belief

Posted on October 11, 2011 by Admin

UTurn Church is a Christian church. We follow Jesus, we teach from the Bible, and we worship God as the creator and ruler of the universe.

Through our relationship with Christ, we are healed, renewed, redeemed, forgiven, transformed, loved. It’s our passion to share this faith and hope with the world.

God
God is the Creator and Ruler of the universe. He has eternally existed in three personalities: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. These three are coequal and are one God.

Jesus Christ
Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He is coequal with the Father and Holy Spirit. 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 and will return again someday to earth to reign as King.

About the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is coequal with the Father and the Son of God. He is present in the world to make men and women 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, and guidance in doing what is right. He gives every believer spiritual gifts when they are saved. As Christians we seek to live under His control daily.

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 about living. Because it is inspired by God, it is truth without error.

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”. Sin separates us from God and causes many problems in our life.

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 as God’s offer of forgiveness can anyone be saved from sin’s penalty. When we turn from our self:ruled life and turn to Jesus in faith we are saved. Eternal life begins the moment one receives Jesus Christ into his life by faith.

About Eternity
People were created to exist forever. We will either exist eternally separated from God by sin or eternally with God through forgiveness and salvation. To be eternally separated from God is hell. To be eternally in union with Him is eternal life in Heaven. Heaven and hell are real places of eternal existence.

About Baptism
Baptism is symbolic of the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. Once we have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, baptism is a way for us to publicly declare our new life in Christ. It is also a step of obedience based on God’s commands and allows us to follow the example of Jesus, who submitted himself to baptism to “fulfill all righteousness.”

In addition to Essential Beliefs, we uphold the following:
In Non-Essential Beliefs, we have liberty. Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters… Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls… So then each of us will give an account of himself to God… So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Sexual intercourse is reserved for marriage. Marriage exists between a man and a women.

In All our Beliefs, we show charity. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.

Affiliation
UTurn Church is a relating church to New Covenant Ministries International.

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what to expect!

Posted on October 10, 2011 by Admin

While you’re at UTurn Church you can expect:

  • Casual atmosphere
  • Weekend experiences that last for one and a half hours
  • Thought-provoking messages based on the Bible
  • Teaching from Lead Elder Craig Smee or a dynamic UTurn Speaker
  • Live worship music
  • Fun teaching for your kids
  • Room for moms to relax while listening to the message
  • Friendly people who hang out & chat in small groups that meet throughout the week
  • Next steps to help you follow Jesus
  • Opportunities to help others

To connect with staff and people from a location near you, follow us on Twitter or email us.

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your next steps

Posted on October 10, 2011 by Admin
  • - Attend church regularly. Worshiping and learning in community with others is one of the best ways to re-align yourself with God.
  • - Read your Bible. God’s Word is meant to be woven throughout our lives, giving us new wisdom with each season we experience. It’s the story of His love for us since the beginning of time—something best enjoyed daily.
  • - Pray. We have the privilege of a direct connection to the Creator of the universe. Through prayer, God addresses our deepest hopes and fears, gives us direction, and expresses His love to us.
  • - Get Baptized. Baptism is our way of telling the world about our relationship with Christ. Jesus did it, and it’s an important way we can follow His footsteps.
  • - Give. When we give, it acknowledges God as the giver of everything we have, reflects our trust that He will continue to provide for us, and allows us to be a part of His work here on earth. It’s something we do with joy.
  • - Bring your family. Following Jesus is a journey that becomes even more meaningful when shared. A great way to lay the groundwork is getting your kids involved in the ministry that’s designed just for them.
For help on any of these next steps, email Craig.
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about uturn

Posted on October 10, 2011 by Admin

UTurn Church wants to make a lasting difference in your life, in our community, and in the world. How do we go about that? By leading people to become fully devoted followers of Christ. That’s the driving purpose behind everything we do.

In your life:
We want to help you get to know God better and enable you to become who He’s created you to be. No matter where you are in life, we’ll help you figure out some next steps in your journey with Him. It could start with joining a small group, serving, participating in a personal growth plan, giving, or attending church regularly. Along the way, we hope to work with you to make the world a better place.

To build a strong relationship with God and others, it’s important to engage in a community of like-minded people. LifeGroups are one way for this to happen.

For your family:
We believe that strong families start with a solid foundation. We partner with parents to help raise up the next generation to have a strong relationship with Jesus. There are opportunities throughout the week for children and teens to grow closer to each other and to God. Ask anyone of our helpers on a Sunday morning about our high school, Heritage Christian Academy.

In our community & in the world:
We’re serving a global community…in person and online, individually and in groups, inside our church and around the world. We serve in many different ways, but there’s one common thread: people who are passionate about demonstrating God’s love to others. As a church we support and engage in several causes to serve our global community.

The people:
The church isn’t a building–it’s people. And we think you’ll find UTurn a pretty friendly bunch! We meet in Robin Hills in Randburg in our own auditorium called the Workshop.

Craig and Leanne Smee are the founding and lead elders of UTurn. Craig, his wife, Leanne, and their three children live in the Randpark area where UTurn began in 2009.

Including Craig and Leanne, our Directional Leadership Team (Richard and Odette, Derek and Nikki, Bongani and Fikile) work together to shape the vision and direction of the church.

 

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