The Four Basic Purposes
Our Constitution states, The purpose shall be to exalt the true and living God. This is to be accomplished by the regular church services, Bible teaching ministry, personal witness, appropriate youth and adult organizations, and in various missionary enterprises.
This statement can be summarized with these 4 purposes:
Exalt Christ.
He is head of the church [ . . .] so that He Himself might come to have first place in everything. Colossians 1:18. Because of this purpose all of our music, preaching, fellowship, outreach programs, weddings, funerals, and EVERYTHING we do, the Person of Jesus Christ will be central, praised, and honored. As the Apostle Paul said, We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. (II Corinthians 10:5) Other important scriptures on this subject include: John 14:6, I Corinthians 2:2, Philippians 4:7-11, etc.
Educate in the Word.
II Timothy 3:16-17 tells us, All scripture is given by inspiration of God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work. The Bible not only tells us about eternal life, it tells us where and how to walk in this life (teaching), confronts us when we are walking in a way that displeases God (reproof), tells us how to get back on the right path (correction), and teaches us how to not fall away again (training). It is the 66 books of the Bible which give us our definition and direction. AT WCBC we study, practice, and proclaim the Bible - as the final authority for what we believe and how we live.
Encourage one another.
Hebrews 10:24-25 says, Let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another and all the more, as you see the day drawing near. There are dozens of one another commands in the New Testament. As believers, we are members of Christ's body; which the Bible presents BOTH as an invisible worldwide spiritual organism AND as visible local physical organizations. As a community of believers, our goal at WCBC is to obey all the one another commands of scripture.
Evangelize the lost.
Jesus commanded His disciples to Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. (Mark 16:15) Our Master gave us this Great Commission, which we take seriously here at WCBC. It is our job to share the good news (gospel) about Jesus Christ with our friends, family, neighbors, and everyone who has never heard, including other people groups around the world. The Bible divides the world into two groups: those who know Jesus Christ who will spend eternity with Him, and those who do not know Him who will be lost forever unless they place their faith in Christ. (See Missionary Outreach section)
In the late 1800's there were three denominational churches in Williams. The Baptist church was where Watergap Rd. meets Williams Hwy. The Brethren church was on upper Cedar Flat Rd. near 4 corners. The Methodist church was lower on Cedar Flat in front of Hartley Cemetery. Sometime in the 1930's, the Brethren moved their church to Grants Pass, and the other 2 churches closed their doors.
In the 1930's, Brother Randall, area missionary of The American Sunday School Union (InFaith since '11), began a Sunday School which met at the Williams School. By the mid-'40's he urged the growing group of believing dairymen, farmers, and loggers to establish their own Bible-believing, non-denominational church. They bought .8 acres behind Varner's store at 228 E. Fork Rd. where they began to build Williams Community Bible Church.Bob Gerry was the first full-time pastor, a recent BIOLA graduate who came for the summer of 1949, before he married Dorothy and became a missionary to Pakistan.
Phares & Lucile Huggins served WCBC from 1949 to 1953. The sanctuary and 2 Sunday School rooms were completed just before Christmas 1949. The bell and other furnishings came from the unused Baptist church building. Jim Elliot, a friend of Phares from Portland, held a week of evangelistic meetings to inaugurate the new building. Jim was supported by WCBC when he was martyred as a missionary in Ecuador in 1956. In 1953 Huggins' became missionaries to Japan.
Virgil Terry led WCBC from '53 to '59. A kitchen, small fellowship hall and rest rooms were added in '58.
Roy & Sandy Price and his young family served WCBC from 1959 to 1963. They were the first to live in the newly built parsonage. A constitution was adopted in 1961 and WCBC was incorporated.
Earl & Doreen Best served WCBC from 1963 to 1967. The half acre south of the parsonage was donated by the Tompkins family. Earl left WCBC to help start Wilderness Trails - a ministry to troubled teens.
Roger & Millie McKay served WCBC for 35 years; from 1967 to 2002. The Fellowship Hall was enlarged in 1968; plus remodels of the parsonage, church kitchen, and bathrooms were completed in the 1980's. Rob & Jan Culton were part-time youth workers from '76-'82. The baptistery was donated by the Vencill family in 1988.
Rob & Jan Culton returned to WCBC in 2002, after 15 years as missionaries in Spain. The Annex was donated to WCBC in 2003, the north parking lot was paved in 2005, and the Food Share expansion was completed in 2012.
Since 1949 WCBC has diligently pursued our purposes as stated in our Constitution; to exalt the true and living God. This is to be accomplished by the regular church services, Bible teaching ministry, personal witness, appropriate youth and adult organizations, and in various missionary enterprises.
The body of believers in Williams is thankful to the Lord for those who have been faithful in establishing this local church. We give all the glory to Jesus Christ for extending His kingdom here and around the world through the people and ministries of Williams Community Bible Church.
Doctrinal Statement of Williams Community Bible Church
As members of the New Testament revelation of the body of Christ we believe, and stand without compromise for the following:
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Men's Breakfast at Applegate Store - van leaves Tuesdays at 7:30am
Since the late 1980's WCBC men have met once a week for "no-host" breakfast. We meet at WCBC before leaving in the van to Applegate Cafe at 7:30am - where they reserve the back section for us. The food is great and reasonably priced. The fellowship is great and we usually end our time reading the Daily Bread before returning to WCBC around 9am. All men are welcome.
Please pray for our missionaries' spiritual, emotional, & physical health; marriage & family life, ministries, financial needs, relationships with co-workers and nationals, wisdom, and encouragement.
Glenn & Sue Ashcraft - with AVANT. Pray for strength & wisdom to manage a very busy camp facility in the mountains of So. Spain.
more info (external site)
Bill & Valeria Hamilton - with Reformed Evangelical Fellowship in St Laurence, Brazil campus ministry, evangelism training.
more info (external site)
Glenna Houston - with Interact. Director of the Native Bible Center. Lives near Calgary.
more info (external site)
Stan Jarrell - serves with Commission To Every Nation out of Mexico. Stan is a landscape architect.
more info (external site)
Jacob & Audrey Miller - with Missionary Aviation Fellowship (Mozambique)
more info (external site)
"Gospel" is the word the angel used when announcing Jesus' birth (Luke 2:10). The Gospel is the good news that the eternal Son of God came to earth to bring salvation. Salvation means to be rescued (saved) from sin and its punishment and set free to know, love and serve God. In John 8:34,36 Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin...If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed."
ALL PEOPLE have turned away from God and broken God's law. The Bible calls this sin. "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Romans 3:23
LEFT TO OURSELVES, there is no rescue, and the justice of God requires our eternal damnation in the terrors of hell. "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him." John 3:36
VICTORY over sin was obtained when God sent His Son Jesus to earth. Jesus obeyed God's laws perfectly, yet He died to pay for the sins of all who believe. "This is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins." I John 4:10
ADMITTING that our sin has put us in a desperate situation is the first step in our rescue. "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins." 1 John 1:8,9
RECEIVING the free gift of Jesus' payment for our sin makes us "not guilty" in God's sight. "The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 6:23
IN GRATITUDE for such love, we follow Him in obedience and sacrificial service. "Therefore, I urge you, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God." Romans 12:1
ONLY JESUS has provided the way of eternal salvation. "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved." Acts 4:12. Also, "Jesus said, 'I Am the Way, the Truth, and the Life; no man comes to the Father but by Me." John.14:6
FAITH is how we receive God's free gift. John 1:12 "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name. Salvation is a gift, pure and simple. God gives us salvation on the basis of what Jesus Christ has done for us and welcomes us into the kingdom. We receive it by believing.
What has Jesus done that God should do this for us?
If you are ready to accept this gift, pray this prayer:
"Jesus, I believe that you are the holy Son of God. I believe that you died on the cross for my sins and that you rose from the dead. You are my salvation. Please wash all my sins away and make me a child of God. I give my life to you today. Amen."
The words you pray are not important. What is important is the attitude of your heart before God. Only you and God know your heart attitude before Him - if you are truly repentant and have received Jesus Christ by faith.
If you have truly received Christ by faith, you are a Christian - a follower of Christ. Please tell us about your decision. We'd like to send you the book "Anchor for the Soul" to help you understand your new life with Jesus Christ and how you can grow to know Him and walk with Him each day.
People have honest doubts and questions about God that deserve solid answers. How do we explain the gospel of Jesus Christ in a way we can all understand? Ray Pritchard has updated this best-selling presentation of the gospel in a clear, straightforward way, using simple language and clear Scripture references.
An Anchor for the Soul is written with doubters, seekers, and skeptics in mind, adressing questions like: