We Are Baptist: The Church (Matthew 16:13-19)

What do you think of when you hear the word "Baptist"? Maybe southern accents or a white steeple or casseroles. Or perhaps it's much more negative--that one "church" that makes news for derisively protesting everything from military funerals to LGBT events. But as you can imagine, what it means to be Baptist has nothing to do with any of that. In our last sermon of the "What We Believe" series, we're going to see why Ruggles is a Baptist Church and what that means practically for us.

We Are Evangelical, Part 2: Assurance of Salvation (2 Peter 1:1-11)

Do you ever doubt your own salvation? Where do you find the confidence to say that you're truly a Christian? This week we'll explore one of the foundational, and revolutionary, beliefs of Protestant Evangelicals: Christians can have assurance of our salvation.

We Are Evangelical, Part 1: Scripture (2 Timothy 3:14-17)

Being evangelical doesn't mean we vote Republican, or deny evolution, or believe that America is a special Christian nation. It means none of these things, contrary to popular culture. Instead, one of the foundational tenets of evangelicalism is an emphasis on the Bible as God's word and guide for our churches and lives. This Sunday we're going to explore why we believe in the authority and power of God's word and why it is crucial to our church and lives as Christians.

We Are Christian, Part 2: Salvation (John 3:1-21)

"What must I do to be saved?" This is a question found on the lips of the Philippian prison guard in Acts 16:30, but it has been on people's lips from the beginning--and even still today. This Sunday we're going to explore what Christianity believes about salvation and this doctrine's practical implications in our lives and our church.

We Are Christian, Part 1: God and Us (Exodus 3:1-15)

Democrats and Republicans. Socialists and Capitalists. Americans and Armenians. Barack Obama and Donald Trump. How do we wrap our heads around Christianity when all of these people (or at least some from these groups) claim to be Christians? As we begin to explore Ruggles' old and proposed new statement of faith, we're going to explore what it means--at the foundation--to be a Christian.

New Year, Old Faith (1 Timothy 4:1-16)

We begin 2019 with a sermon series about the foundations of our faith, as we hope to adopt an updated Statement of Faith as a church. What we believe is essential to who we are as Christians--we're not called "believers" for nothing! And ultimately, as we look forward to a new year, what we believe will impact how we live in 2019 and beyond.