Lifting up Jesus that the world may believe

ICC's Statement of Faith

Here is a summary of our basic beliefs. Please attend the Encounter Class to explore this in more detail.

 

ABOUT GOD

God is the Creator and Ruler of the universe. God has eternally existed in three personalities: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. These three are co-equal and are one God. (Genesis 1:1,26-27, 3:22; Psalm 90:2; Matthew 28:19; 1 Peter 1:2; 2 Corinthians 13:14).

 

ABOUT JESUS CHRIST

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 people 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 someday to claim His church. (Matthew 16:16; Isaiah 9:6; John 1:1-5; 14:10-30; Hebrews 4:14,15; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4; Romans 1:3-74; Acts 1:9-11; 1 Timothy 6:14-15; Titus 2:13).

 

ABOUT THE HOLY SPIRIT

The Holy Spirit is co-equal with the Father and the Son of God. He is present in the world to make people aware of their need for Jesus Christ. The Spirit also lives in every Christian from the moment of salvation and provides the Christian with power for living, understanding of spiritual truth, and guidance in doing what is right. He gives every believer a spiritual gift when they are saved. As Christians, we seek to live under His control daily. (2 Corinthians 3:17; John 16:7-13, 14:16-17; Acts 1:8; 2:38; 1 Corinthians 2:12, 3:16; Ephesians 1:13; Galatians 5:25; Ephesians 5:18).

 

ABOUT THE BIBLE

The Bible is God's Word to us. 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 the truth without any mixture of error. (2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20-21; 2 Timothy 1:13; Psalm 119:105,160, 12:6; Proverbs 30:5).

 

ABOUT HUMAN BEINGS

People are made in the spiritual image of God, to be like Him in character. People are the supreme object of God's creation. Although every person has tremendous potential for good, all of us are marred by an attitude of disobedience toward God called "sin". This attitude separates people from God and causes many problems in life. (Genesis 1:27; Psalm 8:3-6; Isaiah 53:6a; Romans 3:23; Isaiah 59:1-2).

 

ABOUT SALVATION

Salvation is God's free gift to us, but we must accept it. We can never make up for our sin by self-improvement or good works. Only by trusting in Jesus Christ's sacrifice can anyone be saved from sin’s penalty. Jesus calls each of us to respond to His offer by believing in Him as Savior, repenting of our sins, and identifying with His death, burial, and resurrection through baptism (see Mark 16:15-16, Acts 2:38; Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:8-9; John 14:6, 1:12; Titus 3:5; Galatians 3:26; Romans 5:1; Romans 6:3-4).

Baptism at ICC

 

At ICC, we take great joy in practicing the beautiful ancient ritual of water baptism. The reason is simple: Jesus commanded it! After His death, burial and resurrection, Jesus walked with His closest friends for forty days giving them His final instructions before returning to Heaven. His parting words have been preserved for us in both Matthew and Mark:

 

“Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20a).

 

“Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned” (Mark 16:15-16).

 

Those friends did just as He directed. For example, the very first time they preached the good news (gospel) about Jesus, they were asked: “what shall we do?” Their response? “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins” (Acts 2:38a). In fact, that day 3,000 people were baptized! Each time Jesus’ followers presented the good news about Jesus, people were urged to be baptized (see Acts 8:12,13,16; 36-38; 9:18; 10:47-48; 16:15, 33; 18:24-26; 19:3-6; 22:15-17).

 

What is baptism?

It is the act of immersing a person in water and lifting them up out of the water as a symbolic representation of his or her dying to sin, being buried, and being raised back to life. This is exactly how the Bible describes it: “Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life” (Romans 6:3-4).

 

Baptism is a powerful, symbolic act that serves to mark the new beginning that one receives when he or she becomes a Christian. If you are a believer in Jesus, and yet haven’t been baptized, we wish to encourage you to take this important step of obedience. Contact the church office via phone or email immediately and we will schedule a brief, informative preparation study and arrange for your baptism. Church Office: 425.392.5848 (see contact page).

Our Ministries

We have great ministries led by great people...

 

-Accomodations Ministry

-Benevolence Ministry

-Congregational Care

-Youth Groups

-Children's Ministry

-Involvement Ministry

-Finance

-Men's Ministry

-Missions

-New Facility

-Outreach

-Property

-Home Groups

-Sports Ministry

-Women's Ministry

-Worship

..........Becky McManus

..........Office

..........Nancy Faulk

..........Dan Litzenberg and Justin Cole

..........Lydia Copenhaver

..........Brad Bromling

..........Dave Faulk

..........Dave Treece and Andy Stringer

..........Steve Morrow

..........Bill Bogen

..........Brad Bromling

..........Greg Olsen

..........Dan & Becky McManus, Jeff & Diana Johnson, and Brad Bromling

..........Mark Bowers and David Keck

..........Donna Abbott, Marietta Bramson, Kirsten Ellenberger, & Mo Rockstad

..........Diana Johnson

Brad

Dan

Lydia

Kirsten

Dr. Brad T. Bromling has served as our Pastor for the past ten years. He and his wife Kimberly have two daughters. Kimberly has served in various aspects of ministry with Brad through the years. In addition to preaching, Brad has also worked as a writer and adjunct Bible professor (Faulkner University in Montgomery, AL). He currently heads ICC’s Home Group Ministry.

 

Diana Johnson is our Worship Minister. She is a graduate of Puget Sound Christian College and has served the Lord in worship ministries for the past ten years. She is married to Jeff (an inventor and engineer working at Red Dot) and has two grown kids. Jeff is responsible for our sound system. Both Diana and Jeff are involved in a Home Group that Jeff facilitates.

 

Dan Litzenberg is our Director of High School Ministries. He and his wife Melissa graduated from Seattle Pacific University and have been at ICC since 2005. Dan works as an IT Auditor in Seattle, but his real passion is reaching and encouraging High School students in the name of Jesus. Dan also leads Seventh Angel, ICC’s Youth Band.

 

Justin Cole is our Director of Middle School Ministries. He graduated from Liberty High School and is planning to attend Northwest College to pursue a Ministry Leadership degree. He enjoys fly fishing and watching and playing football, but really loves riding the roads of Washington on his cruiser. He has a passion for helping people grow in their knowledge of and trust in Jesus.

 

Lydia Copenhaver leads our Children’s Ministry. She and her husband, Steve (an electrical contractor), have four children (Ashley, Heather, Stephanie, and Steven) and live in Sammamish. Lydia has served in Children’s Ministry most of her life in one capacity or another. Her vast experience and passion for teaching children is a wonderful asset to ICC.

 

Marietta Bramson is our Office Manager. She and her husband, Jack, have three grown children and a three year old granddaughter. She has extensive experience managing an office environment. Marietta is also active in Women’s Ministry and, along with her husband, Jack (a regional sales manager for a international tile company), is involved in a Home Group.

 

Kirsten Ellenberger volunteers in the office and is likely to be one of the friendly voices you hear when you call the church office. She and her husband Ingmar (a software developer) have two children. They are from Canada and currently applying for a Green Card. Both Kirsten and Ingmar are part of the Praise Team and host a Home Group. Kirsten is also active in Women’s Ministry

Diana

JustinMarietta

Our Vision

Simply put, Issaquah Christian Church exists to empower people to reach their full potential in Christ. We believe God has called each of us in a special way to participate with Him in reaching this world in the name of Jesus. Our mission as a church is to provide the right kind of environment where people are inspired and empowered to understand what that special place is.

 

Because ICC is growing, we face an exciting challenge—we need more space! Since our original facility can comfortably accommodate only about 100 in any given worship service, we have embarked upon an ambitious building program.

 

Two phases are planned. The first phase, which we we just completed October 2010, consists of a new 6,500 sqft facility that will seat approximately 300. This will give us some much needed room to accommodate more people, and to more effectively minister to all who attend ICC. During this phase, our Children’s Ministry will fully occupy both levels of our original facility.

 

The second phase is scheduled to be completed within 5 years of the first phase and involves a complete reworking of our land scaping and parking areas and the construction of 15,000 sq ft building that we are calling our Friendship Center. This facility will include a full-court gym, a kitchen, nursery, additional classrooms, restrooms and church offices. With the completion of this expansion project, ICC will have fully utilized our property. From that point forward, we plan to plant new churches throughout the region (approximately one every three to five years).

 

We are in the midst of the third of perhaps four funding campaigns. This campaign is called: Seize the Moment! By raising funds in this way (over and above our normal tithes and offerings), we are able to continue to minister unhindered both locally and globally in places such as Haiti, Philippines, and Mexico. Each week, we contribute sacrificially toward the future God is creating for us in the region. We invite you to join us on this bold, faith-filled journey!

For more information, download this PDF.

We are Partners with Church

Development Fund (CDF)

 

For more than 50 years, Church Development Fund has provided financing for the expansion, building and growth of churches and ministries all across the United States, thanks to thousands of individuals who have invested roughly $500 million.

 

CDF is providing construction funding for our new facility. As an incentive to ICC, CDF will lower the interest rate of our construction loan according to the amount of investments individuals make in CDF. The elders feel good about this arrangement because this shows ICC's confidence in CDF and it in turn reinforces CDF's confidence in ICC. Plus, it means more money is available to build new church buildings and to plant new churches. Visit CDF's web site to find answers to the most common questions.