Our Pastor

Pastor Biggs was born in Keosauqua, Iowa on January 18, 1957. In 1975 he graduated and married his high school sweetheart, Sheila. Then in December of 1976 he enlisted in the United States Air Force. He reached Staff Sergeant in only eight years and was decorated eleven times.

It was while he was stationed in Alaska, that he accepted Christ as his personal savior on December 27, 1979. The next Sunday he was baptized at Calvary Baptist Church in Anchorage. Forty-one days after salvation Pastor Biggs was called to preach. After the military moved him to San Antonio, Texas, he joined Liberty Baptist Church, where he later became the youth pastor. During his time there Pastor Biggs transferred to reserve duty, so that he could further train for the ministry at Bible college.

Just two weeks before graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Pastoral Theology, he was called as the pastor to First Baptist Church of Mediapolis, Iowa, where he pastored for eleven years, before God moved him in March of 2000 to the pastorate at Landmark Baptist Church in Petoskey, Michigan for the next eighteen years, during which time he earned a masters and doctorate. Just when our church was in need, God moved Pastor Biggs to Harrison, Michigan, to be our pastor here at Hope Baptist Church, where we have seen many people saved, baptized, and added to our church.

Ministries

Bus

We operate a bus for the transportation of all ages to our Sunday school and church services. We have workers and captains for our bus route and we hope to add additional vehicles and routes as the need arises. Our bus ministry would love to reach the entire family, but we will allow children to come with signed parental permission. Toddlers and infants MUST be accompanied by at least one of the parents or guardians.

Choir

Our aim is to be a blessing to the people of God as we prepare hearts for the preaching of God’s Word. We aren’t professional, but we love the Lord and enjoy making a “joyful noise” for Him! Come and give us a chance to be a blessing to you.

Media

Currently we make the services available for purchase on CD or Mp3. We are in the process of updating our equipment to be able in the near future to make our services available on live stream.

Nursery

During Sunday school and every service we have a staffed nursery of qualified workers who love the Lord and will provide excellent care for your infant or toddler.

Soul-Winning

We have a time of door to door soul-winning on Saturday mornings in conjunction with our bus visitation. We print and distribute tracts and Scripture portions (John & Romans), as well as sharing the gospel personally as we have opportunity.

Sunday School

We have a Sunday school program for preschool and grades from kindergarten through adult.
We have classes for each grade while the adult class meets in the auditorium. Remember, Sunday school is NOT JUST for kids, it’s for everyone.

Upward Bound

We have an excellent program we call Upward Bound. This ministry is suited for boys in the first through sixth grades. It is divided into two main groups, 1st through 3rd grades and 4th thru 6th grades. Each group has three ranks they can attain as they progress throughout the program. We have combined elements of scouting, Bible memorization, nature appreciation, character training, and practical outdoor skills.

Ministry Worker Qualifications

ALL of our ministry workers that work with children are background screened and checked to ensure the utmost security for the children we are entrusted to care for in our ministries.

Future Plans

We are planning to begin the phases for construction of a new multi-purpose facility on our property this spring. This will give us a much better capacity for classrooms, offices, a space for fellowships, larger meetings, games etcetera. It will also include a kitchen for meal prep.

Our goal is to get the septic reworked to allow us to put in the new plumbing and slab. We would like to get the building covered at least, but would love to have it ‘dried-in’ this year, and then to progress on its completion as we raise the funds along the way.

What We Believe

The One True God

We believe that there is one, and only one, true and living God; that He is omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, immutable, and infinitely Holy; that He exists eternally in three Persons – the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; each being co-eternal in being, co-identical in nature, co-equal in power and glory, and having the same attributes and perfections.   (Gen. 17:1; Deut. 4:35; Deut. 6:4; Isa. 44:6; Matt. 28:19; 2 Cor. 13:14)

The Person and Work of Jesus Christ

            (1)  We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of God, Who became man, without ceasing to be God, having been conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, in order that He might reveal God and redeem sinful men.   (Isa. 7:14; 9:6; Luke 1:35; John 1:1-34; 2 Cor. 5:19; Phil. 2:5-8)

            (2)  We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished our redemption through His death on the cross as a representative, vicarious, substitutionary sacrifice; and, that our justification is made sure by His literal, physical resurrection from the dead.   (Acts 2:18-36; Rom. 3:24-25; Eph. 1:7; 1 Peter 1:3-5; 1 Peter 2:24)

            (3)  We believe that the blood of Jesus Christ, which He shed in death at Calvary is the only atonement for the sins of mankind, that it is sufficient to wash away the sins of every person.   (Eph. 1:7; Heb. 9:22; 1 John 1:7)

            (4)  We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ ascended to Heaven, and is now exalted at the right hand of God, where, as our High Priest, He fulfills the ministry of Representative, Intercessor, and Advocate.   (Acts 1:9-10; Heb. 9:24; 7:25; Rom. 8:34; 1 John 2:1-2)

           (5)  We believe in that “blessed hope,” the personal, imminent return of Christ Who will rapture His Church prior to the seven-year tribulation period.  At the end of the Tribulation, Christ will personally and visibly return, with His saints, to establish His earthly Kingdom where He will rule for a thousand years which makes His Second Coming premillenial.   (John 14:3; Acts 1:11-12; 1 Thess. 1:10; I Thess. 3:18; 1 Thess. 4:13-18; Titus 2:13; Rev. 19:11-16; 20:1-6)

The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit

            (1)  We believe that the Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Trinity and not an abstract power or influence, Who convicts the world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment; and, that He is the Supernatural Agent in regeneration, baptizing all believers into the body of Christ, indwelling and sealing them unto the day of redemption.   (John 16:8-11; Rom. 8:9; 1 Cor. 12:12-14; 2 Cor. 3:6; Eph. 1:13-14)

            (2)  We believe that the Holy Spirit is the Divine Teacher who assists believers to understand and appropriate the Scriptures and that it is the privilege and duty of all the saved to be filled with the Spirit.   (Eph. 1:17-18; 5:18; 1 John 2:20,27)

The Holy Scriptures

We believe the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be the verbally and plenary inspired Words of God, preserved infallibly correct in the 1611 Authorized King James Version.  This Church shall not preach or teach from any other version of the Bible.   The Scriptures are inerrant, infallible, and God-breathed, and therefore are the final authority for faith and life.  The Scriptures do not merely contain the truth, but is the truth, the standard by which all truth must be tested.  The sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments are the complete and divine revelation of God to man.  The Scriptures shall be interpreted according to their normal grammatical-historical meaning.   (2 Tim. 3:15-17; 2 Pet. 1:20,21; Psa. 12:6,7; Rev. 22:18,19)

The Total Depravity of Man

We believe that man was created in the image and likeness of God, but that he fell from his perfect state by voluntary transgression; that since the first transgression, all men are born in sin and have, through inheritance, a depraved nature; and is, of himself, utterly unable to remedy his lost condition, and is, therefore, under just condemnation without defense or excuse.   (Gen. 1:26-27; 3:1-6; Rom. 3:22-23; 5:12; 6:23; Eph. 2:1-3; 4:17-19)

The Salvation of Man

We believe that salvation is the gift of God brought to man by grace and received by repenting of his sin and placing his personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, Whose precious blood was shed on Calvary for the forgiveness of our sins.  Upon placing personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, such an experience consummates the New Birth and is transformed or regenerated by God’s Spirit and becomes a true child of God.  This Salvation, (or New Birth), cannot be obtained by any good works or deeds of men.   (Luke 13:3; John 1:12; John 3:36; John 10:27-29; Acts 4:12; 16:31; Eph. 1:7; 2:8-10; 1 Peter 1:18-19)

The Eternal Security of Assurance of Believers

            (1)  We believe that all the redeemed, once saved, are kept by God’s power and are thus secure in Christ forever.   (John 6:37-40; 10:27-30; Rom. 8:1, 38-39; 1 Cor. 1:4-8; 1 Peter 1: 4-5)

(2)  We believe that it is the privilege of believers to rejoice in the assurance of their salvation through the testimony of God’s Word, which, however, clearly forbids the use of Christian liberty as an occasion to the flesh.   (Rom. 13:13-14; Gal. 5:13; Titus 2:11-15)

The Church

            (1)  We believe that the local church is an assembly of born-again persons, observing the ordinances of Christ, governed by His laws, and exercising the gifts, rights, and privileges invested in them by His Word.   (2 Cor. 1:1; Gal. 1:2; Acts 5:11; Eph. 1:22-23; 5:25-27)

            (2)  We believe that the establishment and continuance of local churches is clearly taught and defined in the New Testament Scriptures.   (Acts 14:27; 20:17, 28-32; 1 Tim. 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-11)

            (3)  We believe in the autonomy of the local church free of any external authority or control.   (Acts 13:1-4; 15:19-31; 20:28; Rom. 16:1,4; 1 Cor. 3:9,16; 5:4-7,13; 1 Peter 5:1-4)

The Ordinances of the Church

We believe that the ordinances enjoined by the gospel, given to the church by the Lord Jesus Christ, are two:  Baptism, and the Lord’s Supper.

            (1)  We believe that Christian baptism is the immersion in water of one who has had a personal, saving experience with Christ; that it symbolizes the believer being buried with Christ and raised to walk with Him in newness of life;  that the one and only prerequisite for baptism is salvation;  and that it is to be administered as soon as possible following the salvation experience; that this ordinance is to be administered in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.   (Matt. 28:19-20; Acts 2:41-42; Acts 8:36-38)

            (2)  We believe that the Lord’s Supper is to be observed by only those who have been saved by Jesus Christ and is to be observed only after a solemn self-examination;  that the elements of this ordinance, unleavened bread and unfermented grape juice, represent the broken body and shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ respectively. 

Separation

We believe that all the saved should live in such a manner as not to bring reproach upon their Savior; and, that separation from all religious apostasy, all worldly and sinful pleasures, practices and associations is commanded of God.   (Rom. 12:1-2; 14:13; 2 Cor. 6:17-7:1; 2 Tim. 2:19; 3:1-5; 1 John 2:15-17; 2 John 9-11)

The Eternal State

            (1)  We believe in the bodily resurrection of all men, the saved to eternal life, and the unsaved to judgment and everlasting punishment.   (Matt. 25:46; John 5:28-29; 11:25-26; Rev. 20:5-6, 12-13)

(2)  We believe that the souls of the redeemed are, at death, absent from the body and present with the Lord, where in conscious bliss they await the first resurrection, when spirit, soul, and body are reunited to be glorified forever with the Lord.   (Luke 23:43; 2 Cor. 5:8; Phil. 1:23; 3:21; 1 Thess. 4:16-17; Rev. 20:4-6)

            (3)  We believe that the souls of unbelievers remain, after death, in conscious punishment and torment until the second resurrection, when after being reunited with their body, shall appear at the Great White Throne Judgment, and shall be cast into the Lake of Fire, not to be annihilated, but to suffer everlasting conscious punishment and torment.  (Mark 9:43-48; Luke 16:19-26; 2 Thess. 1:7-9; Jude 6-7; Rev. 20:11-15)

The Personality of Satan

We believe that Satan is a living, personal being, the author of sin and the cause of the Fall of Man; that he is the god of this world and the prince of the power of the air; that he is the open and declared enemy of God and man; and, that he shall be eternally punished in the Lake of Fire.   (Job 1:6-7; Isa. 14:12-17; Matt. 4:2-11; John 8:44; 2 Cor. 4:4; Eph. 2:2; Rev. 20:10)

Creation

We believe that God created the universe in six literal, 24-hour periods.  We reject Evolution, the Gap Theory, the Day-Age Theory, and Theistic Evolution as unscriptural theories of origin.   (Genesis 1-2; Exodus 20:11)

Human Sexuality

We believe that God has commanded that no intimate sexual activity should be engaged in outside of a marriage between a man and a woman.  We believe that any form of homosexuality, lesbianism, bisexuality, bestiality, incest, fornication, adultery, and pornography are sinful perversions of God’s gift of sex.   (Gen. 2:24; 19:5, 13; 26:8-9; Lev. 18:1-30; Rom. 1:26-29; 1 Cor. 5:1; 6:9; I Thess. 4:1-8; Heb. 13:4)

Divorce and Remarriage

We believe that God hates divorce and intends marriage to last until one of the spouses dies.  Divorce and remarriage is regarded as adultery except on the grounds of fornication.  Although divorced and remarried persons or divorced persons may hold positions of service in the Church and be greatly used of God for Christian service, they may not be, with the exceptions of biblical divorce or prior to salvation, considered for the offices of pastor or deacon. (Mal. 2:14-17; Matt. 19:3-12; Rom.7:1-3; 1 Cor7:15; 1 Tim. 3:2, 12; Titus 1:6)

Abortion

We believe that life begins at conception and that the unborn child is a living human being.  Abortion constitutes the unjustified, unexcused taking of unborn human life.  Abortion is murder.  We reject any teaching that abortions of pregnancies due to rape, incest, birth defects, gender selection, birth or population control, or the mental well-being of the mother are acceptable.   (Job 3:16; Psa. 51:5; 139:14-16; Isa. 44:24: 49:1, 5; Jer. 1:5; 20:15-18; Luke 1:44)

Missions

We believe that God has given the Church a Great Commission to proclaim the Gospel to all nations so that there might be a great multitude from every nation, tribe, ethnic group, and language group who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.  As ambassadors of Christ we must use all available means to get the Gospel to the foreign nations and not wait for them to come to us.   (Matt. 28:19-20; Mark 16:15; Luke 24:46-48; John 20:21; Acts 1:8; 2 Cor. 5:20)

Lawsuits between Believers

We believe that Christians are prohibited from bringing civil lawsuits against other Christians or the Church to resolve personal disputes.  We believe the Church possesses all the resources necessary to resolve personal disputes between members.  We do believe, however, that a Christian may seek compensation for injuries from another Christian’s insurance company as long as the claim is pursued without malice or slander.   (1 Cor. 6:1-8; Eph. 4:31-32)

Giving

We believe that Christians are prohibited from bringing civil lawsuits against other Christians or tWe believe that every Christian, as a steward of that portion of God’s wealth entrusted to him, is obligated to support his local church financially.  We believe that God has established the tithe as a basis for giving but that every Christian should also give other offerings sacrificially and cheerfully to the support of the Church, the relief of those in need, and the spread of the Gospel.  We believe that a Christian relinquishes all rights to direct the use of the tithe or offering once the gift has been made.   (Gen. 14:20; Prov. 3:9-10; Acts 4: 34-37; 1 Cor. 16:2; 2 Cor. 9:6-7; Gal. 6:6; Eph. 4:28; 1 Tim 5:17-18; 1 John 3:1)