Church of the Open Bible

Greenville, Maine

History

            The Church of the Open Bible of Greenville, Maine, began in 1969 by the help of Christ for the Lumberjacks Mission.  The church has had its ups and downs over the years including a split in 1979.  Nearly all those affected are now assembled together once again and serving for the glory of God.

The Church

             The Church of the Open Bible is an evangelical, fundamental Bible believing “Baptistic” church with no denominational affiliation.  The church is located on the corner of Rte. 15 at 8 Sherwood Avenue in Greenville, Maine.

            The church desires to have a strong evangelistic and missions outreach as well as Biblical discipleship for the new saints.  The congregation is led by a Council of Elders.  The immediate vision of the church is to maintain its unity and become obedient to the commission to “make disciples”.

            Our current membership is 41 although the average Sunday morning varies from 50-100 in attendance.

            We are well able to meet our $66,000 budget, which includes about $15,000 to missions.  We have an offering box in the back of the sanctuary and except for special gifts, the plate is not passed during services.

            We are non-traditional in many ways, neckties are not a general habit and it is common in the summertime to have many people attend dressed in vacation wear.

            During the past five years, we have had four young men serve as a summer intern to direct our youth program, along with our youth leaders.

Services

            Regular meetings on Sunday include morning and evening worship services, and Sunday school classes for all ages. Nursery volunteers are available during all services.  We observe the Lord’s Supper the first Sunday of the month and enjoy a fellowship dinner that evening as well. During the week, we have an after-school Bible club for children up to age twelve, regular youth group meetings for teens, a Wednesday night Bible Study and Prayer meeting, and a few home Bible studies by the women.  The men meet once a month for a fellowship breakfast.  Our church hosts an annual Vacation Bible School, which many of the community children attend.

The Facilities

             In the open end of the basement of the church, there is a large fellowship room.  There are also four Sunday school rooms, a small kitchen, men and ladies’ rooms, a coatroom, ample storage, and a roomy nursery downstairs.

            The pastor’s quarters are in a two-story apartment located in the rear of the church building.  There is a study, eat-in kitchen, dining room, rear porch, outside storage, large living room, three / four bedrooms, and a large bath with washer and dryer hook-ups.

 The Community

             The town of Greenville and surrounding areas has a population of just fewer than 2,000 year-round residents.   The major employers are wilderness related including a great deal of tourism.  The town is small and family relationships are interwoven as in many New England towns.

            There are two major grocery stores, several restaurants, a modern hospital and nursing home.  Several lakes provide our recreation, including 40 mile long Moosehead Lake.  There are several flying services, a nearby ski area, and a few white water rafting companies in town.  Many people visit our area to explore the wilderness on their recreational vehicles.

            The local school system is K-12 with about 400 students.  They provide a good computer lab set up, a music program and band, as well as the normal school activities with a large sports program.  There is easy access to volunteerism in the classroom.  There are no Christian schools nearer than 30 miles, but several families home-school and have a good support association.  The town also has a nice public library.

            Greenville is 1½ hours from Bangor with an international airport and city shopping, and 45 minutes from Dover-Foxcroft, the county seat.  Newport and I95 are an hour and 15 minutes south where you can find department stores and other services.

            Other Greenville area churches include Roman Catholic, Grace Community, United Methodist, United Church of Christ, and Pentecostal.  Check out the Local Links page for more information about Greenville, Maine.

What we believe...

1.  We believe that "...all scripture is given by inspiration of God".  2Ti3:16 By Scripture we mean all the 39 books of the Old Testament and 27 books of the New Testament together form Gods complete and revealed Word to us, known as The Bible.  These Holy Scriptures are verbally inspired of God and inerrant in the original writing.

2.  We believe that the Godhead eternally exists in three persons:  the Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit; these three are one God, all three the same in substance essence [Christ was flesh and is now in a "glorified body" PHP3:20 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, v21 who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.], "God is Spirit" JN4:24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.", equal in power and glory.

3.  We believe that man was created in the image of God, that he sinned, and thereby incurred not only physical death but also that spiritual death which is separation from God.  As a result, all human beings are born with a sinful nature and (in the case of those who reach moral responsibility) are sinners in thought, word and deed.  And, with such a nature, they are incapable of producing anything acceptable to God.

4.  We believe that the only way of deliverance from this state of sin and condemnation is through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary and is true God and true man.  He freely offered Himself as a substitute to suffer and die in behalf of all men.  We believe in the resurrection of the crucified body of our Lord, in His ascension into heaven, and in His present life there for us as High Priest and Advocate.

5.  We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ is received by faith alone and that the moment we trust in Him as our Savior and Lord, we are born again of the Holy Spirit, and therefore become children of God and pass out of death into everlasting life.  We are also justified before God, having our sins forgiven and the righteousness of God Christ credited to our account.

6.  We believe that the Lord commanded His Church to maintain two ordinances, namely baptism (practiced here by immersion) as a confession profession of faith, and regular remembrance of the Savior in through the Lords Supper.

7.  We believe that nothing can separate true believers from the love of God.  They will be "kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation", 1PE 1:3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade--kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. the sure and final proof that they are true believers consisting in the continuance of their attachment and obedience to Christ until through the end of their earthly life.

8.  We believe that the Holy Spirit is a divine person.  At the moment of salvation, He permanently indwells and places [?] into the body of Christ each believer.  He is ever present to testify of Christ, seeking to occupy us with Him, and not with ourselves or with our experiences.

9.  We believe that it is incumbent on every believer to walk in conformity to the Word of God and keep himself unspotted from the world.  (JAS 1:27, and JAS 1:22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. v23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror v24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. I COR 6:9-11)

10.  We believe in the (a) imminent, (b) personal, (c) bodily, (d) pre-tribulational and (e) pre-millenial return of our Lord Jesus Christ to establish a literal 1000 year reign on the Earth.

11.  We believe in the bodily resurrection of all men, at their appointed time, some to eternal life, and others to judgment and an eternal death in hell.  (That includes the doctrine of eternal Hell)