channel here or Facebook here.

Don’t miss out!