About Us

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Senior Pastor Irving Clark -- Ext 356
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Preaching & Teaching

Associate  Pastor Jack Hunt -- Ext 353
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Outreach and Evangelism

Associate Pastor Matt Geier -- Ext 333
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Missions and GBCS Spiritual Life Director

Mr. Koreem Mack -- Ext 349
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Minister to Youth

Mr. George Hornickel -- Ext 328
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School Director

Mr. George Merchant -- Ext 354
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Director of Operations / Minister of Music

How You Can Become A Christian

How You Can Become A Christian

We have provided this information to help you learn how to begin your own personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  Please read through these next few paragraphs, and allow the Lord to speak to your heart.

1.  You must admit your spiritual need.  We are all sinners ... people don't always like that title.  The one word that defines all sin is the Greek word "Harmatia" which means "to miss the mark."  What is God's mark?  Jesus said, "Be perfect as My Father in Heaven is perfect."  Unless a person is perfect, he has missed the mark; therefore, he is a sinner.  Romans 3:23 states, "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."

2.  What is the result of sin?  In Romans 6:23 we read, "The wages of sin is death ..."  Every one of us has missed God's mark.  Every one of us falls short of being perfect.  We are getting only what we deserve, and we are bringing judgment upon ourselves.  One thing we need to remember is that God never sends anyone to Hell.  We send ourselves there by rejecting His truth.

3.  Since we can never measure up to God's standards on our own, God has reached out to man.  We cannot solve the problem of sin, but God, who is perfect, can and has.  He has become a bridge for us.  John 3:16-17 states, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.  For God did not send His Son to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved."  In Romans 5:8 we read, "God demonstrates his own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."

4.  If a person acknowledges that he is a sinner, and he accepts the promise that Christ is the solution, he is at a crossroads.  Either the person must reject God's solution and accept the consequences, or he must accept Jesus Christ as his Savior.  What must a person do to accept this gift?  Simply receive it!  Matthew 11:28-30 states, "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me ... for My yoke is easy and My burden is light."

5.  His invitation is clear.  We must come to Him.  All that remains is a response.  In Romans 6:23 we read, "... the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."  What do we have to do to receive that gift?  Take it!  Revelation 3:20 states, "Behold I stand at the door and knock.  If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with me."  Jesus stands at the door of your heart and knocks, seeking entrance into your life.  John 1:12 states, "For as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become the children of God."

If you would like to receive Jesus Christ into your heart and life right now, pray a prayer something like this from the sincerity of your heart ...

Father God, I know that I am a sinner.  I am truly sorry for what I have done.  I believe you sent your Son Jesus to die for my sins, so that I may be forgiven.  Right now, I turn from my sins and open the door of my heart and life to you.  I receive Jesus as my personal Lord and Savior.  Fill me now with your Holy Spirit, and enable me to live a life that pleases you.  Thank you for saving me, and thank you for forgiving my sins.  I commit my life to your now, in Jesus' name, Amen.

If you just prayed that prayer and really meant it, Jesus Christ has now taken up residence in your heart!  Not only that, but He has forgiven you of all your sin.  The Bible tells us, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (I John 1:9).  God also promises, "As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us" (Psalms 103:12).

Your decision to receive Christ also means that you are now going to Heaven one day.  That's a lot to be thankful for!  You need to take some practical steps to grow strong spiritually:  read the Bible, pray, and go to church.

We at Grace Brethren Church would like to hear from you and send you some materials to help you grow in your relationship with Christ.  You can write to us, and we will get to you a copy of the Bible. The Bible is the inspired word of God, and we will also get you some helpful materials that will help you grow in your new walk with Christ.  There is no charge for any of these materials.

We also invite you to come and worship with us at Grace Brethren Church.  Our worship services begin at 10:45 on Sunday mornings, and we are located at 6501 Surratts Road in Clinton, MD.  Our telephone number for the church office is 301-868-1600.  If we can help you in any way, please let us know.

What We Believe

What We Believe

Here is a summary of the doctrines of Scripture that guide the everyday ministry of our church and Christian school:

The Bible is the infallible Word of God, supernaturally inspired and preserved by God to be the only authority and standard for doctrine and practice.

One true God exists eternally in three persons:  Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and is the creator and sustainer of the universe.

The person Jesus Christ in the flesh is both God and man.  He was born, lived a sinless life, was crucified for our sins, conquered death and the grave through His bodily resurrection, ascended into heaven, and will come again for His own.

The person of the Holy Spirit is God who indwells, baptizes, and seals all believers at the moment of their salvation and enables them to live a consistent, godly, separated life.

Man was created in the image of God but subsequently fell into sin, resulting in spiritual death.  Salvation is provided wholly by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.

The visible church is a congregation of baptized believers practicing Biblical principles, believing its doctrine, observing the ordinances of baptism and communion, and exercising its autonomy.

The future life of mankind will be a conscious existence of eternal life for the saved in Christ and eternal punishment for those who are lost in their sin.

If you would like more information about the beliefs of our church and how we came to accept them, please feel free to contact our pastoral staff at 301-868-1600.

A more complete presentation of these beliefs with their appropriate scriptural support follows in:

The Statement of Faith of the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches.

The members of the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches, in harmony with our historic position, believing the Bible, the whole Bible, and nothing but the Bible to be our infallible rule of faith and practice and feeling our responsibility to make known the divine message of the Bible, present the following articles as a statement of those basic truths taught in the Bible which are common to our Christian faith and practice.

The Bible
The Word of God, the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments, verbally inspired in all parts and therefore wholly without error as originally given by God (II Timothy 3:16; II Peter 1:21)

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God
The One True God existing eternally as three persons -- the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Luke 3:22; Matthew 28:19; II Corinthians 13:14)

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Jesus Christ
His pre-existence and deity (John 1:1-13), incarnation by virgin birth (John 1:14; Matthew 1:18-23), sinless life (Hebrews 4:15), substitutionary death (II Corinthians 5:21), bodily resurrection (Luke 24:36-43), ascension into heaven and present ministry (Hebrews 4:14-16), and coming again (Acts 1:11).

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Holy Spirit
His personality (John 16:7-15), and deity (Acts 5:3-4), and His work in each believer: baptism and indwelling at the moment of regeneration (I Corinthians 12:13; Romans 8:9), and filling (Ephesians 5:18) to empower for Christian life and service (Ephesians 3:16; Acts 1:8; Galatians 5:22-23)

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Man
His direct creation in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-28) his subsequent fall into sin resulting in spiritual death (Genesis 3:1-24; Romans 5:12), and the necessity of the new birth for his salvation (John 2:2-5)

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Salvation
A complete and eternal salvation by God's grace alone, received as the gift of God through personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and His finished work (Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5-7; I Peter 1:18-19)

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The Church
One true church, the body and the bride of Christ (Ephesians 1:22-23; 5:25-32), composed of all true believers of the present age (I Corinthians 12:12-13), and the organization of its members in local churches for worship, for edification of believers, and the world-wide gospel witness, each local church being autonomous but cooperating in fellowship and word (Ephesians 4:11-16)

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The Christian Life
A life of righteousness, good works and separation unto God from the evil ways of the world (Romans 12:1-2), manifested by speaking the truth (James 5:12), maintaining the sanctity of the home (Ephesians 5:22-6:4), settling differences between Christians in accordance with the Word of God 
(I Corinthians 6:1-8), not engaging in carnal strife but showing a Christ-like attitude toward all men (Romans 12:7-21), exhibiting the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), and maintaining a life of prayer (Ephesians 6:18; Philippians 4:6), including the privilege, when sick, of calling for the elders of the church to pray and to anoint with oil in the name of the Lord Jesus (James 5:13-18)

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Ordinances
The Christian should observe the ordinances of our Lord Jesus Christ, which are (1) baptism of believers by triune immersion (Matthew 28:19), and (2) the threefold communion service, consisting of the washing of the saint's feet (John 13:1-17), the Lord's Supper (I Corinthians 11:20-22, 33-34; Jude 12), and the communion of the bread and the cup (I Corinthians 11:23-26)

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Satan
His existence and personality as the great adversary of God and His people (Revelation 12:1-10), his judgment (John 12:31), and final doom (Revelation)

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Second Coming
The personal, visible and imminent return of Christ to remove His Church from the earth 
(I Thessalonians 4:16-17), before the Tribulation (I Thessalonians 1:10; Revelation 3:10), and afterward to descend with the Church to establish His millennial kingdom upon the earth (Revelation 19:11-20:6)

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Future Life
The conscious existence of the dead (Philippians 1:21-23; Luke 16:19-31), the resurrection of the body (John 5:28-29), the judgment and reward of believers (Romans 4:10-12; II Corinthians 5:10), the judgment and condemnation of unbelievers (Revelation 20:11-15), the eternal life of the saved (John 3:16), and the eternal punishment of the lost (Matthew 25:46: Revelation 20:15)

Philosophy

Our Philosophy

You are welcome at the Grace Brethren Church!

It is our hope and prayer that you will join us as we grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ (II Peter 3:18). God is doing great things in the lives of those here among us that are turning their lives over to His grace and goodness.

The philosophy of the Grace Brethren Church of Clinton is based solely upon the Scriptures.

1.  We believe that salvation is only possible by the grace of God, through faith in Jesus Christ.  In
Ephesians 2:8-9 it states: "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of
yourselves: it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast."

2.  Our philosophy and ministries center in and develop from Christ's mandate to the church in the
Upper room:  "A new commandment I give you, that you love one another,  as I have loved you, 
... by this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have this kind of love for one another
(paraphrased from John 13:34-35).

3.  When we contemplate Christ's love for us, we are impacted by His unselfish caring and giving of
Himself in order to redeem us unto Himself.  His grace and mercy are a manifestation of His love. 
This great salvation that is offered to all who will believe is because He loves us.

4.  Therefore, we respond to His love in simple faith, believing and accepting His love, grace and
forgiveness.  We willingly commit ourselves to Him ... loving Him, worshipping Him, and seeking to
glorify Him in submission to His will and in obedience to His Word.  The essence of submission and
obedience is summed up in His mandate that we love with His kind of love.

5.  This kind of love must be learned, consciously, at the feet of Jesus.  This love must be practical,
cognitive, and volitional.  We do not love this way by nature.  God does not make us love
everybody.  Our faith in Christ motivates us to learn how to love and to practice this kind of love.

6.  The apostle Paul is very clear in saying that our faith and our ministries are nothing without this
kind of love, as we see in I Corinthians 13.  All of our ministries (as described in Ephesians 4:11-13)
are to be implemented in love.  Our preaching, teaching, witnessing, praying, and serving all must
be motivated by God's kind of love.  Also, true evangelism, church planting and any missionary
endeavors must be motivated by love.

7.  True holiness is the fruit of our love.  We do God's will and obey His Word because we love Him,
not because we are afraid of Him.  We go with God willingly.  His love was freely given, even
though it was undeserved and unappreciated.  It is very sobering to realize that this kind of love
must characterize our relationships, or our claim to Christ is not valid.  As it says in I Corinthians
13:13 -- "And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love."

8.  We believe that every Christian is a minister for the Lord Jesus Christ.  We recognize that the
world will never be reached with the Gospel, nor the church truly edified until believers are
actively participating in this process.  This concept of the Church plays a vital role in the body-life
ministry, ministering to one another as God has gifted us (as we see in Ephesians 4:11-13 and in 
II Timothy 4:5).

9.  Our goal is to "... love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith" (I Timothy
1:5).  All of what we do here at Grace is focused upon ministering the love and grace of our Lord to
the world that is around us.  We desire to see Christ's love put into action in the things that we do,
for those people whom He has placed in our midst.  We  would love to have the opportunity to
share God's love and His Word with you at the Grace Brethren Church of Clinton.  Please accept
our invitation to come and join with us in the ministry we have here at Grace.

This information is provided to give you a general idea of the doctrinal and theological perspectives of our church and of our denomination.  If you would like more information about the beliefs of our church and how we came to accept them, please feel free to call our pastoral staff at 301-868-1600.

Our Motto: "The Bible, the whole Bible and nothing but the Bible."  We at GBC are
committed to teaching,  preaching and standing on the Word of God.

e="font-family: Georgia; font-size: medium;">Our Goal: "But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience
and a sincere faith." I Timothy 1:5

Our Mission: To learn more about God's Word
To enjoy being in God's family
To reach out to God's world