Our Beliefs

Brewster Friends Church is a member of the Evangelical Friends Church - Eastern Region. You can learn more about the EFC-ER, our beliefs, and the many ministries and missionaries we partner with  HERE.

• We believe in one eternal, omnipresent, unchanging, personal God; perfect in holiness, wisdom, love, power, and justice without preceding cause or beginning; creator and preserver of all things, visible and invisible. (Deuteronomy 6:4; Mark 12:29; Psalm 90:1-2; Romans 1:20; Psalm 139:7-12; James 1:17; Malachi 3:6; John 14:9; Isaiah 6:3; I Peter 1:15-16; Romans 11:33; I John 4:8; I Chronicles 29:11-12; Isaiah 40:26-28; Ephesians 1:18-20; Psalm 89:14; Romans 3:26; Psalm 93:2; Genesis 1:1; Romans 11:36; Psalm 104:27-30; Colossians 1:16-17)
• He exists as one divine being and yet as trinity of three distinct persons, identical, inseperable, and equal in divinity, power and eternity: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19; John 14:16,18, 23; II Corinthians 13:14)
• God revealed himself in the past in many and various ways, though supremely in the person of Jesus Christ.  He continues to reveal Himself today through His creation, the Holy Scriptures, and the workings of the Holy Spirit in the hearts of people. (Hebrews 1:2; John 1:18; Romans 1:19-20; II Timothy 3:16; II Peter 1:21, Acts 8:29, 13:2, 15:28, 16:6-10)
• He alone is worthy of our worship, honor, praise and thanksgiving, now and forevermore. (Galatians 1:5)

• We believe that Jesus Christ, the Word who was with God and was God, is the only begotten Son of God.  He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary and is the express image of the invisible God.  He combines within himself both the divine nature of God and the human nature in one perfect indivisible personality, the God-man. (John 1:1; John 1:18; 1 John 4:9; Matthew 1:20; Luke 1:35; Matthew 1:18; Luke 1:34; Colossians 1:15; John 1:14; Colossians 2:9)
• He lived and suffered in the world to show the Way of Life.  He was crucified and died as an atonement for the sin of the whole world, making the only provision whereby people can find forgiveness of sins and cleansing from all unrighteousness. (Romans 5:10; Ephesians 5:2; 1 Peter 2:21; Romans 3:23-25; 1 John 2:2; Ephesians 1:7; Colossians 1:13-14; Titus 2:14)
• He died in our place and raised on the 3rd day for our salvation.  (Romans 4:25; 1 Cortinthians 15:4)

• We believe in the Holy Spirit, not as an impersonal principle or influence, but as a divine person, and though distinct from the Father and Son, proceeding from both, with whom He is equal in authority, power, glory, and titles. (John 14:16-17, 26; 16:13-14; 15:26; 16:7; Matthew 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14)
• He is given as an indwelling Presence to every believer to be a teacher, guide, and source of comfort (John 14:26; 16:13; Acts 9:31)
• He imparts at His own choosing spiritual gifts for service and the building of the body of Christ. (1 Corinthians 12:4-11; Ephesians 4:7-13)

• We believe that all Scripture is given by the inspiration of God, without error in all that it affirms, and is the only infallible rule of faith and practice. (2 Timothy 3:16; Psalm 19:7-11; Psalm 119:4, 105)
• It is fully authoritative and trustworthy, fully sufficient for all believers now and always, and profitable for teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness. (Psalm 119:89; 1 Peter 1:25; 2 Timothy 3:16-17)
• The Holy Spirit, who inspired the Scripture, must ever be its true interpreter.  Whatever any person says or does which is contrary to the Scriptures, though under profession of the guidance of the Holy Spirit, must be reckoned and accounted a delusion. (John 14:26; 16:13; 2 Peter 1:21; 2 Peter 1:20; 1 John 4:1)

• We believe that by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ persons may be reconciled to God and recovered from their fallen state through justification, regeneration, sanctification, and ultimately the resurrection of the body. (Galatians 1:3-5; Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 4:25; 5:1; Titus 3:7; Colossians 3:9-11; Titus 3:5; 2 Thessalonians 2:13; 1 Peter 1:2; 1 Corinthians 15:20-22)

• We believe that the church is made up of all of those from the apostles until now who through response to God’s gracious offer of salvation by repentance of their sins and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior have been born again as new creatures in Christ.  The church is spiritual in nature, universal in scope, holy in character, and redemptive in its life and purpose. (Matthew 16:18: 1 Thessalonians 4:14-17; Ephesians 2:8-9; 2 Chronicles 7:14; Mark 1:14-15; Acts 2:38; John 1:12; Romans 5:1; John 3:3; 2 Corinthians 5:17; John 4:23-24; 1 Peter 2:5; 1 Corinthians 12:12-27; Hebrews 12:22-24; Psalm 24:3-4; Ephesians 5:25-27; Revelation 19:7-8; Luke 24:46-48)

• Worship is a privilege of the Christian.  It is a spiritual experience in which believers give themselves to communion and fellowship with the Heavenly Father, a time when they consciously feel and give adoration, love and gratitude to god.  It is a time of reverent coming before the Almighty God as children of his by grace.
• The Lord Jesus Christ has been, is, and always will be the object of worship.  We make Him the center of our worship and delight in collectively and personally giving Him praise and adoration as God.  Without his presence, through the Holy Spirit, our worship would not have either meaning or depth.
• To prepare ourselves for worship, we must have a humble and contrite spirit, both recognizing the grace of God in giving us the privilege of coming before Him and being submissive to His Lordship and to His will in our daily lives.  When these attitudes prevail, worship is full of meaning and reward (Psalm 51:17).
• No practice in Christian living is more often spoken of in Scriptures than prayer and praise.  We find examples of these practices in the life of Jesus Christ and throughout the Scriptures.  Jesus instructed us as His disciples to pray faithfully and to expect God’s answer (Matthew 7:7; John 16:23-24; James 5:16).
• Prayer is the life breath of Christian living and gives the Christian unbroken access to the Heavenly Father.  It is thus essential for the maintenance and development of the Christian life.

• As disciples of Jesus Christ, we learn early on that we must make decisions about our behavior and choices.  We discover some choices will seriously hinder our Christian growth and our witness though those choices may be common in the society around us.  Making the right decisions in these matters will determine our growth in life.  So we must continuously seek to find the right choices in life matters such as our family relationships, acquiring worldly possessions, modesty, the abuse and overuse of alcohol, tobacco, drugs, pornography, gambling, or other unhealthy habits, taking care of God’s creation, how we treat the poor and needy, our involvement in wars, and the many other life choices that we confront everyday.  All of our choices affect our life with Jesus Christ so all choices must be made in light of His will.

• We believe that all people are equal in the sight of God and are loved by God.  We encourage all regardless of race, nationality, gender, social status, or affluence to worship and participate in the life of the church.
• That same kind of love should characterize our actions and attitudes towards those in need, both those within our fellowship and others in need with our community and our world.