Discover Your Faith Journey

Welcome to Christ's American Baptist Church

Join us as we embark on a transformative journey of faith, community, and service, rooted in the teachings of Jesus Christ.

Our Mission and Vision

Our Mission at Christ’s American Baptist Church, is to know Christ better, and make him better known.

Our Vision is to draw others to the saving knowledge of Christ by living like him

in the way we love and serve one another, our neighbors and the world.

A Welcoming Community

Who We Are

Christ’s American Baptist Church is a diverse family of believers, welcoming individuals from all walks of life. Whether you’re exploring faith or seeking a spiritual home, you’ll find a place here. We celebrate our differences and unite in our shared love for Christ, fostering a supportive environment where everyone can grow in their faith journey.

Our church family is made up of people from various backgrounds, ages, and experiences, all coming together to worship God and support one another. We believe in the power of community and the importance of walking alongside each other as we navigate life’s challenges and joys.

Our Beliefs

About the Bible

The Bible is God’s Word to us. Through it we know God’s mind and heart. It was written by human authors; guided supernaturally by the Holy Spirit. It is the only infallible source of truth and manual for Christian belief and living. There are no other writings similarly inspired by God. 2 Peter 1:20-21; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; Psalm 119:105

About God

We believe there is only one true God, eternally existing in three persons – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Each one, each of whom possesses equally every divine perfection, work together for the redemption of the world. In the beginning God created the world out of nothing and by his power he continues to sustain his creation.

Genesis 1:1-26; Acts 17:24; Colossians 1:16

About Jesus Christ

We believe in Jesus, as revealed in the Bible, as the Son of God. He assumed a human nature and was born miraculously of a virgin. He lived a life of perfect obedience to the Father and offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all people by dying on the cross. After three days he arose from the dead, victorious over sin and death. He ascended to the Father and will return to earth someday to reign as Lord of all the earth.

John 1:1-5; Matthew 1:18,22,23; Hebrews 4:14-15; John 12:27; Philippians 2:6-11; 1 Timothy 6:14-15

About the Holy Spirit

Until the return of Christ, the Holy Spirit is present in the world and in the lives of all who have trusted in Jesus for their salvation. We depend expectantly on the Spirit’s power to reveal the truth of scripture, restoring our nature into the image of God and enabling us to lead a life of Christ-like character. The Spirit, co-equal with the Father and the Son, gives to each believer gifts for the building up of the church. As believers, we seek to give ourselves to his control daily.

John 14:26 & 16:24; 2 Timothy 3:16; Romans 8:30; Galatians 5:25; 1 Corinthians 12:7

About Human Beings

Humanity is the crown of God’s creation, made in the spiritual image of God, created with the potential for good. Yet humanity, wanting to be the same as God, defied Him choosing to go our own independent way and was thus alienated from God. This fall from relationship with God took place at the beginning of human history and to this day, everyone has suffered the consequences and needs the saving grace of God for restoration.

Genesis 1:27; Psalm 8:3-6; Romans 3:23; Isaiah 59:1-2

About Salvation
The purpose of the coming of Christ was the salvation of humanity. As human beings we cannot make up for our sin by being good or earning acceptance with God. We are eternally corrupted in our natures. Only by trusting in Christ as God’s offer of forgiveness can we be saved from the penalty of our sin and find our way back to God. We were created to live forever. We will either live forever apart from God (which the Bible calls Hell) or in an eternal union with him (which the Bible calls Heaven). When we choose to turn from our rebellion and turn to Jesus in faith we are saved and receive the gift of life eternal. This begins the moment we receive Jesus into our lives by faith.
Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:8-9; John 14:6; Galatians 3:26

About Missions

We believe our God is a missionary God and has called us to be a missionary Church. We were made for a mission. We believe the Church exists for those who are not yet in it. Jesus came to “seek and save the lost” (Luke 19:10) and said “as the Father sent me so send I you” (John 20:21). Jesus made His mission the model for ours. We too are to be a sent people, a missionary Church, taking and enabling the Gospel to be presented to the ends of the earth.

Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 1:8

About Prayer

We believe the foundation of our ministry is centered on being a church that prays. We believe prayer is not what we can get from God, but it is to be an intimate and personal relationship with the living God in which we as the community of faith comes to want only what God wants for us, nothing more and nothing less.

Ephesians 6:18-20

About Baptism & the Lord’s Supper

We believe that both the Lord’s Supper and baptism are symbolic acts commanded by Christ, reminding us of the ministry of Christ in our lives and leading us to be more aware of His continuing presence and power. Baptism is a public act of a youth or adult that signifies their repentance to God, their trust in God’s mercy and forgiveness in Christ, and their surrender to obey God’s will. Baptism will be by immersion in keeping with the meaning of the Greek word for baptism that means to plunge or dip beneath the water.

The Lord’s Supper is a memorial meal intended to remind the Church of the foundation upon which it rests, for in the Lord’s Supper we see depicted the mighty acts of God in Christ on the cross. In the Lord’s Super, the bread and cup are symbols of the body and blood of Christ and His sacrifice on the cross delivering us from the bondage of sin. In the taking of the Supper, we are reminded of what God has done in Christ, what He is continuing to do and what He has promised yet to do. Because it reflects the pardon we have received in Christ and our saving relationship with Him, this meal is reserved for all who have accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

Matthew 28:20; Acts 2:38; 1 Corinthians 11:17-34

About the Church
We believe in the church, a living spiritual body of which Christ is the head and all true believers are a part. The church has been described to be like a great hall of which doors open into many rooms. The rooms are the many Christian denominations, but all are a part of that universal great hall “The Church”. In each room there are furnishings that give substance and meaning to that room; these are the individual churches. In these local churches believers gather to hear the word of God communicated; celebrate the presence of God, are educated as the people of God and demonstrate the love of God.
1 Corinthians 12:27; Ephesians 1:23; John 15:1-8; Matthew 28:19;

Our Story

History of CABC

History of CABC

Late in 1979, Christ’s American Baptist Church began its roots as a hometown family church. Through humble beginnings in the home of George and Lucille Kennedy, the basement of a Hanover bank, and even into the kitchen of Bob and Janet Coddington, CABC continued to grow slowly. Although this group of church planters met many obstacles on this journey, they continued to pray and respond to God’s leading for the future of the Spring Grove congregation. They were blessed with weekly services provided by retired Pastor Charles Stotsenburg as well as the arrival of Reverend David Dunn in Gettysburg, who would chair the steering committee for American Baptist churches in the area and later serve as an Associate Pastor of CABC.

In the early 1980’s, Pastor Ralph Eib was called to be the first full-time pastor of the church, and in 1983, with only 32 members, they became chartered as Christ’s American Baptist Church. With no church building to call home, the growing group met in the Colonial Valley Social Hall and then in the Seventh Day Adventist Church. Through much prayer and sacrificial giving, funds were raised to break ground on a new church building, which was ready for use in April of 1986. To accommodate for the growing needs of the church body and to provide for greater outreach in the community, the congregation continued to seek God’s will through prayer and sacrificial giving in order to add the gym and classrooms in 1991 as well as other additions that were made in later years. Upon the retirement of Pastor Ralph in September of 2007, Pastor Todd Witmer took on the role of Senior Pastor.

Throughout Pastor Todd’s tenure we saw growth in many areas. Our CABC Preschool began in 2010 and continues to be a place where the next generation is grown in their preparation for kindergarten as well in the faith and knowledge of God. Connections through missions in the DR and other parts of the world were strengthened and continue to be a large focus of our church today.

In the midst of continued life with one another, the church hired Pastor Joshua Trojak in 2016 to join our staff as Associate Pastor of Youth, Young Adults, & Discipleship. In that time, we saw renovations to our sanctuary and lobby and prepared our church for future ministry. They guided us through the pandemic and upon Pastor Todd’s retirement in 2021, Pastor Josh became the third Sr. Pastor to lead CABC.

The names and faces of the congregation, leadership and staff have been different in every season of ministry, but throughout the years of the existence of Christ’s American Baptist Church several values have remained constant:

We have a passion for the Word of God and we seek to learn through the study of His Word in worship services, small groups, and personal study.
We love people. From children to adults of all ages, the ministries of CABC seek to provide biblically based teaching and Christian fellowship with one another within an atmosphere of God’s love and grace.
We have a zeal for Missions. We support many local, national, and international ministries and missionaries.

Today, we continue to keep these core values at the forefront of all we do and remain true to our hometown start as we continually strive to listen and follow the plan God has for us.

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