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2024 Theme:
The Journey of Faith: Restarting, Rebuilding, and Rededicating
OUR STORY
& BELIEFS
A Bit of Our Story
Our Story
The spiritual journey of Somerville Community Baptist Church has been firmly rooted in unity in diversity upon God’s Will and our faith in Christ. Founded in 1977, Somerville Community Baptist Church (S.C.B.C.) is a church community in Somerville Massachusetts and a member of The American Baptist Church of Massachusetts (T.A.B.C.O.M.).
We are under the spiritual leadership of Rev. David J.Y. Lee and continuously demonstrating unity in diversity in Christ. As the dynamic vibe that our multicultural congregation from many different countries create has been in accord with Christ Jesus, we believe that our spiritual journey together will continue to stand firm in the faith and on God’s truth.
It is our vision and mission to witness the people in our community and the world being changed, transformed, and united by the Gospel and holding Christ as the true source of joy and life. We are a family-oriented church of everyday people that welcomes everyone, no matter where you come from or where you've been. We'd love to have join you us for worship and become part of our Christian family.
Our Core Values
Our Core Values
Christ Focused & Word Centered
We are eager to be a church where everything centers on and who we are is defined by the person of Jesus (Rom. 11:36) and His Word. (2 Tim. 3:15, 16)
Grace Oriented
We acknowledge our complete dependence on the grace of God. Living under God’s unconditional and inexhaustible love, acceptance and forgiveness and extending that same grace to others. (Ephesians 2:8-9)
Passionate About Prayer
We believe the life of prayer is essential to our spiritual walk with God. (Colossians 4:2)
Committed To Community
We believe life change happens best in the ministry of relationships. In clusters of caring for people around us, participants share and encourage each other toward spiritual growth. People thus can experience both the benefits of a larger church and enjoy the kind of relationships developed in a small church setting. (Hebrews 10:24-25)
Diversity
We are to be a healing and empowering community that celebrates the diversity of humankind and our unity in Jesus Christ. We value and esteem all God’s people and their gifts and abilities and our effectiveness in developing local and global awareness of diversity in the body of Christ (Acts 10:34B–35)
OUR VISION
Loving God, Loving People, Loving Life
We want to sincerely love God; joyfully share His love with the community and its people; and therefore diligently manifest the love of Christ every day in our lives.
Our Beliefs
Our Beliefs
The Bible
We believe that the Bible was written by men who were inspired by God. The Bible is the authoritative and truthful voice of God, revealing the God-given principles of the Christian faith. The Bible is the Living Word through which God speaks to us now (Luke 4:18-27) and the primary spiritual resource of the church. The Bible is necessary for spiritual formation of Christians: It is our primary sourcebook for personal devotions and a ready source of inspiration, strength, guidance, comfort, and peace.
Salvation
We believe Jesus is the eternal second person of the Trinity and the only Son of God (John 1:14, 5:18; Mark 1:1, 2:28). He is the Word, eternal and true God, also the “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6; John 1:1-5, 1:18, 8:58, 17:5). We believe Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. While embracing the limits of humanity with a fully human body, Jesus is still the true and perfect God. We believe Jesus paid the price for the sins of all people by dying on the cross as their substitute, and bringing salvation to all who believe in Him. After His physical death, Jesus Christ rose from the dead and ascended into heaven to sit at the right hand of the Father as the intercessor between God and humans. He promises to return to earth, personally and visibly, to fulfill history and the eternal plan of God.
Holy Spirit
We believe that the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity. Sent by the Father and the Son, the Holy Spirit renews and indwells each believer becoming their source of assurance, strength, wisdom, and gifting for building up the church. The Holy Spirit guides believers in understanding and applying the Bible. We believe when believers live by the presence and indwelling of the Holy Spirit, His power and control empower the believers to lead a life of Christ-like character and the Church produces the fruit of the Spirit.
The Church
We believe Christ is the one and true foundation of the church. We believe the church is the body of Christ and Christ is the head and leader of the church. The church consists of the people of God who is under the headship of Christ and to build God’s kingdom by the power of Holy Spirit for the glory of God. As the body of Jesus Christ, the church is wherever God’s people meet regularly in obedience to this command. Cared for and led by leaders, church members are to work together in love and unity for the ultimate purpose of glorifying Christ.
God
We believe in only one, living, and true God, who is eternal Divine, coexisting with three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Matthew 3:16, 28:19; John 14:26) God is the creator of the universe and the absolute controller of the universe. In the beginning, God demonstrated His power and goodness by creating the world and everything in it. Through His divine power and providence, God continues to sustain His creation, operating within history to fulfill His redemptive purposes.
Jesus Christ
We believe that when we respond to God’s love for us (I John 4:19), repent of our sins, and believe in Jesus Christ as the resurrected Son of God, we receive salvation through faith in Jesus Christ (Romans 10:9-10). With salvation, we receive God’s forgiveness for our sins (Eph 1:7), reconciliation with God (Romans 5:11), and the promise of eternal life (John 3:16).
Baptism & Communion
As Baptists, we celebrate two ordinances, Baptism and Communion. Baptism is a believer’s public expression of his or her commitment of faith. Before baptism, the person states that he or she believes that Jesus is the Son of God who died for our sins. They make a public commitment to follow Jesus and surrender to him as Lord. There is no saving grace in the act of being baptized. Rather, it is a declaration of God’s grace at work in the life of the believer.
Communion symbolically re-creates Jesus’ Last Supper with his disciples (I Corinthians 11:23- 24). Jesus took the bread and wine and shared them with his disciples saying that these were his blood and body, instructing them to take and eat. Communion carries a complex web of meanings. It reminds us of Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross, and the forgiveness of sins that we receive because of this sacrifice (Matthew 26:26-28).
It signifies the closeness of our relationship with him. He invited us to symbolically take him into ourselves: “Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood abide in me, and I in them” (John 6:56). Jesus said that communion signifies the New Covenant that God established through him, opening a way to salvation for all believers (I Corinthians 11:25).
Finally, communion reminds us of the promise of participation in the Kingdom of God with Jesus in the life to come (Matthew 6:29). We believe that communion should be open to all believers.
OUR MISSION
To get you on a mission with God through serving the church, the city, and the nation.
We essentially ask ourselves how we can effectively and meaningfully manifest our passion to share the Gospel inside and outside of the church. Our goal is to become proficient in ministry skills and pro-actively involved in strategic ministries locally, nationally, and globally.
Our Leadership Team
Our Leadership Team
David has been our head pastor since 2013. He is married to Mina Cho and together they have a daughter named Grace. He graduated from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in South Hamilton, MA. His personal vision and mission from God is to live out Acts 20:24 through pastoring, preaching and teaching the gospel.
Gospel, spiritual renewal, and changed People in Boston and across nations are the three great causes God has called him to turn the tide in for. His assignment from God is to fight for freedom and renewal in spirit and to set every captive free through the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Changing the community of Somerville, further Boston and nations for the glory of God by the power of God's Spirit.
Ha Rim Lee
SUPERINTENDENT
harim.lee@ilovescbc.org
Mina Cho
DIRECTOR OF MUSIC
Stacie Clayton
MINISTER OF MUSIC
Staff Members
June Denovellis
ADMINISTRATIVE
ASSISTANT
Paul Tammaro
SEXTON
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