Please use the tabs below to learn more about who we are and what we believe and practice. If you have any questions at all, please get in touch with us using the information on our “Contact Us” page.
Speaking Life, Strengthening Love, Shining Light
Vision:
Speaking Life:
To win souls, inviting the unsaved to life in Christ. (Col 4:3)
To pray, actively resourcing the power of life in Christ. (Col 4:2)
Strengthening Love:
To disciple believers, growing in love for Christ. (Jn 13:34; Titus 2:1-15)
To worship God, expressing love for Christ in words & actions. (Jn 4:23-24)
Shining Light:
To serve people, shining His light by good works. (Mt 5:16)
To build community, reflecting His light in the fellowship of believers. (1 Jn 1:3)
Mission:
Practicing the Early Church:
Win Souls – Disciple – Build Community – Worship – Pray
Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them.
And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. (Acts 2:41-42)
Pursuing the Greatest Commandments:
Worship; Serve
“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’
This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’
On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22:36-40)
Promoting the Great Commission:
Win souls – Disciple
And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.” (Mark 16:15)
And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.
Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matt 28:18-20)
Scottlea Gospel Chapel
Statement of Faith and Practice
It is to be noted that no grouping of words can fully express all that might be said as to our convictions and doctrinal position. The scriptures are our final authority. However, the following generally expresses our statement of faith and practice.
The Bible
We believe that “all Scripture is given by inspiration of God,” by which we understand the whole Bible is inspired in the sense that holy men of God “were moved by the Holy Spirit” to write the very words of Scripture. We believe that this divine inspiration extends equally and fully to all parts of the writings — historical, poetical, doctrinal, and prophetical – as appeared in the original manuscripts. We believe that the whole Bible in the originals is therefore without error. We believe that all the Scriptures centre on the Lord Jesus Christ in His person and work in His first and second coming, and hence that no portion, even of the Old Testament, is properly read, or understood, until it leads to Him. We also believe that all Scriptures were designed for our practical instruction (Mark 12:26, 36; Luke 24:27,44; John 5:39; Acts 1:16; 2 Peter 1:21)
God
We believe in one God eternally existing in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; three in one, coequal, which is the Trinity. (Matthew 3:16-17; John 10:30; 1 Corinthians 8:6; Colossians 2:9; Titus 2:13)
Jesus Christ
We believe that the Bible declares the full Deity of the Lord Jesus Christ (John 1:1), His virgin birth (Matthew 1:23), His sinless life (1 Peter 2:22), His substitutionary death (1 Peter 3:18), His bodily resurrection (Luke 24:39), His ascension (Ephesians 1:20), His intercessory work (Hebrews 7:25), and His imminent return for His believing people (Revelation 22:20).
The Holy Spirit
We believe in the Holy Spirit, third person of the Trinity, Who convicts the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgement. He is life in the believer, and He empowers the preaching and teaching of the Gospel. He is a Person of the Godhead and not just a power or force. (Rom. 8:10-11; Gal. 5:25; 1 Pet. 3:18; Genesis 1:2; John 16:7-14; Acts 2:1-4; 5:3-4)
Man
We believe that man was created in the image of God, and God’s design was the creation of two distinct and complementary sexes, male and female (Gen 1:27, Matt 19:4, Mark 10:6) with separate biological anatomy, that he sinned, and thereby incurred not only physical death, but spiritual death, which is separation from God; and that all human beings are born with a sinful nature and those who reach moral responsibility become sinners in thought, word, and deed. (Romans 5:12,14,17; 6:23; 1 Corinthians 2:14; 15:22)
Salvation
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures as a representative and substitutionary sacrifice, and that all who believe in Him are justified on the basis of His shed blood. (Matthew 20:28; Romans 3:25; 8:3; 1 John 2:2)
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Eternal Life
We believe that all who receive by faith the Lord Jesus Christ are born again of the Holy Spirit, and thereby they become children of God and heirs of eternal life. (John 6:47; 10:28; Philippians 1:6; 1 Peter 1:5; 1 John 5:11-13)
The Great Commission
We believe in the commission given by the Lord Jesus Christ to the Church as found in Matthew 28:18-20 and Mark 16:15. We seek to obey the Lord in His command to preach the gospel, baptize, teach and disciple believers.
The Church
We believe in one Church, the body of Christ on earth, and that its members should gather locally in His name alone, for the purpose of building up the body of Christ in His likeness, by such things as evangelism (Colossians 4:3) prayer (Colossians 4:2), discipleship (John 13:34; Titus 2:1-15), worship (John 4:23-24), service (Mattthew 5:16), and fellowship (1 John 1:3). (Ephesians 4:4-12)
Resurrection
We believe in the resurrection of the crucified body of our Lord, His ascension into heaven and His present life there as High Priest and Advocate for us. We also believe in the resurrection of believers. (John 20:1-18; Acts 1:9; 1 Corinthians 15:14; Hebrews 1:3; 1 Timothy 2:5; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17)
Return of Christ
We believe in “that blessed hope”; the personal and imminent return of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. (Matthew 24:27-31,36; 25:31; Colossians 3:4; 1 Thessalonians 3:13; Titus 2:13; Jude 14)
Judgement
We believe in the bodily resurrection of the just and the unjust, the everlasting, conscious suffering of the lost, and the eternal joy of the saved, which demand a literal heaven and hell. (Acts 24:15; 1 Corinthians 15:12-58; 2 Corinthians 4:14; 1 Thessalonians 4:15-16)
Satan
We believe in the existence of Satan, the deceiver, who is still working in the world to destroy the souls of men and that he and all his angels and all who receive not Christ as their Saviour will perish in the lake of fire. (Isaiah 14:12-14; Matthew 25:41; Luke 4:6-7; John 8:44; 1 John 3:8)
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Baptism
We practise baptism by immersion upon the personal confession of the Lord Jesus Christ as Saviour. (Acts 8:36-39; Mark 16:16).
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The Lord’s Supper
We practice the weekly observance of the Lord’s Supper in remembrance of Him, at which service believers have collective opportunity, as holy priests, to worship the Lord, men audibly and women silently. (Matthew 18:20, Acts 20:7, 1 Corinthians 11:23-29, Philippians 3:3, Hebrews 13:15, I Corinthians 14:34, Acts 2:42)
The Scottlea Story
When our vast country was only four years old, a small group of believers met in St. Catharines for the very first time. They met to practice the precious principles of the Word of God relative to Church truth. From that early beginning in 1871, the Lord has blessed His people, added to their numbers as promised, and today four additional assemblies meet in their own chapels. They are:
Brockview Bible Chapel
Portal Village Bible Chapel
Ridgeville Bible Chapel
Scottlea Gospel Chapel
Rolling Meadows Bible Chapel
In those early days in St. Catharines, the services were held in a variety of meeting places – the homes of believers, stores, over a drive-shed and even in a blacksmith’s shop. It was in these places they remembered the Lord, preached the Gospel and prayed. The meeting place was not important. The person of Christ, around whom they met, was all important. In the Lord’s presence, souls were saved and the assembly grew.
In 1914 the Queenston Street Gospel Hall was built and for more than 52 years it served well as the assembly home, but its inadequacies prompted the consideration of a new location and building.
In April 1966, the Queenston Street building was sold and in September of that year construction began on Scottlea Gospel Chapel. While construction was in progress, the assembly met in what was then Scottlea Public School.
On Easter Sunday, March 26, 1967, the first services were held in this chapel. It was a privilege to meet on that morning of resurrection. As this morning 19 centuries ago heralded a new and wonderful beginning for all of mankind, it was our prayer that we would clearly sound forth the message of the risen Saviour to all in this community.
Since the assembly’s inception, there has been a strong and consistent emphasis on the preaching of the Gospel and the teaching of the precious up-building truths of the Word of God. To accomplish these objectives, we have sought to encourage all in their appropriate areas of personal and collective evangelism. They include the preaching of the Gospel and ministry of the Word; Sunday School; AWANA; Daily Vacation Bible School; Youth and Camp work.
We thank God for those who have a desire to take the Gospel into the homes of senior citizens, while others go door to door in tract distribution and personal visitation.
The assembly has supported the Family Bible Hour International’s world-wide radio broadcast, financially and with personnel, since the inception of FBHI in the early 1950’s. The assembly has shown an interest in world-wide missions through its Ladies Missionary Work Class, short-term missions involvement and in other ways. Each year we enjoy the ministry of the Word of God at our annual Spring & Fall Conferences. Our annual Youth Conference presents appropriate topics for Christian young people in today’s society.
There has been a continual interest in the development of a preaching and teaching gift in the fellowship. A number of men from this assembly are now teaching in Scottlea as well as other area assemblies.
We thank the Lord that the Elders of all the assemblies mentioned earlier have a strong desire to continue warm fellowship they have enjoyed together for many years. To encourage this fellowship among the believers, the Elders of all assemblies meet annually for a time of fellowship, ministry and sharing of relevant information. These times are broadened on four occasions each year, when believers in the five assemblies meet for a time of prayer, teaching and fellowship. There is also a combined picnic, held each Labour Day.
We gratefully thank the Lord for His Hand of rich blessing since 1871 and pray that His gracious presence and power will continue to be realized, until we hear the soon-anticipated shout that will summon us all into His glorious presence.
Written by: Arnot McIntee
