Sexuality is a gift from God. We’re wonderfully created with a capacity and desire for intimate relationship and companionship. We’re able to unite with another person in a way that affects us physically, emotionally and even spiritually, and God invites us to be part of the very creation process through reproduction. But Scripture also teaches that the most intense intimacy is only…
Sacramento, CA
Sacramento, CA
Christians receive the Holy Spirit when they place their faith in Jesus Christ and become his (1 Corinthians 12:13; Ephesians 1:13-14; Romans 8:9). Every believer is baptized in the Holy Spirit. We also see in Scripture that God may, at times, specially fill us with his Spirit (Acts 4:8, 31; 13:9), and that we are to continually seek for our lives to…
When a person in the first century converted to a new faith, a common way they would publicly demonstrate to everyone their conversion was through baptism. First century Jews saw this as something Gentiles did to show they were converting to the Jewish faith. So for the Jewish people to be baptized by John demonstrated real humility. They were confessing they needed…
Curt Parton Since Kelley and I came here in January, some have been surprised that I prefer people to not call me “Pastor” or “Pastor Curt.” For people who are accustomed to using this kind of title, it’s a little odd to call a pastor by just their first name. So I thought I’d explain my reasons for preferring this approach. It’s…
The Orchard doesn’t have a senior or lead pastor as many other churches do. To some people this might seem a little odd. Why don’t we have a senior pastor? It might be helpful to look at this question from a slightly different perspective: Why should a church have a senior pastor? Specifically, is there any biblical basis for this special leadership role…
The following constitution and bylaws establish a framework for our fellowship and ministry together as a church. ARTICLE I: NAME The name of this church shall be The Orchard. It is incorporated as a non-profit corporation under the laws of the State of California. ARTICLE II: ASSOCIATION AND STATEMENT OF FAITH The Orchard is an autonomous congregation in association and fellowship with…
Graciously and uncompromisingly evangelical Everything we are and everything we do is rooted in, centered on and permeated by the evangel, the gospel of Jesus Christ. Before anything else, we are worshipers of God, disciples of Jesus Christ; we seek to love him with all of our hearts, souls, strength and minds. Scripture remains our highest authority and the standard for our faith and lives…
We are followers of Jesus Christ. We believe that Jesus taught us, in his life and words, what it means to truly worship and serve God. We believe he took on himself the inescapable consequence of our sin—death—and that he rose from the dead. Because he took our death, we can now receive his life. We accept the New Testament Gospels as faithful accounts…