God's Plan - Community Mennonite Fellowship

Believer's Baptism

This grouping of Christians come to be known as Anabaptist or rebaptizers as water baptism came to symbolize the obedience practiced by these followers of Christ upon their receiving of Jesus as Savior.

Since many of those early believers had been baptized as infants by the state churches of Europe , this adult believer’s act of obedience was seen by those state churches as rebaptism.

There is a way that leads to life...

Jesus said, " I came that they may have life and have it abundantly."
- John 10:10b

Movements derived from the Cursillo Movement

A Simple Desire: Piety, Study and Action by John Thomas

Spiritual renewal among Mennonites, Brethren, and Church of the Brethren

Community Mennonite Fellowship
Meeting site @ Sterling YWCA
412 First Avenue (corner of E 5th St & N 1st Ave)
Sterling, IL 61081

Pastor(s): Dan Rusmisel

Phone:

(815) 238-3421

51 visitors since 2/4/2010

Believers’ Church

We are a following of Jesus, a part of Christianity known as the Believers Church movement. This stream of faith takes on distinct identity in the 15^th and 16^th century as believers sought to be faithful followers of Jesus, living from his example and teachings more than practices and rituals defined by religious institutions and faith traditions.

It is a Christ centered expression, where believers seek to base all of life on Jesus’ teachings. Personal salvation, (wholeness) is central to this full life Jesus offers. This response to God's love is lived out in everyday matters with the help of other believers. And this gathering of believers, the Church, is where the Holy Spirit’s guidance is sought and known and comes to focus the understanding and action of those who will respond.

The New Testament is the primary source for informing believers how to follow Jesus and live the life he offers. The Old Testament, the Tanahk, is studied and of value for instruction for it is coming to completion in the New Covenant in Christ.

SIGNS AND ORDINANCES

Stated in current terms, “these [different patterns and] ceremonies are called signs, a biblical term rich in meanings. A sign is, first of all, an act of God: signs and wonders in Egypt (Exod. 10:1; Num. 14:11 ), signs to prophets happen often in the Old Testament (Isa. 7:14 ; 55:13), and Jesus' performance of signs (John 2:11 ; 12:37 ; 20:30 ). John 2:18-22 sees Jesus' death and resurrection as a sign. A sign is not only an act of God, but a human action as well: eating unleavened bread at Passover [Communion or Love Feast] (Exod. 13:9), binding of the commandments to oneself (Deut. 6:8), keeping of the Sabbath (Exod. 31:13; Ezek. 20:20 ). Likewise, baptism is a sign, representing both God's action in delivering us from sin and death and the action of the one who is baptized, who pledges to God to follow Jesus Christ within the context of Christ's body, the church.” --COF MP pg. 47

Way of Christ weekends:

March 4-7, 2010: Men’s Weekend #17
March 11-14, 2010: Women’s Weekend #17

Who should attend? Believers!

Believers
•who know their spiritual lives need strengthening;
• who strive to be credible in prayer, study, and sharing their faith;
• who understand being Christian involves responsibility;
• who seek both the spiritual foundation and moral reserve to purposefully live their lives;
• who follow Jesus in an on-going manner in their daily living.

Does our faith permeate all areas of your life? Is it be sustained in your very living? Is it growing? Does it transform the hearts of the people with whom you share your life? Is it relevant for this time? Do you want your faith to better impact each of these areas?

Way of Christ events are three days of equipping that are designed to do just this. This movement however does not propose a new type of spirituality. It reinforces a simple intentional one through which the believer's grace-filled life may; in a natural loving way, be lived and shared with others back home after the instruction.

Links to further explain how to attend a weekend:
Brethren Church
Church of the Brethren
Mennonite Church

Acts of Obedience

As these newly awakened followers of Christ sought to go to the source for their faith and instruction, their view of the institutional ritual and traditions, moved them away from the practices of the state churches around them. The consequence of this shifting prospective was to result in the development of signs of faith seen more as guidance in living that faith than special acts devotion intended to acquire grace. These Brethren, Mennonites, and others “ . . . departed from sacramental terminology to speak of ordinances in referring to their many covenantal acts. This … resulted from their attempt to follow the New Testament, which does not use the words sacrament or means of grace, but which does refer to acts instituted by Christ and commended by the apostles. In their desire to obey the commandments of Jesus and to follow the patterns of the New Testament Church, they understood ordinances to be acts of obedience." --Dale Brown ( The Church of the Brethren Past and Present pg. 54)