What is the gospel?
The gospel is the good news about God, revealed to us in the Bible.
The Bible tells us that we are all sinners—we are not perfect. We have all messed up in our lives and fallen short of God's standard (Romans 3:10, 23).
You may think that you are a pretty good person, and don't deserve God's wrath. But the Bible says that because we are sinners, even our good works are as filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6).
The consequence of our sin is death, separation from God for all of eternity in a place called Hell (Romans 6:23, Revelation 20:13-15).
Because God is just, He has to punish sin. He cannot just ignore it. This may not sound like good news. But there's more...
God is not only just, but He is also loving. In fact, the Bible says He loved us so much that instead of leaving us to die in our sin, He sent His own Son, Jesus, who was perfect and had no sin. Jesus bore our sin and died in our place (John 3:16).
Jesus offers us salvation from our sin as a free gift, and all we have to do is accept it (Romans 5:15, 6:23).
If you would like to accept this gift of God right now, the Bible says in Romans 10:9, "That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
You may want to pray a prayer like this, "God, I admit that I am a sinner. I have fallen short of your standard and am deserving of your judgement. But I believe that Jesus died in my place, and I put my faith and trust in what He did, and not myself, to save me. I surrender my life to You, God. Thank you for the freedom and new life You have given me. Amen."
If you asked God to save you just now, trusting in Jesus for salvation, please share it with us! We are excited beyond words and would love to encourage you and give you some resources to help you grow in your new adventure. Please email Youth Pastor Paul at paul@opendoorchili.org, or tell one of the leaders at Connect, and we will do all we can to help you! Praise God for the good news of the gospel!
About Connect
What is Connect?
Connect is the youth ministry for teens in grades 6-12 at Open Door Baptist Church in Churchville, NY. We meet Sunday mornings in our very own youth church service, Wednesday evenings for bible study, and host outreach events and service opportunities throughout the year.
Connect Sunday Mornings
At 9:30AM, we have three teen discipleship classes designed to break the teenagers down into smaller classes in order to teach them the basics of how to live the Christian life.
At 11:00AM, we all meet together in Room 101 for fellowship, praising God through music and testimonies, preaching from the word of God, and prayer for each other, our church, our community, and the world.
When? Sundays at 9:30 & 11:00AM
| Where? | 6th-8th grade at 9:30AM in Room 101 |
| Girls in 9th-12th grade at 9:30AM in Room 210 | |
| Guys in 9th-12th grade at 9:30AM in Room 206 | |
| Everyone in 6th-12th grade at 11:00AM in Room 101 |
Connect Wednesday Nights
This is a program designed for students who would like to go deeper into the study of the Word of God. Each week students are challenged to read a daily devotional (which we provide), memorize scripture, and serve in ministry at Open Door.
Each student is assigned to a small group and a small group leader. The leaders are responsible for knowing, praying for, and challenging the students on a weekly basis.
When? Every Wednesday Night at 7:00PM
Where? 6th-8th grade in Room 101, 9th-12th grade in Room 209.
Connect Outreach Events
During the school year, we hold monthly outreach events at the church with a variety of themes, ranging from Christmas parties to bygone decades. Parents of teens are welcome to stick around too, and enjoy an always changing program, packed with live music, drama, crowd games, sports, testimonies, food, and much, much more! And best of all, it's all free!
Past activities have included blacklight dodgeball, hot dog eating contests, music by local performing artists, obstacle courses, an annual talent show, and NERF wars, to name just a few.
Connect Snow Camp
We also hold an annual weekend winter retreat called Connect Snow Camp, an action-packed weekend of outdoor winter activities, indoor games (table tennis, carpetball, foosball, etc.) and sporting competitions (floor hockey, basketball, volleyball, dodgeball), and rallies with music, games, video, drama, and teaching.
More Information
For more information, contact Youth Pastor Paul St. Denis by phone at (585) 889-3220 or by email at paul@opendoorchili.org.