We believe the Biblical account of creation took place in six twenty-four hour days. Everything was spoken into existence by God through the power of His Word. There were no previous materials and no processes, such as evolution, involved. (Gen. 1-2, Psa. 148:3-5, Acts 17:24)

We believe that those who are saved are eternally secure because salvation is not man’s work—it is God’s work. If a person has repented of his sin and trusted Christ as Savior, the Holy Spirit dwells in his heart and is the seal of God’s redemption. (Jn. 1:12-13; 10:28, Rom. 8:16; 10:13, Eph. 1:13).

We believe the universal church is made up of all the believers of all time. The local church is a body of baptized believers who meet for the purpose of worship, proclamation of the Gospel, edification of believers, encouragement of the saints, and obedience to the two ordinances of the church.( Matt. 16:15-18, Acts 14:23, Rom. 12:4-5, 1 Thess. 1:1).

The purpose of this church is to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ through the preaching and teaching of the Word, to win the lost to Christ, to edify the saints, and to have a vital part in worldwide missions.

WELCOME

What to Expect

We are excited about your decision to be our guest at Bethel Calvary Baptist Church! We know how it feels to visit a church for the first time, and we want to be as helpful as we can to make your experience a memorable one.

We have visitors in almost every service at Bethel, and we hope you will join us this coming Sunday!

Dress

Our church has been called a “hospital for hurting people,” and your treatment at Bethel will not be based on what you are wearing! Whether you are a believer looking for a church home or someone who is hurting and looking for help; you will find a warm welcome here. Our church family is typically dressed in our “Sunday best” because church is the highlight of our week. We hope that after a visit or two, you will see why we enjoy church so much!

Nursery

Facilities are provided for the care of infants and toddlers, and our church family will be happy to assist you with your children so that you can enjoy the service.

Music

As a congregation, we sing many of the familiar hymns of the faith. If you don’t know it by memory (few of us do!), we provide a hymnbook so you can join us.

Offering

At some point during the service, we will worship the Lord and support the work of God with our freewill tithes and offerings. Vistors are welcome to participate in this part of the service, but you will certainly not be expected to do so.

About

Bethel is an Independent Fundamental Baptist Church located in Taylors, South Carolina. We are a welcoming church with a wide variety of ages and backgrounds. But even though we range from toddlers to 80 year olds, our main focus is serving God together as a church family.

We take what the Bible says as the final authority in everything. It is foundation for all faith and practice in our lives, and the only hope for lost man.

Our services are traditional, singing the old hymns of the faith, as well as a variety of special music that cover a broad range of musical styles. The preaching and teaching is Bible based and focused to be applicable today as we discuss the issues facing the modern-day Christian. From Sunday School to the main services, God’s Word is held high as the final authority in our lives. Whether you are young or old, a Christian for years or wanting to know more about God, there is a place for you at Bethel!

Our Pastor

God has been gracious to allow Pastor Shoemaker to be involved in ministry and church work all his life. Born and raised in a christian home, pastor's parents not only made sure he was faithful to every service, but involved in the activities and outreach of the church. God called David to preach as a young man but did not allow him to enter the ministry right away, he first placed him in construction, and serving at Bethel under Pastor Snyder. For 20 years he served in any area needed, as a bus driver, sound man, Sunday school teacher and Assistant Pastor. In 2011 God allowed David Shoemaker to become our pastor. God has given pastor a wonderful wife and three great boys! Together they serve to the Glory of God! With the years of construction, and working in "the real world" pastor has a desire to make the Word of God very practical to our everyday life.

Doctrine & Beliefs

The Bible

We believe the Bible to be the verbally inspired, inerrant Word of God, and our authority for faith and practice. We believe it to be miraculously and uniquely preserved for us from the first even until now. We believe we have an accurate word for word translation of a inspired, preserved text. Matt. 24:35 “…my words shall not pass away.” (You do not loose inspiration in translation) Because of its proven power over recent centuries, we cling without apology to the King James Bible. It is used in this church for all preaching, teaching, and memorizing. II Tim. 3:16-17, II Pet. 1:21

God the Father

We believe God is eternal, Alpha and Omega, without beginning and without end. The Bible reveals that God exists in three persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. (Gen. 1:1, Psa. 104:24-30, Is. 25:1; 26:4; 40:21-26, 28.) It was the Father’s love which sent the savior and it was the Father’s will that all who believe on him will have everlasting life. (Jn. 3:16, 6:39-40)

God the Son

Scripture reveals that God the Son was also from eternity. He was with the Father from the beginning (Gen. 1:1). It was God the Father who decreed the making of all creation and it was especially God the Son who carried out this decree (Heb. 1:2, Jn. 1:3, Col. 1:16). Since the six days of creation, God the Son has also actively sustained and upheld the creation (Heb. 1:3). Because of the Father’s love for man, the Son was born of a virgin (Isa. 7:14, Lk. 1:34-35), became flesh, and dwelt among us. God the Father revealed Himself through His Son (Heb. 1:3). By His shed blood on the cross He died to purge the sins of all who by faith accept Him as Savior (Acts 26:18, Heb. 9:22). He resurrected from the tomb in power and is now seated at the right hand of the Father as our advocate (I Jn. 2:1). He is coming again to establish His reign for all eternity.(Rev. 22:20, 1Tim.6:15-16)

God the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is also eternal. He was with the Father and the Son from the beginning and took part in the creation (Gen. 1:2). To Him is especially ascribed the inspiration of the Bible, both the Old Testament (II Pet. 1:21) and the New Testament (Jn. 14:26, 16:13). The Holy Spirit does not seek to be worshipped but is active in revealing and bringing glory to the Son. He was active in the lives of Old Testament saints, but since Pentecost He has indwelt each believer (Rom. 8:9). He also functions in unregenerate men, convicting and bringing them to repentance. After salvation, the Holy Spirit is active in developing the Christian in holiness. (Rom.8, John 16:7-11)

Satan

We believe the Scriptures teach that the lost have the Devil as their father and walk in darkness. He is the archenemy of God who hates the saved and desires to sift them as wheat. He is powerful, but the power of God is far greater. After his final conflict with God, he will be cast into the lake of fire to be tormented day and night forever and ever. (Lk. 22:31, Jn. 8:44, Eph. 2:1-3, Rev. 20:7-10)

Creation

Man

We believe God created Adam with a living soul, the like of which was not given to animals. Adam also differed from the animals in that he was guided by his own will and not by instinct. By his own will, he chose to follow Satan’s suggestion and to disobey God’s command. He ate the forbidden fruit, fell into sin, and died. His acquired sin nature was transmitted to his offspring and so, “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” (Rom. 3:23) Adams’s transgression brought not only sin to mankind but also death. (Rom. 5:12) All those who die in their sins will spend eternity in the lake of fire; but God has provided a way out, a way of salvation. Jesus Christ died on the cross to pay the sin debt of all men and redeem all who would trust Him as Savior. (Gen. 1:26-27; 3:6, Jn. 3:16, Rev. 20:15).

Salvation

Although man is born a sinner, God’s compassion upon him provides an escape, a way of salvation. Jesus Christ died on the cross, was buried, and rose again from the dead, paying man’s sin debt. Christ’s substitutionary death in place of man atoned for the sin of whosoever will trust Him as Savior. Salvation is of the Lord, making the believer a new creature in Christ. Old things are passed away and all things are become new. It is called the new birth, being born again or being saved. The believer is indwelt by the Holy Spirit, God the Father, and God the Son. (Jn. 1:12-13; 14:23, Rom. 8:10, 1 Cor. 15:3-4).

Eternal Security

The Church

The Ordinance

The two ordinances of the church are believer’s baptism and the Lord’s Supper. When a person receives the Lord as Savior, he should follow the Lord in baptism. We are buried with Him in baptism, planted together in the likeness of His death (that is, immersed in water). We then rise from the water as He rose from the dead and we are to walk in the newness of life. As a part of our walk, we observe the Lord’s Supper or communion in which we partake of the bread, which symbolizes the broken body, and grape juice, which symbolizes the shed blood of our Savior. We do this in order to be reminded of the great price of our redemption and to show forth our Lord’s death until He comes. (Matt. 28:19, Mk. 14:22-24, Acts 2:41; 8:12, Rom. 6:1-4, 1 Cor. 11:23-29)

The Resurrection

We believe when a saint dies his soul is immediately absent from the body and present with the Lord (II Cor. 5:8). The souls of these saints will accompany Christ on His return at the rapture (I Thess. 4:14). At that time the bodies of those saints shall be resurrected, glorified, and united with the soul (I Thess. 4:16, I Cor. 15:37-44). When a person dies who has not received Christ as Savior, his soul leaves the body and goes to hell. He will be in torment and separated from God for eternity. (Lk. 16:22-24)

Future Events

The Bible teaches that in the last days, sin will wax worse and worse until the imminent return of Christ. The first return is called the rapture, “catching away” (I Thess. 4:16) or the first resurrection. At the rapture, the dead in Christ shall rise first followed by living saints. All these saints will be given glorified bodies and meet the Lord in the air. After the rapture, the seven years of tribulation begin on earth (Rev. 6), which builds to a climax with the battle of Armageddon (Rev. 19). The sheep-goat judgment then takes place with the sheep entering into the Millennial Kingdom, the one-thousand-year reign of Christ from Jerusalem. The goats, or unbelievers, are cast into ever-lasting fire (Matt. 25:31-46). Satan, bound and cast into the bottomless pit for the Millennium, is afterward set loose for a season. He then deceives the nations, gathers a mighty army, and encompasses Jerusalem. Satan’s army is destroyed by fire from heaven; Satan is then judged and cast into the lake of fire forever. Then will come the resurrection of the lost, who will be judged before the Great White Throne. All the lost will be cast into the Lake of Fire (Rev. 20). Heavenly Jerusalem with God’s presence descends, and eternity is ushered in (Rev. 21). The saved will dwell with God for all eternity.

Separation

We believe the Scriptures teach that the Christian should be separated from the world. This separation includes both the personal walk and affiliations. His personal walk and conduct should be always to please and reflect the Savior. He shall willingly abstain from appearance, dress, and conduct that would not be a good testimony. The guiding Scriptures are: “Love not the world” (I Jn. 2:15), “Not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts” (1 Peter 1:14), and “Abstain from all appearance of evil” (I Thess. 5:22). This church shall always endeavor to win the lost but never support churches, organizations, or speakers who compromise the stand set forth by this constitution.

Purpose