We are a Christian church, of Baptist convictions, seeking to live our faith in covenant community.

WE Are a christian church

Our members confess central biblical convictions that we share with the larger family of Christians around the world and through history, summarized in the Apostles Creed.

The Apostles Creed

I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth.

And in Jesus Christ his only Son, our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead and buried; the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from there He shall come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic (universal) Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. AMEN

WE Are a BAPTIST church

We are associated with the Kennebec Baptist Association and the American Baptist Churches of Maine. Our members confess biblical convictions summarized in our Statement of Faith.

Statement of Faith

1) God: We believe in one God, who is the Creator, Sustainer and Ruler of all things. God eternally exists in a loving unity of three equally divine persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. God is eternal, and infinite in wisdom, power, and glory. He is holy in His character, righteous in all His actions, just in all His judgments. All things have been made by God and for God and so all things find their truest meaning, purpose, and joy in Him.

2) Jesus Christ: We believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Jesus is fully God and equal in divinity and perfection with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, having taken up our humanity and living a sinless life among us. Jesus is the Savior of the world, the center of the story of the Bible and the center of God’s plan of redemption. Jesus was crucified under Pontius Pilate, rose bodily from the dead, ascended into heaven, and now sits at the right hand of God the Father where He makes intercession for us.

3) Holy Spirit: We believe that the Holy Spirit is fully God and equal in divinity and perfection with God the Father and God the Son. We believe that He inspired the Bible and is at work in the world to glorify Jesus and to bring people to conviction of sin, repentance and faith. The Holy Spirit regenerates sinners and dwells within all believers. He is at work in the Church to lead and empower believers in godly learning and godly living. The Holy Spirit unites the Body of Christ, granting to every believer gifts to be used for the building up of the Body. And the Holy Spirit empowers the Church in witness and in worship, testifying that we are children of God, aiding us in prayer and filling us with hope and joy.

4) The Bible and Its Use: We believe the Scripture of the Old and New Testament is God’s Word to us. God has spoken through the words of specific human authors under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, so that each and every word is truly from God and carries the authority of God Himself. The Bible is to be believed in all that it teaches, obeyed in all that it requires, and trusted in all that it promises. The Bible is our final authority for faith and practice and therefore should have a central place in Christian life and worship.

5) The Human Condition: We believe that God created humanity in His image to know Him and to reflect His character in the world. By virtue of being created in God’s image all people have an inherent dignity and worth. Man and woman were created free from sin, but succumbed to temptation and rebelled against God. Through their act of disobedience, sin and death entered the world. Though we retain our dignity and worth as creatures made in the image of God, all humans are sinners by nature and by choice. We are therefore alienated from God, subject to God’s judgment and wrath, and in need of salvation.

6) Salvation: We believe that humanity, guilty before God and in need of salvation, can be saved only through Jesus Christ. Salvation is wholly a gift of grace, through faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus lived a sinless life, perfectly fulfilling the demands of God’s holy law, and through His death made full atonement for our sin on the cross. His death and resurrection reconciles us to God and brings us into God’s family. He now offers forgiveness, salvation and hope of eternal life all who turn from sin and place their trust in Him and receive full forgiveness, salvation and hope of eternal life.We believe that salvation is received by faith alone and is not earned by human efforts, works or rituals. However, true faith is always joined with true repentance and always results in newness of life and good works. God commands us to love Him supremely and to follow Him in holy living and deeds of service, mercy and justice.

7) The Church: We believe that Jesus Christ is the Head of the Church, His spiritual Body. The Church is made up of all who have been saved by God’s grace through faith in Christ. This universal Church, including believers of all nations and races through history, is gathered in local assemblies of baptized believers. We believe in the priesthood of all believers, and that every member of the Body of Christ has been gifted by the Holy Spirit for the building up of the Body. The Church is called by God to gather regularly for worship, for participation in the ordinances, for mutual encouragement and edification through the Scripture, and to extend the Gospel in word and deed, making disciples of all nations as Christ commanded.

8) Baptism and the Lord’s Supper: We believe that the Lord Jesus mandated two ordinances for the local church: believer’s baptism and the Lord’s Supper. These ordinances are not saving in and of themselves but when celebrated in genuine faith they confirm and nourish the believer. Baptism is the initiatory ordinance of the Church, should be by immersion, and results in membership in the local church. The Lord’s Supper is a continuing ordinance of the Church, done in obedience to our Lord and commemorating the Lord’s death until He returns.

9) Last Things: We believe that the bodily, visible, and unexpected return of Jesus Christ is approaching. The imminent return of Christ is a source of great hope and constant expectation in the lives of believers, and motivates us to godly living, sacrificial service and energetic mission.We believe that at the return of Jesus, God will resurrect the dead and Jesus will judge the nations, assigning the unrepentant to just condemnation and eternal separation from Himself and welcoming the saved to be with the Lord in eternal blessedness and joy, in a resurrected body, in the New Heaven and the New Earth.

WE Are a Covenant community

Our members seek to live out our convictions together by committing to our historic Church Covenant.

Penney Memorial United Baptist Church

Church Covenant

Having given ourselves to God through Jesus Christ our Lord, and adopted the Word of God as our rule of faith and practice, we now give ourselves to one another by the will of God in this solemn covenant.

We promise by the aid of the Holy Spirit to forsake the paths of sin and to walk in the ways of holiness all the days of our life.

We engage to strive together for the upbuilding of this church in knowledge, holiness and service; to promote its prosperity and spirituality; to sustain its worship, ordinances, discipline and doctrines; to contribute cheerfully and regularly to its support, and to the spread of the Gospel throughout the world.

We also engage to maintain private and family devotions; to educate religiously the children committed to our care; to be just in our dealings and exemplary in our deportment; to avoid all appearance of evil, and in purity of heart, newness of life, and good-will toward all men to commend our holy faith, and win souls to the Saviour.

We further engage to walk together in Christian love, giving and receiving admonition with meekness and affection; to remember each other in prayer; to aid each other in sickness and distress; to be slow to take offense, but always ready for reconciliation.

And may the God of peace sanctify us wholly, and preserve us blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

AMEN.