Since 1837, we've been committed to loving God and sharing His love with those around us. We are a historic Christian church holding to the authority of the Bible, adhering to Reformed and evangelical faith, and living out Biblical congregational practices and traditions.
OUR VISION
To see people transformed by the Gospel of our Lord Jesus.
Our Mission
We are a family of believers in Jesus Christ, accountable to God to equip ourselves to share His grace. By the power of the Holy Spirit, we joyfully encourage one another through worship, study, and prayer, to be Christ's ambassadors to Thomaston and beyond.
OUR PURPOSE
Give visible form to the faith and fellowship to which God has called His people.
Acknowledge ourselves to be a local manifestation of the universal church through which Jesus Christ continues to minister to the world by his Holy Spirit.
Seek to fulfill God's call through corporate worship services, a program of Christian nurture by which our members may be built up in their faith and love, proclamation of the gospel by word and deed and ministering to human needs in the name of Christ.
“Let all that you do be done in love.”
OUR COVENANT
We confess our faith in Jesus Christ, our personal Lord and Savior, and take for our rule of life His words, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and mind and thy neighbor as thy self." In the presence of God we give ourselves unreservedly to His service and take this to be Christ's Church. Ever mindful of the welfare of our fellow members, we promise to walk with them in faithfulness and Christian love, and we promise that, so far as we are able, we will attend to the services of this church, observe its sacraments, share in its work, contribute to its benevolences, and endeavor to make it a fruitful body of Christians.
Our Statement of Faith
Trinity: We believe God exists through eternity as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, three coequal Persons in one triune God.
God the Father: We believe God the Father is the Creator and Ruler of the universe and of history, and that HE seeks to claim all people as His sons and daughters through the redeeming word of His Son, Jesus Christ.
God the Son: We believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God, who came to rescue, restore and transform us to become joint heirs with Him of God's Kingdom. Fully God and fully human, He offered Himself through His death on the cross as the perfect sacrifice for our sin. He arose from the dead in the flesh, claiming victory over death and the Evil One. He shall return to earth to rescue His people. He reigns as King of kings and Lord of lords.
God the Spirit: We believe the Holy Spirit indwells and gives life to believers, enabling them to understand the Holy Scriptures, to be assured of salvation, to receive spiritual gifts, to experience intimacy with God, and to be empowered for godly living and serving.
The Word of God: We believe the entire Bible, both the Old Testament and the New Testament, constitutes the revealed and inspired Word of God and serves as the only infallible guide for faith and practice.
Salvation: We believe we receive the gift of eternal life by God's grace through faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus is God's only provision for human salvation, and good works are important as the fruit and evidence of our faith.
Human Destiny: We believe all people exist after death, either eternally separated from God by sin, or living eternally with God through His grace and forgiveness.
The Church: We believe that as believers, we are part of the universal Body of Christ, and as members of His Church we have a variety of gifts and servant roles according to the grace He bestows.
Christian Living: We believe we are called by God, first and foremost, to obey His Word, to act with love, to pray faithfully, to embrace the joy and accept the cost of discipleship, to celebrate the sacraments of Baptism and the Lord's Supper, and to share the Good News of salvation through Jesus Christ, both locally and globally, through word and deed.
Conservative Congregational Christian Conference (4Cs)
First Congregational Church, Thomaston is a member of the Conservative Congregational Christian Conference (CCCC or 4Cs). It is the oldest organization of continuing Congregational churches in America today. CCCC is a theologically conservative denomination believing strongly in the autonomy of the local church under the headship of Christ. Its member churches include those who are Congregational, Christian, and Evangelical and Reformed in their background, as well as independent Community churches.
Though CCCC is solidly committed to the basic doctrines of the Christian faith, it allows for diversity in many areas where Christians have tended to disagree. And though members hold strong biblical convictions, they do not believe that Christians should divide over secondary issues. As an evangelical denomination, in obedience to Jesus Christ, we work together to advance the kingdom of our Lord through evangelism, church planting, and missions.
For more information about the Conservative Congregational Christian Conference, visit the CCCC website.