FAITH COMMUNITY CHURCH
OF THE WEST SHORE
We are a Faith Community, a group of people unified by our faith and trust in God the Father as our Creator and Provider, God the Son as our Lord and Savior, and God the Holy Spirit as our Leader and Comforter.
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We are also a Community Church, a group of people on mission together to be God's hands, feet and voice in the West Shore community, bringing His message of hope, salvation and love through both word and deed.
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We are relationally "of" the West Shore, not just physically "in" the West Shore. God's desire and command is for us to love our neighbors. That requires us to be active in the West Shore community as individuals and as a church, showing the love of Jesus first so that we may earn the right to talk about the love of Jesus.
OUR LOGO
Why the Turtle Shell? The Bible says "In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the devil." (Ephesians 6:16) This passage was written at the height of the Roman Empire, so the first century readers would have been very aware of the equipment and tactics of the occupying Roman army. During a battle, the Romans would often employ a defensive maneuver called "The Testudo Formation" where they would lock their shields together to form a very good barrier, especially to flaming arrows raining down from the sky. The word Testudo is Latin for Tortoise so this maneuver could also be called "The Turtle Shell" formation.
God's plan is for us to go through life together as a church and not try to fight our battles on our own. Therefore, we as believers in Christ need to be locking our shields of faith together in "The Turtle Shell" formation as we fully rely on God to help us stand against the devil and his schemes. The attacks are constant so our logo design will serve as a constant reminder and challenge to always live with our shields of faith locked together as one. This is also why we call our small groups that meet together throughout the week "Shell" groups.
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TESTUDO!
The TESTUDO Formation in Action
"In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the devil." Ephesians 6:16
WHAT WE BELIEVE
- There is one true God who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
- The 66 books of the Bible in their original writings are inspired by God and authoritative.
- All people are born sinners in need of salvation.
- Jesus lived a perfect life, died, and was resurrected to save us from our sins.
- We can be rescued from our sins through faith in the finished work of Christ Jesus alone.
- The church is established by God and is vital to Christian living and proclaiming the Good News.
- We are called to be Christ-like in our living which includes helping others become Christ-like.
- The physical return of our Lord Jesus is imminent.
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You may download a PDF of our complete Statement of Faith here:
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For those of you who want even more details, you can download a PDF of our bylaws here:
OUR PASTOR
Pastor Fred Seiferth has a passion for helping people find a real faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord. He loves talking about God and the Bible in a way that makes sense so that people really get it, and often uses analogies from hunting, fishing, serving in the Army or other real world experiences to make a point really stick. He also lives his faith out in the community as best as he can by volunteering as a firefighter in Fairview Township. He serves as the chaplain for both the Fairview Fire and Police departments and is thankful for the opportunity to serve alongside his first responder brothers and sisters.
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Fred is blessed to be married to Jennifer for almost 30 years! God has also blessed them with two amazing sons, Matthew and Timmy, who also enjoy teaching the Bible and spending time in God's great outdoors. Fred grew up in the dairy country outside of Buffalo, NY and is regrettably a life-long Bills and Sabres fan. His first question to God will be "Why Buffalo sports, God, why, why, why?!?!?"
Pastor Fred is a nationally certified firefighter and volunteers with the Fairview Fire Dept. Station 68. He also serves as their chaplain.
Fred loves bringing the Bible to life! Yes, that's really a goat that he used for one of his sermon demonstrations! (No goats were harmed in the taking of this picture...)
After completing a grueling 10K Spartan in the Poconos with FCC Worship Leaders
Pastor Fred is a nationally certified firefighter and volunteers with the Fairview Fire Dept. Station 68. He also serves as their chaplain.
Fitnistry
GROWING OUR FAITH WHILE SHRINKING OUR GUTS!
One of the ways that we build stronger relationships and stay healthy while we're doing it is called Fitnistry. We do light to medium exercises at our own pace as a group. During break times in-between sets we talk about the real - life applications of a Bible verse. It's a great way to get to know people, get your blood flowing and reinforce what we've discussed on Sunday morning. We also try to do a couple of obstacle course runs each year as a team. God's design is for us to help each other get through life's obstacles together. TESTUDO!
