About

What To Expect

 

Worship services are casual at GBCC. Many people wear jeans or or dress "business casual." We encourage you to arrive early so you can grab a cup of coffee and meet people. Our services start with music and worship, with songs that emphasize Christ, and who He is. A pastor or elder teaches a bible-based message with practical application to help you live out your faith during the week.  Some services we celebrate communion, but there’s no pressure to participate if you don’t want to.  Services are usually a little over an hour, and then you’re welcome to hang out and talk with people afterwards.

If you have children under the age of 3, we have a team of loving, trained volunteers in our secure nursery area.  For children 3 years old through 5th grade, we have Children’s Church - a fun, up-beat service that includes music, games and a bible lesson taught at their level.  We encourage middle school and high school students, to join their parents in adult service.

Our Story

 

Will Be Added Soon...

Our Beliefs

 

The Bible. We believe the Bible to be the inspired, the only infallible, authoritative Word of God revealing the love of God to the world.1 Thessalonians 2:13; 2 Timothy 3:15-17; John 3:16.

The Holy Trinity. We believe that there is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Matthew 28:19; John 10:30; Ephesians 4:4-6.

Christ is Lord. We believe in the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ, in His virgin birth, in His sinless life, in His miracles, in His vicarious and atoning death through His shed blood on the cross, in His bodily resurrection, in His ascension to the right hand of the Father, and in His personal return in power and glory. Matthew 1:23; John 1:1-4 and 1:29; Acts 1:11 and 2:22-24; Romans 8:34; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4;  2 Corinthians 5:21; Philippians 2:5-11; Hebrews 1:1-4 and 4:15.

Sinfulness of Man. We believe that all men everywhere are lost and face the judgment of God, that Jesus Christ is the only way of salvation, and that for the salvation of lost and sinful man, repentance of sin and faith in Jesus Christ results in regeneration by the Holy Spirit. Furthermore we believe that God will reward the righteous with eternal life in heaven, and that He will banish the unrighteous to everlasting punishment in hell. Luke 24:46-47; John 14:6; Acts 4:12; Romans 3:23; 2 Corinthians 5:10-11; Ephesians 1:7 and 2:8-9; Titus 3:4-7.

Power of the Holy Spirit. We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit, whose indwelling enables the Christian to live a godly life. John 3:5-8; Acts 1:8 and 4:31; Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 2:14; Galatians 5:16-18; Ephesians 6:12; Colossians 2:6-10.

Eternal Life. We believe in the resurrection of both the saved and the lost; the saved unto the resurrection of eternal life and the lost unto the resurrection of damnation and eternal punishment. 1 Corinthians 15:51-57; Revelation 20:11-15.

The Body of Christ. We believe in the spiritual unity of believers in the Lord Jesus Christ and that all true believers are members of His body, the church. 1 Corinthians 12:12, 27; Ephesians 1:22-23.

Discipleship. We believe that the ministry of evangelism (sharing and proclaiming the message of salvation only possible by grace through faith in Jesus Christ) and discipleship (helping followers of Christ grow up into maturity in Christ) is a responsibility of all followers of Jesus Christ. Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:8; Romans 10:9-15; 1 Peter 3:15.

Marriage. We believe God’s plan for human sexuality is to be expressed only within the context of marriage, that God created man and woman as unique biological persons made to complete each other. God instituted monogamous marriage between male and female as the foundation of the family and the basic structure of human society. For this reason, we believe that marriage is exclusively the union of one genetic male and one genetic female. Genesis 2:24; Matthew 19:5-6; Mark 10:6-9; Romans 1:26-27; 1 Corinthians 6:9.

Service. We believe that we must dedicate ourselves to prayer, to the service of our Lord, to His authority over our lives, and to the ministry of evangelism. Matthew 9:35-38, 22:37-39, and 28:18-20; Acts 1:8; Romans 10:9-15 and 12:20-21; Galatians 6:10; Colossians 2:6-10; 1 Peter 3:15.

Sanctity of Life. We believe that human life is sacred from conception to its natural end; and that we must have concern for the physical and spiritual needs of our fellowmen. Psalm 139:13; Isaiah 49:1; Jeremiah 1:5; Matthew 22:37-39; Romans 12:20-21; Galatians 6:10.

Our Staff

 

Pastor Terry Ragsdale
Pastor Terry Ragsdale
Ernest Wolf - Elder
Ernest Wolf - Elder
In Loving Memory of Pastor Horace Vinson
In Loving Memory of Pastor Horace Vinson
Jeff Leviskia - Elder
Jeff Leviskia - Elder
Lisa Shackleford - School of Christ
Lisa Shackleford - School of Christ

Grand Bay Community Church

Vision Statement & Values

"To lead people to become fully devoted followers of Christ"

 

True Whole-Hearted Worship: Our vision is to see every man, woman, and child whole-heartedly worship the Lord and present their lives to Him for service. It is our belief that those who love God with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength will be the ones who will faithfully serve Him. Our passion for God (True worship) must merge with the great purpose of God (evangelism and discipleship). Our desire for each worshipper is for this to happen at the earliest age possible, creating a focused heart for God. Our youngest members will be taught to listen to and love and honor the Lord with all their heart. Worship & evangelism & discipleship all go hand-in-hand. 

Evangelism: Our vision is to see the church connect with and embrace “Heaven’s Vision" for the lost. Acts 26:18- To open their eyes, so people may turn from darkness to light and from the power of satan to God. Then they will receive forgiveness for their sins and be given a place among God's people, who are set apart by faith in Christ. We must not be afraid to enter the mission field right outside the doors of the church. Love and compassion must trump fear and complacency. We will bear witness to the lost and to false converts the good news concerning Christ and weave five things into our conversations with people. The character of God, the sinfulness of man, the sufficiency of Christ, the necessity of faith in Christ, and the urgency of eternity. We believe that the power that the Holy Spirit gives to us is the power to be a witness for Christ. Evangelism is a lifestyle we should live and share, and not an outreach or event we should attend.

The word of God is our only true standard for life: Our vision is to see the transformation of the individual as he submits himself to Christ and to the written word of God, the Bible. We want to hear it, understand it, and obey it.

Christian Education & Discipleship: Our vision is to provide an educational system that builds character and wisdom into the lives of people of all age groups and creates TRUE followers of Christ. All special meetings or teachings will be well-planned, prepared for, and prayed over before it is offered to the church. Everything we do must have purpose and not be done or viewed as another program or structure of the church. (We must be Holy Spirit led.)  Our goal in teaching and training is for the transformation of the individual to be an obedient follower of Christ and to train others to fish for men and carry the message of repentance and trusting in Christ through faith. We call this “Obedience-Based Discipleship.”

House to House: Our vision is to see the body of Christ remain devoted to covenant relationships within the church and with other followers of Christ. We will fellowship and work with others of like mind that are not in our church. We believe interpersonal relationships, as well as accountability within the church are best developed in smaller communities of faith (house-to-house or one-to- one), away from the traditions of Sunday morning church. It is our belief that true evangelism and true discipleship will flourish in these types of relationships and settings, and it is here that obedient disciples will be made. House-to-house ministry for discipleship. One-to-one ministry for evangelism. WE WILL be committed to making disciples for Christ.

 

Relationships: Our vision is for more vine work (building strong relationships), and not as much focus on trellis work (structure), with less emphasis on corporate meetings, programs, and activities. The real mission of God is outside the building.

Corporate Worship Service: Our vision for our corporate meeting is to be a great celebration of who God is and what He has done in and through our lives for the week. Pre-service prayers, whole-hearted passionate worship, devotion and love for God and His word, witnessing and testifying to the power of His Spirit and purpose, prophetic words, intercessory prayer for the persecuted church, financial freedom, and unity will all be encouraged in those meetings. From here we will hold to these five virtues: Honor, Purity, Loyalty, Integrity, and Gratitude. 

HUO Evangelistic Studies: Our vision will be for the development of HUO studies (Hearing, Understanding, Obeying) centered around the reading of the word of God. The simple reading of the word with others will be part of our plan for evangelism. It is our belief that God's word (Christ) is the transformer of the lives of people, and that the true revelation of who Christ is comes from God’s word and through the Holy Spirit and not through man. These studies will be carried on in homes, businesses, schools, work-places, restaurants, street corners, or wherever people will gather. 

Youth & Children: Our vision is to see young people who do not reject God-ordained authority. We are responsible to raise up a generation of young people who love, fear, and honor God. They will be encouraged to be a minister for the Lord right now, and not wait till they are grown up.

Marriages and home life: Our vision is to have marriages that are fulfilling and homes that are joyful. We believe that the breakdown of today's family is a major factor contributing to America's crisis of immorality. We will work hard to promote unity within the family by encouraging all members of the Church to be involved in their own family and the lives of other families. The family life should trump church activity life.

Financial freedom from debt: Our vision is for all members of the body to be committed to financial freedom. Christ spoke clearly and consistently on the subject of money. We take serious the call to be responsible stewards of what God has entrusted to our care. A financially free church best serves God's kingdom, and the people of God MUST believe that it “All belongs to Him.” The true followers of Christ will support the mission of God with their giving. 

True Spiritual Unity: Our vision is to see God's redeemed people bound together in Christian love and unity. The unifying standard is that “all eyes will be fixed on Christ.”  To help us understand this, we endorse the following quote from A. W. Tozer: “Has it ever occurred to you that one hundred pianos all tuned to the same fork are automatically tuned to each other? They are of one accord by being tuned, not to each other, but to another standard to which each one must individually bow. So one hundred worshipers met together, each one looking away to Christ, are in heart nearer to each other than they could possibly be, were they to become 'unity' conscious and turn their eyes away from God to strive for closer fellowship.”

We are committed to being a community-minded fellowship of believers: It is our desire to relationally connect to those who live in our community. Our desire is to merge ourselves as Followers of Christ with other local churches, local businesses, and local civil authorities. We will lead, plan, execute, and attend events that connect us to our community.