What We Believe
These core convictions, rooted in Scripture, shape who we are as a church and how we live together as followers of Jesus Christ.
The Bible
We believe the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be the verbally inspired word of God, inerrant in the original writing, the supreme and final authority in all matters of faith and conduct, and the complete revelation of God's will for the salvation of man.
God
We believe that there is one God, eternally existent in three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, who is the creator and sustainer of heaven and earth and everything therein.
Christ
We believe that our Lord Jesus Christ, God the Son from eternity, was born of the virgin Mary, fully God and fully man, lived a sinless life, gave his life on the cross as an atoning sacrifice, was buried, on the third day was bodily resurrected from the dead, ascended into heaven, and shall personally return in power and glory.
Holy Spirit
We believe that the Holy Spirit dwells in every believer, enabling him/her to live holy lives, and is ever present to testify of Christ.
Man
We believe that man, created in the image of God, sinned, incurring both death and separation from God, which is spiritual death.
Salvation
We believe that our salvation from death has been accomplished solely by the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all who receive him by faith are born of God and sealed by the Holy Spirit until the day of judgment.
Judgment
We believe in the resurrection of both the saved and the lost, of the saved to eternal life in the presence of God, and the lost to conscious everlasting punishment.
Church
We believe in one holy universal church which is the body of Christ, to which all believers belong, and that the duty of the church is to proclaim the gospel of salvation to the world.
Our Vision
The purpose of the FICCC English ministry is "to develop humble servants who will love the Lord, the lost and the local church for the rest of their lives." This vision is based on three standards that are stressed throughout the Bible. These are three standards that we desire to develop in the lives of people involved in the English ministry so that they will be equipped to be good managers of the bountiful blessings that God has given them.
Develop Humble Servants
This is embodied in Philippians 2:3-4: "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves." Our church desires to develop in the lives of people a spirit of servanthood instead of a spirit of entitlement.
We challenge people in our English ministry to get involved in serving while they are living in Ithaca: in our church, as a mentor for refugees, or in a campus ministry. Our desire is that their lives would be characterized by a spirit of servanthood instead of entitlement.
Love the Lord, the Lost, and the Local Church
This standard is stressed in I Corinthians 13:3. We desire to develop in people a motive of love instead of self-interest.
We hope our capacity for love will grow: love for the Lord through Scripture, prayer, and worship; love for the lost through friendship and the Gospel; and love for the local church through genuine community and the one-another commands of Scripture.
For the Rest of Their Lives
Matthew 13:20-23 calls us to long-term growth rather than short periods of spiritual enthusiasm.
Our hope is that during their time in Ithaca, students develop such a strong servant heart that their love for the Lord, the lost, and the local church will continue to grow for the rest of their lives.
See our faith in action
From worship gatherings to small groups, discover how we live out these beliefs together.
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