About Our Church

OUR MISSION To proclaim the Gospel, which is the power of God to transform lives and communities To equip everyone who responds to the Gospel to live a transformed life To love one another as a caring community   OUR VISION   To see the Garth and Sexton neighborhood transformed by God’s love as His people reach out from a thriving, Spirit-led, caring community, which is grounded in grace and truth. This spiritual vision will be pictured by a beautiful, peaceful physical environment, which glorifies God.   OUR VALUES We are committed to: Reaching out to the Garth and Sexton neighborhood Being Spirit-led Being a caring community  PHILOSOPHY OF MINISTRY   We seek to minister in a culture of SHALOM. In the Bible, Shalom refers to physical wellbeing, security, respect, and love. God’s children thrive in an environment in which their physical needs are met, they feel secure, respected, and are able to openly give and receive love. Therefore, we seek to establish and maintain a culture of SHALOM. We are . . .  EVANGELICAL Everyone needs a life-changing relationship with Jesus (John 17:3) Those who have that relationship with Jesus will follow Him (Matthew 4:19)   INCARNATIONAL Because God loves people, He sent Jesus to become flesh and live among them, and Jesus sent out His followers to do the same (John 1:14) He has sent us to Garth and Sexton – to people God loves (Matthew 28:19-20)   CHARISMATIC Jesus gave the gifts of the Holy Spirit to His followers to enable them to do what He sent them to do (Acts 1:8) Jesus has also given the gifts of the Holy Spirit to enable us to do what He is sending us to do (1 Corinthians 12:4-6)   MESSIANIC Jesus is the prophesied Messiah [the Christ] (John 1:41) He is coming back to set up the Messianic Age [the Millennium] (Daniel 2:44), fulfill the promises made to Abraham (Hebrews 11:13-16), and restore Israel to prominence among the nations (Isaiah 2:2-3)   SABBATARIAN God blessed the Seventh Day [the Sabbath] at creation (Genesis 2:3) In the Messianic Age, the Lord of the Sabbath will restore the Seventh Day as a day of worship and rest (Acts 3:20-21; Isaiah 66:23)    Join us.   Our worship services are held Saturday mornings at 11:00 a.m. at The Columbia Labor Temple, 611 N. Garth Ave., Columbia, Missouri.

Statement of Beliefs

GOD  We believe in one God and Father of all, creator of heaven and earth.  Eph. 4:6; Gen. 1:1; Isa. 40:28;51:13. JESUS We believe in Jesus, Who is the Christ, the only begotten Son of God; born of the virgin Mary, fully human and fully divine, Who was crucified for our sins, was bodily resurrected from the dead, and is seated at the right hand of the Father; Who will return in glory to judge the world and reign as King of kings and Lord of lords.  Matt. 1:21, 16; John 1:14; Matt. 1:23; 27:35; 2627-28; 28:6; Heb. 1:3; Matt. 25:31; 1 Tim. 4:1; Rev. 11:15; 19:11-16. THE HOLY SPIRIT We believe in the Holy Spirit, the third person of the triune God; Who was sent by God to continue the ministry of Jesus to the Church and to the world.  Eph. 4:4; Heb. 1:3; Acts 5:3-4; John 14: 16, 26; 15:26; 16:7-14; Acts 1:1. THE HOLY BIBLE We believe the Holy Bible (Old and New Testaments) is the inspired, infallible, and complete Word of God. It is truth; a source of patience and comfort; the final authority on matters of doctrine; and the guide in Christian living. Understanding the Bible is a gift from God.  2 Tim. 3:16; Rev. 22:18; John 17:17; Rom. 15:4; 2 Tim. 3:16-17; 1 Cor. 2:11. SALVATION We believe in salvation by grace through faith. We understand salvation to mean being saved by Jesus from the Second Death (which is the eternal punishment for sin) and deliverance in this life from the powre of sin and evil. A person receives salvation upon being born again by accepting Jesus as Savior.  Eph. 2:8-9; Matt. 1:21; Rom. 6:23; Rev. 21:8; Gal. 1:4; Col. 1:13; John 3:3-6; John 5:24; Rom. 10:9-13. JUSTIFICATION We believe in justification -- that God restores us to a right relationship with Himself in Christ. Faith is the means by which we accept God's gift of justification.  Rom. 3:24; 4:4-5; 5:1; Gal. 2:16. SANCTIFICATION We believe in sanctification as the present work of the Holy Spirit, Who lives in believers to bring them into the holiness and righteousness God has declared for them from the foundation of the world.  1 Cor. 6:9-11; Titus 3:3-7; 2 Tim. 1:9. BAPTISM We believe in one baptism into the Father (Who seeks), the Son (Who saves), and the Spirit (Who sanctifies). Water baptism (by immersion), preceded by repentance of sin, is symbolic of the death and resurrection of Jesus. Through this ceremony, the believer's old self symbolically dies and is raised with the resurrection power of Jesus; the believer is immersed into the Kingdom of God, the fellowship of the body of Christ, and the suffering of the Lord.  Eph. 4:5; Matt. 28:19; John 6:44; Rom. 5:10; 1 Cor. 6:11; Matt. 3:16; Acts 8:39; Acts 2:38; Rom. 6:3-6; Phil. 3:10; 1 Cor. 12:13. THE CHURCH We believe in one Church, the spiritual body of Christ, of which Jesus is the Head, composed of all true believers, brought together to continue the ministry of Jesus and for the perfecting of the saints to become the spotless Bride of Christ.  Eph. 4:4; Matt. 16:18; Col. 1:18; 1 Cor. 12:12-14; Eph. 4:11-13; 2 Cor. 11:2; Eph. 5:25-27; Rev. 21:2. TITHING We believe tithing is the Biblical model of honoring God with our substance as an expression of worship and financing the ministries of the Church.  Gen. 14:19-20; Prov. 3:9-10; Mal. 3:8-12; Matt. 23:23; 1 Cor. 9:1-11. THE SECOND COMING We believe in the Second Coming of Christ; that Jesus will visibly return to the earth in power and great glory at the last trump and bring the fullness of the Kingdom of God to the earth.  John 14:3; Rev. 1:7; Zech. 14:4; Matt. 24:30-31; Dan. 2:44; Rev. 11:15. RESURRECTION We believe in the resurrection of the dead, which will take place at Jesus' Second Coming. This is the hope of Christians. This is the time when the saints are rewarded, made perfect, and receive immortality.  1 Cor. 15:12-15; 1 Thes. 4:13-17; 1 Cor. 15:51-54; 1 John 3:1-3; Col. 1:5; Acts 24:14-15; Rev. 11:18; Heb. 11:39-40. THE KINGDOM OF GOD We believe the Kingdom of God is God's heavenly realm. We are translated into the Kingdom of God when we are born again. We will inherit the Kingdom of God at the Second Coming of Christ.  John 18:36; Col. 1:13; John 3:3-6; 1 Cor. 15:50-54. HELL We believe all unregenerate sinners will be cast into hell fire. This is the second death.  John 5:28-29; Rom. 6:23; Matt. 10:28; Rev. 21:8.

Church History

Grace Covenant Church had its first service in April 1998, and was incorporated the following month as a Missouri not-for-profit corporation, receiving federal 501(c)3 tax exempt status from the IRS.  We have moved several times during our first years. We've held our services in the following locations:      River of Life Church on Holly Rd., 6 months      Open Heart Baptist Church on St. Charles Rd., 18 mohths      810 Cherry Street in downtown Columbia; 21 months      Columbia Labor Temple, 611 N. Garth Ave., 15 months      The Intersection, 7 E. Sexton Rd., 56 months      Columbia Labor Temple, 611 N. Garth Ave., July, 2008 to present