(Click on any one of the tags for more information) EXPLORE CHRIST COMMUNITY CHURCH
You may simply be curious, or you may be wrestling with what you believe. Whatever your situation is, we offer a safe place to ask questions, and find answers. Each church has a unique way of expressing its purpose and living out its beliefs. We see our mission as encouraging all people to pursue a lifelong relationship with Jesus Christ, and we focus on our purpose to help bring from brokenness to wholeness in everything that we do.
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Welcome! We're really glad you're checking us out! We offer a welcoming environment where you can take your time in examining the truths of the Bible through practical applications taught in everyday life situations. Whether you're single, married, single again, with or without children, feeling broken or feeling great, you'll find others here on common ground. We are a church community that includes people of all ages, all backgrounds and all circumstances.
This is a relaxed and welcoming place. Services usually run around 60-70 minutes. Dress is whatever you're wearing. You'll see others wearing anything from jeans and t-shirts to dresses and suits. You'll find that the sermons are packed full of knowledge and sprinkled with humor. The sermons are also thought-provoking, designed for easy understanding, and filled with practical applications of scripture for our everyday lives. No high-brow, high-dollar words bundled in complex metaphors. God intended His Word - the Bible - to help us navigate life, and the sermons serve just that purpose.
Our doors are open unconditionally. You may be a seasoned believer, a skeptic, or maybe be somewhere in-between - wherever you happen to be, you are welcome here. If you're unsure, we want to help answer your questions...so give us a chance. If you're further along in your faith journey, this is a place where you can continue to grow in your relationship with God. So let's get started....come join us for worship!
We realize that family life can be one of the most challenging and isolating experiences. We've found that a vital faith community is instrumental in giving you the tools needed to not just survive, but thrive! It is our desire to help families fulfill their dreams, to build Godly, joy-filled relationships and impact others with what they've found in Jesus. We want Christ Community Church to be a place where the whole family, children and parents, can learn to express the life of Christ and grow in a caring community.
Christ Community Church includes a wide variety of activities and opportunities and they are expanding all the time. Some are offered more regularly and some are scheduled depending on the needs of those in the congregation. We offer small group Bible studies for men and women, classes designed to help us grow spiritually, and age specific programs for the youth and children groups.
Being a part of a Christ Community Small Group will consist of people around the same age, stage of life or point of interest (young families, young adults, women's groups, empty nesters, singles, etc...), while others don't have a preference and have a nice mix. It depends on the group. At times we plan larger get-togethers (women's events and men's events) so that we can do things that we can't do in our Small Groups. Check out the Calendar for more information.
CHILDREN - Christ Community Church is committed to providing a safe, caring, and fun environment where all children will be introduced to the God of the Bible and His love for them. A team of volunteers, equipped and passionate about leading children in age specific settings will assist greatly in challenging children to follow Jesus. Providing programs for specific ages enables us to effectively communicate who God is in a relevant way. To ensure the security of every child, all volunteers complete a screening process.
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MIDDLE/HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS - At Christ Community our Student Ministry focuses on leading students into a growing relationship with Jesus by creating environments where students prioritize their relationship with Him. Our goal is to lead students to discover a faith of their own, and to help prepare them for a lifetime of ministry and influence.
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YOUNG SINGLES - Our goal is to promote a missional lifestyle and encourage each other to be authentic passionate followers of Jesus.
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for more information about our Youth
Programs
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ADULT SINGLES and SENIORS - You will find that Christ Community offers opportunities for building relationships and spiritual growth. Our hope is that everybody who calls Christ Community their home church would connect with a Small Group so that they can experience the difference that intentional relationships can make in our lives! We honor our adult singles and senior groups as a vital part of our Christian family.
PARENTS - At Christ Community Church, we believe in the value of families, and we know how hard it is for families to make time for God in the midst of a busy world. We offer a number of programs and ministries that seek to strengthen, encourage, and connect parents.
Christ Community Church was formed on September 30, 2001, and our first worship service was held October 7, 2001. Our church was formed by a group of believers from First Church of the Nazarene in Winter Haven. Although our roots are Nazarene, Christ Community is a non-denominational church. This means that although we have people with many different religious backgrounds attending our church, we are not officially aligned with a specific church denomination. Our founding Pastor was Rev. Gerald Woods.
As we looked around at the churches in our community we noticed something missing. East Polk County was in need of a dynamic, evangelical, church whose aim was to reach out to those who weren’t connected with God. We chose to move away from the traditional methods commonly found in other local churches. Looking and acting like a church was not important to us. Looking and acting like the church, as it is described in Acts 2:42-47, was important to us.
Starting a new church is hard work, and within a short amount of time, our founding Pastor realized he was too far along in his ministry to be able to carry the load. Although his retirement caught many of us by surprise, little did we know that God was preparing to bring our next Pastor to us. In June 2002, Pastor Mark James became our second pastor. 
Later that year, the church leadership met to clarify the vision and purpose of our church. The results became our mission statement: “Recognizing that only Jesus can lead us from brokenness to wholeness; Christ Community Church provides you a place to belong, something real to believe, and God's Word applied to everyday life.”
When Christ Community first formed, we met for worship at the Chain of Lakes Complex in downtown Winter Haven. Each week, church members would set up the auditorium for worship, then take everything down when they were finished. Our church began looking for a permanent place of our own, and in 2004, 16 acres of land became available on Overlook Road. Through many generous donations and much sacrificial giving by our church family, the land was bought and our present church building was constructed. Our first service was conducted in the new church building on March 27, 2006.
Our church has grown quickly since our inception, and many lives have been changed. We have sent members to several foreign countries for short term service, and have become involved in ministering to our community in numerous ways. In October 2010, Pastor George Gasperson became our current pastor.
We believe the future is bright for Christ Community Church as we seek to bring people “from brokenness to wholeness.”
The following are beliefs we hold to with a firm conviction. Each belief is based on specific passages and themes in the Bible. We have included references to a sample of these passages below each statement.
| ABOUT GOD |
| Genesis 1:1, 26, 27; 3:22; Psalm 90:2; Matthew 28:19; 1 Peter 1:2; Corinthians 13:14 |
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God is the creator and ruler of the universe. He has eternally existed in three persons – the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. These three are co-equal and are one God.
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| ABOUT MAN |
| Genesis 1:27; Psalm 8:3-6; Isaiah 53:6a; Isaiah 59:1, 2; Romans 3:23; |
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Man is made in the spiritual image of God, to be like him in character. He is the supreme object of God’s creation. Although man has tremendous potential for good, he is marred by an attitude of disobedience toward God called "sin." This attitude separates man from God.
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| ABOUT ETERNITY |
| John 3:16; John 2:25; John 5:11-13; Romans 6:23; Revelation 20:15; 1 John 5:11-12; Matthew 25:31-46 |
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Man was created to exist forever. He will either exist eternally separated from God by sin or in union with God through forgiveness and salvation. To be eternally separated from God is hell. To be eternally in union with him is eternal life. Heaven and hell are places of eternal existence.
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| ABOUT JESUS CHRIST |
| Matthew 1:22, 23; Isaiah 9:6; John 1:1-5, 14:10-30; Hebrews 4:14, 15; 1 Corinthians 15:3, 4; Romans 1:3, 4; Acts 1:9-11; 1 Timothy 6:14, 15; Titus 2:13 |
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Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He is co-equal with the Father. Jesus lived a sinless human life and offered himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all men by dying on a cross. He arose from the dead after three days to demonstrate His power over sin and death. He ascended to heaven’s glory and will return again to earth to reign as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
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| ABOUT SALVATION |
| Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:8, 9; John 14:6; Titus 3:5; Galatians 3:26; Romans 5:1 |
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Salvation is a gift from God to man. Man can never make up for his sin by self-improvement or good works – only by trusting in Jesus Christ as God’s offer of forgiveness can man be saved from sin’s penalty. Eternal life begins the moment one receives Jesus Christ into his life by faith.
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| ABOUT THE CHURCH |
| Matt. 16:18; Acts 2:41-47; 9:31; 12:5; 20:28; 1 Cor. 12:28; 16:1; Eph. 1:22-23; 2:19-22; 3:9-10, 21; 5:22-33; Col. 1:18; 1 Tim. 3:15; Heb. 12:23; James 5:14 |
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The Church universal is the entire group of believers in Jesus Christ. Its purposes include worship, fellowship, discipleship, ministry, and mission. Christ Community’s part in this large overall picture is to provide a place where people can meet regularly for these purposes, take part in the sacraments baptism and communion, and work together and help each other like parts of Christ’s body to fulfill his Great Commission.
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| ABOUT THE HOLY SPIRIT |
| 2 Corinthians 3:17; John 16:7-13, 14:16, 17; Acts 1:8; 1 Corinthians 2:12, 3:16, 12:1-10; Ephesians 1:13; Galatians 5:25; Ephesians 5:1; Romans 12:3-8 |
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The Holy Spirit is equal with the Father and the Son as God. He is present in the world to make men aware of their need for Jesus Christ. He also lives in every Christian from the moment of salvation. He provides the Christian with power for living, understanding of spiritual truth, spiritual gifts to build up and encourage other believers, and guidance in doing what is right. The Christian seeks to live under his control daily.
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| ABOUT THE BIBLE |
| 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20, 21; 2 Timothy 1:13; Psalm 119:105,160, 12:6; Proverbs 30:5 |
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The Bible is God’s word to all men. It was written by human authors, under the supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit. It is the supreme source of truth for Christian beliefs and living. Because it is inspired by God, it is truth without any mixture of error.
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| ABOUT BAPTISM |
| Colossians 2:12; Acts 2:41; Ephesians 2: 8-9; Matthew 28:19-20 |
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Baptism symbolizes the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus and is your public declaration that you have accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior. Baptism does not save you, but shows the world that you have already been saved. And while baptism is not required for salvation, it is a biblical command and demonstrates your love and obedience to Christ.
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| ABOUT COMMUNION |
| Matthew 26:26-30; Mark 14:22-26; Luke 22:19:20; 1 Corinthians 11:23-29 |
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Communion, or the Lord’s Supper, is an ordinance given to all believers by Jesus Christ to remember his sacrifice for us and to symbolize the new covenant. The elements of bread and wine or juice are symbols of Christ’s broken body and shed blood. Communion is not a means of salvation. Rather, it is a testament of a believer’s faith in the atoning work of the cross.
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