Welcome to Sovereign Grace Church. We are a church made up of people just like you, who have discovered a life-changing relationship with Jesus Christ.

WHO WE ARE

Our Family of Churches

Our church is privileged to be part of Sovereign Grace Ministries?—a growing family of more than 80 local Christian churches in the United States and 11 other countries including Mexico, Canada, England, Bolivia, Uganda, Ethiopia and Germany. With other Sovereign Grace Ministries churches we share:

• A vision to establish and support local churches
• A passion for the gospel of Jesus Christ
• A commitment to our doctrinal distinctive
• A desire to see the members of these churches glorify God in their public and private lives—both corporately and as individuals
• As part of its commitment to equip and develop local churches, Sovereign Grace Ministries: provides a number of resources (books, teaching, and music), holds conferences (worship, leadership, small group and singles)
• Trains new leaders in their Pastors College Questions about Sovereign Grace Ministries? See the ministry’s “Frequently Asked Questions” page.

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Our Pastors

Leadership: In his first letter the apostle Peter writes, “So I exhort the elders among you… shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight.” The pastors of Sovereign Grace Church seek to provide care for the community of believers according to Scriptural mandate. They seek to “set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity” (1 Timothy 4:12). Each of these men believes he is called by God to lead in this local church and is committed to the sound teaching of God’s word.

Jim Cannon - Senior Pastor
Before becoming Senior Pastor of Chesapeake Community Church, Jim served as chief of the Safety Office for the US Army’s Chemical Research, Development and Engineering Center at Aberdeen Proving Ground. Having served on the pastoral team in a part-time capacity since 1984, Jim resigned his government career of twenty years in October of 1989 to serve full-time on the pastoral staff of the church. He was ordained in December, 1989, and became the church’s Senior Pastor in March, 1990. Jim currently serves with his wife, Daryl, and is blessed to have three married children and seven grandchildren.

Jimmy Cannon – Adult Life
Having grown up in the church, Jimmy was the first male graduate of our Christian Discipleship School and has served in a wide variety of ministry capacities during his childhood and leadership capacities in his college years. While attending the Pastors’ College in Gaithersburg, Jimmy met Abby, his true love, and is now happily married to her. They have been blessed with two children, Jack and Charlize. After graduating from Pastors College in 1998, Jimmy has served as Singles Pastor. In 2005 he began to serve in Adult Life overseeing our care groups.

Joel Rishel – Singles/Children
After graduating from Grove City College, Joel earned an M.div. from Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Pittsburgh and served for 8 years as Director of Operations for a Christian publishing company. He met and married his wife, Cindy in 2003, then attended the Sovereign Grace Pastors College in Gaithersburg, Maryland. For three years, he served as an Assistant Pastor at Providence Church in Pittsburgh. He joined the staff at Chesapeake Community Church in 2007. Joel loves reading books, running, laughing, eating, and reading books.

Arie Mangrum – Youth/Outreach
Arie has served on Staff since June 2004. He is responsible for our parent/teen youth ministry and our outreach initiatives. Before joining our pastoral team, Arie led a team of people in a church plant in Chester, Pennsylvania and has been engaged in pastoral ministry since 1994. He received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Maryland, where he met his lovely wife, Marilyn. Arie graduated from the Sovereign Grace Pastors’ College in 2004. Arie and his wife have two sons and one daughter. Arie describes himself as the best athlete on the pastoral staff, though no one else seems impressed by that distinction

Jim Hevesy – Administrator
Jim has served as our Administrator since March, 2003. Prior to coming to work for the Church full time, Jim was a store manager for Best Buy, the electronics retailer. Jim & Karen have three school-aged children and live in nearby Abingdon, MD.

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Our Statement of Faith

THE SCRIPTURES
We accept the Bible, including the 39 books of the Old Testament and the 27 books of the New Testament, as the written Word of God. The Bible is an essential and infallible record of God’s self-disclosure to mankind. It leads us to salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. Being given by God the Scriptures are both fully and verbally inspired by God. Therefore, as originally given, the Bible is free of error in all it teaches. Each book is to be interpreted according to its context and purpose and in reverent obedience to the Lord who speaks through it in living power. All believers are exhorted to study the Scriptures and diligently apply them to their lives. The Scriptures are the authoritative and normative rule and guide of all Christian life, practice, and doctrine. They are totally sufficient and must not be added to, superseded, or changed by later tradition, extra-biblical revelation, or worldly wisdom. Every doctrinal formulation, whether of creed, confession, or theology must be put to the test of the full counsel of God in Holy Scripture

GOD IS TRIUNE There is one God: infinite, eternal, almighty, and perfect in holiness, truth, and love. In the unity of the godhead there are three persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, co-existent, co-equal, co-eternal. The Father is not the Son and the Son is not the Holy Spirit, yet each is truly Deity. One God - Father, Son and Holy Spirit - is the foundation of Christian faith and life.

GOD THE FATHER God the Father is the Creator of heaven and earth. By his word and for his glory, he freely and supernaturally created the world of nothing. Through the same Word he daily sustains all his creatures. He rules over all and is the only Sovereign. His plans and purposes cannot be thwarted. He is faithful to every promise, works all things together for good to those who love him, and in his unfathomable grace gave his Son Jesus Christ for mankind’s redemption. He made man for fellowship with himself, and intended that all creation should live to the praise of his glory.

JESUS CHRIST Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, was the eternal Word made flesh, supernaturally conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary. He was perfect in nature, teaching and obedience. He is fully God and fully man. He was always with God and is God. Through him all things came into being and were created. He was before all things and in him all things hold together by the word of his power. He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation and in him dwells the fullness of the godhead bodily. He is the only Savior for the sins of the world, having shed his blood and died a vicarious death on Calvary’s cross. By his death in our place, he revealed the divine love and upheld divine justice, removing our guilt and reconciling us to God. Having redeemed us from sin, the third day he rose bodily from the grave, victorious over death and the powers of darkness and for a period of forty days appeared to over five hundred witnesses, performing many convincing proofs of his resurrection. He ascended into heaven where, at God’s right hand, he intercedes for his people and rules as Lord over all. He is the Head of his body, the Church, and should be adored, loved, served, and obeyed by all.

THE HOLY SPIRIT The Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of life, convicts the world of sin, righteousness and judgment. Through the proclamation of the gospel he persuades men to repent of their sins and confess Jesus as Lord. By the same Spirit a person is led to trust in divine mercy. The Holy Spirit unites believers to Jesus Christ in faith, brings about the new birth, and dwells within the regenerate. The Holy Spirit has come to glorify the Son who in turn came to glorify the Father. He will lead the Church into a right understanding and rich application of the truth of God’s Word. He is to be respected, honored, and worshipped as God the Third Person of the Trinity.

MAN God made man - male and female - in his own image, as the crown of creation, that man might have fellowship with him. Tempted by Satan, man rebelled against God. Being estranged from his Maker, yet responsible to him, he became subject to divine wrath, inwardly depraved and, apart from a special work of grace, utterly incapable of returning to God. This depravity is radical and pervasive. It extends to his mind, will and affections. Unregenerate man lives under the dominion of sin and Satan. He is at enmity with God, hostile toward God, and hateful of God. Fallen, sinful people, whatever their character or attainments, are lost and without hope apart from salvation in Christ.

THE GOSPEL Jesus Christ is the gospel. The good news is revealed in his birth, life, death, resurrection and ascension. Christ’s crucifixion is the heart of the gospel, his resurrection is the power of the gospel, and his ascension is the glory of the gospel. Christ’s death is a substitutionary and propitiatory sacrifice to God for our sins. It satisfies the demands of God’s holy justice and appeases his holy wrath. It also demonstrates his mysterious love and reveals his amazing grace. Jesus Christ is the only mediator between God and man. There is no other name by which men must be saved. At the heart of all sound doctrine is the cross of Jesus Christ and the infinite privilege that redeemed sinners have of glorifying God because of what he has accomplished. Therefore, we want all that takes place in our church, it’s ministries, and our hearts to proceed from and be related to the cross.

MAN’S RESPONSE TO THE GOSPEL Man’s response to the gospel is rooted and grounded in the sovereign election of God for his own pleasure and glory. It is also true that the message of the gospel is only effectual to those who genuinely repent of their sins and, by God’s grace, put saving faith in Christ. This gospel of grace is to be sincerely preached to all men in all nations. Biblical repentance is characterized by a changed life, and saving faith is evidenced by loving service and good works. While neither repentance nor works save, unless a person is willing to deny himself, pick up his cross, and follow Christ, he cannot become his disciple.

MAN’S INHERITANCE THROUGH THE GOSPEL Salvation, the free gift of God, is provided by grace alone, through faith alone, because of Christ alone, for the glory of God alone. Anyone turning from sin in repentance and looking to Christ and his substitutionary death receives the gift of eternal life and is declared righteous by God as a free gift. The righteousness of Christ is imputed to him. He is justified and fully accepted by God. Through Christ’s atonement for sin an individual is reconciled to God as Father and becomes his child. The believer is forgiven the debt of his sin and, through the miracle of regeneration, is liberated from the law of sin and death into the freedom of God’s Spirit.

SANCTIFICATION The Holy Spirit is the active agent in our sanctification and seeks to produce his fruit in us as our minds are renewed and we are conformed to the image of Christ. Though indwelling sin remains a reality, as we are led by the Spirit, we grow in the knowledge of the Lord, freely keeping his commandments and endeavoring to so live in the world that all people may see our good works and glorify our Father who is in heaven. All believers are exhorted to persevere in the faith knowing they will have to give an account to God for their every thought, word and deed. The spiritual disciplines, especially Bible study, prayer, worship and confession, are a vital means of grace in this regard. Nevertheless, the believer’s ultimate confidence to persevere is based in the sure promise of God to preserve his people until the end, which is most certain.

BAPTISM IN THE HOLY SPIRIT The Holy Spirit empowers believers for Christian witness and service. Being regenerated by the Holy Spirit and being baptized in the Holy Spirit are theologically distinct experiences, though the latter may occur in close proximity to the former. The promise of the Father is freely available to all who believe in Jesus Christ, thereby enabling them to exercise the powers of the age to come in ministry and mission. As portrayed in the Books of Acts, speaking in tongues is a common and immediate evidence, but not a necessary evidence, that the gift of the Holy Spirit has been received. The Holy Spirit desires to continually fill each believer with power to witness, and imparts his supernatural gifts for the edification of the Body and the work of ministry in the world. All the gifts of the Holy Spirit at work in the church of the first-century are available today and are to be earnestly desired and practiced. They are essential in the mission of the Church in the world today.

THE CHURCH God by his Word and Spirit creates the Church, calling sinful men out of the whole human race into the fellowship of Christ’s Body. By the same Word and Spirit, he guides and preserves that new redeemed humanity. The Church is not a religious institution or denomination. Rather, the Church universal is made up of those who have become genuine followers of Jesus Christ and have personally appropriated the gospel. The Church exists to worship and glorify God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. It also exists to serve him by faithfully doing his will in the earth. This involves a commitment to see the gospel preached and churches planted in all the world for a testimony. The ultimate mission of the Church is the making of disciples through the preaching of the gospel. When God transforms human nature, this then becomes the chief means of society’s transformation. Upon conversion, newly redeemed men and women are added to a local church in which they devote themselves to teaching, fellowship, the Lord’s Supper and prayer. All members of the Church universal are to be a vital and committed part of a local church. In this context they are called to walk out the New Covenant as the people of God and demonstrate the reality of the kingdom of God. The ascended Christ has given gift ministries to the church (including apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers) for the equipping of Christ’s body that it might mature and grow. Through the gift ministries all members of the Church are to be nurtured and equipped for the work of ministry. Women play a vital role in the life of the church. In keeping with God’s created design, women are not permitted “to teach or to have authority over a man” (1 Tim. 2:11). Leadership in the church is male. In the context of the local church, God’s people receive pastoral care and leadership and the opportunity to employ their God-given gifts in his service in relation to one another and to the world.

SACRAMENTS OF THE CHURCH Water baptism is only intended for the individual who has received the saving benefits of Christ’s atoning work and become his disciple. Therefore, in obedience to Christ’s command and as a testimony to God, the Church, oneself and the world, a believer should be immersed in water in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Water baptism is a visual demonstration of a person’s union with Christ in the likeness of his death and resurrection. It signifies that his former way of life has been put to death and vividly depicts a person’s release from the mastery of sin. As with water baptism, the Lord’s Supper is to be observed only by those who have become genuine followers of Christ. This ordinance symbolizes the breaking of Christ’s body and the shedding of his blood on our behalf, and is to be observed repeatedly throughout the Christian life as a sign of continued participation in the atoning benefits of Christ’s death. As we partake of the Lord’s Supper with an attitude of faith and self-examination, we remember and proclaim the death of Christ, receive spiritual nourishment for our souls, and signify our unity with other members of Christ’s body.

THE CONSUMMATION The Consummation of all things includes the visible, personal and glorious return of Jesus Christ, the resurrection of the dead and the translation of those alive in Christ, the judgment of the just and the unjust, and the fulfillment of Christ’s kingdom in the new heavens and the new earth. In the Consummation, Satan with his hosts and all those outside Christ are finally separated from the benevolent presence of God, enduring eternal punishment, but the righteous, in glorious bodies, shall live and reign with him forever. Married to Christ as his Bride, the Church will be in the presence of God forever, serving him and giving him unending praise and glory. Then shall the eager expectation of creation be fulfilled and the whole earth shall proclaim the glory of God who makes all things new. Our Values Belief requires a response. The values that shape and define us as a church are our particular response to the biblical truths that we embrace. Simply put, our values are the practical expression of the things we believe, and are summed up in the following points: A love for the gospel A passion for God An emphasis on sound doctrine A pursuit of the active presence of God and the ministry of the Holy Spirit A pursuit of godliness through application of Biblical truth A commitment to relationships as a channel for God’s grace in our lives A love for serving A heart for sharing the gospel – individually and corporately Our Mission Our Ministry Our Doctrinal Distinctives Read our Statement of Faith Click on one of the above to view its description. Understanding Sovereign Grace Church Understanding Sovereign Grace Church is the place to get to know us better. If you’re new to the church, or have attended for some time but not explored membership, you are encouraged to sign up for the next Understanding SGC class. Understanding SGC will help you get to know our pastors, our beliefs and values, and others who are exploring whether our church is the place to make their church home. You’ll get to hear from and meet many of our pastors and ask questions. We believe God accomplishes His purposes as individuals join themselves to and participate in local churches. Understanding SGC is designed to help you make a wise and informed decision about your involvement at Sovereign Grace Church. We think you’ll thoroughly enjoy the class and find it to be a worthwhile investment of your time. When can I join the class? We hold two classes each year, once in the Fall and once in the Spring. Each class class runs for ten weeks. Each session is held from 8:40 a.m. to 9:45 a.m. on Sundays, with child care provided. The exact dates of each class session are announced on Sunday 4-6 weeks before commencement of the class. Sunday Celebration Our lives have been changed by the gospel of Jesus Christ. In expressing our heartfelt gratitude and love for our Savior, we can’t overstate the importance of Sunday Celebration. Our meeting from 10am to Noon each Sunday provides a context where we worship God together and hear the word of God proclaimed and taught as we grow in our mission as a church. What can you expect? First, we come together with grateful hearts to worship and glorify God. So you can expect to join us as we lift our voices through song and prayer in passionate worship to God. Second, we come together to be refreshed by His presence, encouraged by His promises, and transformed by His truth. So you can expect to encounter God with us in the singing and in the preaching of God’s word. Third, we come together to encourage one another. So you can expect to see people caring for each other through prayer, words of encouragement, sharing Scripture, and other ways. On the first Sunday of each month we invite you, our guest, to attend a brief Guest Reception in your honor immediately following the service. The reception is a great opportunity to learn more about our church from one of our pastors and to meet new people.

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OUR LIFE

Care Groups

Sovereign Grace Church is small groups. One of the joys of membership is participation in a group with about fifteen to twenty other church members. We call these groups “Care Groups” because their primary purpose is to help each other walk with God in the situations we face in our daily lives. We ask each other about our challenges and seek to find, through prayer and scripture, how God is working in us and through us as we face the tests of life. This not only involves prayer and counsel and encouragement, but also helping each other with practical needs—such as meals for a family with a newborn or networking help to find a job—so that we can live as a community which displays the love of Christ. For more information about care groups please email us at info@sovgracemd.net

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Alpha

What is Alpha? Alpha is an Introduction to the Christian faith. It is a class where we can examine and discover some of the answers that the bible has to the questions of life and the problems of our hearts. Alpha is an open, friendly, relaxed, ‘question-answering’ atmosphere. It’s a ten-week course that includes a great meal, free child care, a brief teaching, and small group discussion where questions and differing viewpoints are welcome. Who is Alpha for? Alpha is for anyone interested in learning more about the Christian faith. All who are 18 and older are welcome. Do you have ‘God-questions’ like:

Alpha is a comfortable place to learn and dialogue about the foundational teachings of the Christian faith. For more information on the next classes being offered contact us at info@sovgracemd.net

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Married Life

Whether you are engaged, newly married, or celebrating many years of marriage, our Married Life ministry invites you to experience more of God’s grace in your life together. At Sovereign Grace Church, we’re passionate about pursuing God’s design for marriage. Strong marriages are fundamental to strong families and strong churches. More than that, in Ephesians 5 the Bible teaches that our marriages are to reflect Christ and his relationship with the church. What a privilege—and responsibility! That’s why we look to God to build up the marriages in this church, even as we seek to promote marriage in various ways.

Engagement: If you’re anticipating the joy of marriage, we want to help prepare you for the years that follow your wedding day. Our “Pre-marital Course” is designed to help do just that. You and your fiance will go through several session with one of our Care Group Leader couples. These sessions are designed to lay a biblical foundation for your marriage. Our pastors and their wives will also be available to meet with you and answer any questions you may have along the way. Just give us a call. It would be our privilege to serve you any way we can.

Care Groups: Looking for relationships with others church members? No marriage is successful without loving help from friends in the local church. Each of our care groups consists of 15 to 20 adults. Our care groups allow couples to discuss questions about marriage and every other aspect of the Christian life, so that we can grow together.

Seminars & Retreats: Sovereign Grace Church hosts periodic seminars or retreats for married couples, so that we can review what God’s Word teaches about marriage. We never want to stop growing in grace and applying it to our roles as husbands and wives.

 

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Children (Promise Kingdom)

Our Promise Kingdom Children’s Ministry serves parents of children from birth through 6th grade every Sunday morning from 11:00-12:00. It exists to provide age-appropriate instruction and activities for children that explain the biblical story of redemption, while allowing parents to listen to the preaching without distraction. The words “promise” and “kingdom” speak of God’s kind plan to gather His people under His loving rule. It is our goal that every child who participates in Promise Kingdom grows to have an accurate understanding of God’s grace in Jesus Christ and to know where they stand in reference to that good news.

Promise Kingdom is staffed with dedicated members of our church who have been screened to ensure excellence, safety, and security. The Ministries of Promise Kingdom Nursery is available all Sunday morning for infants. God’s Story curriculum (developed by Covenant Fellowship Church) provides a three-year cycle through the Bible with every age-level being taught the same Bible story each Sunday.

We believe that the simple message that Jesus died for ous sins can and should be taught, even to our youngest children. Therefore, the lessons are designed to be biblically accurate, to reveal our need for a Savior, to reveal God’s provision in Christ, and to enforce the teaching with age-appropriate activities. Get Into the Story family devotion guides are provided to parents so that the teaching can be followed up on and applied throughout the week. Sword Bible Memory encourages children of all ages and parents to memorize a new Bible passage each month.

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Youth: FUSION High School Students & RELAY Middle School Students

As with all ministries in Sovereign Grace Church, the youth ministry exists primarily to glorify God. The teen years are often regarded by our culture as a time of rebellion and trouble, a season to be dreaded and endured by fathers and mothers. As followers of Christ, we have a different understanding of this season of life. We see the teen years as superb opportunities to grow in our relationship with them and nurture their young faith in the ways of the Lord. The goal of the parent/teen ministry is spiritual maturity, which we believe is marked by two things – ‘the character of God and passion for God’.

The goal is not just well-behaved teens who respond to their parents’ directions, our goal is an active, dynamic relationship with Jesus. We want our teens to ‘understand the gospel theologically, feel it passionately and respond to it wholly’. We do this by providing contexts for them to experience, apply, and proclaim the glorious gospel.

The Role of Parents: To facilitate the training of the youth, parents are equipped to effectively disciple their teens, with the help of the church community. Rather than parents abdicating their role to the youth pastor, parents are encouraged to be heavily involved in all youth activities and to be the primary means of grace in their children’s lives.

Meetings and Activities: The structure of the youth ministry consists of monthly corporate and small group meetings throughout the year. The monthly meetings provide an opportunity for youth to actively participate through prayer, worship, service and sharing. They are also used as a platform for teaching about biblical expectations for young adults and teen/parent relationships. Recreational and service activities provide additional opportunities for fun, fellowship and growing together as friends.

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Singles

Our Singles Ministry exists to encourage singles to grow in godly living through serving the local church and becoming equipped for the future. We have Radi8 Singles Meetings, participate in care groups, provide opportunities for discipleship, and host various events for fellowship and outreach.

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Christian Education

Sovereign Grace School

Our school’s purpose is to glorify God by helping members of our church educate and disciple their children. Since being founded in 1980, Sovereign Grace School has matured into a K-12 day school with a current enrollment of about eighty students and a part-time and full-time staff of about twenty-five. Our school is affiliated with the Mid-Atlantic Christian Schools Association and the Association of Christian Schools International. The mission of our school is to help students grow as Christians through theological training, character development, and academic excellence. Theological training: Our goal is to help each student understand the holiness of God, the need for salvation by grace, and the necessity of walking in the truth to be conformed to the image of Christ. Our desire is to lead students to a love for God and neighbor that originates in grace and flows from the heart.

Character development: Our goal is to assist students to humbly submit to God-given authority, to exhibit integrity in every area of life, and to care for and practically serve others. We desire our students to view their pursuit of godliness as an opportunity to glorify God. Academic excellence: Our educational goal is to aid parents in producing self-disciplined students who wisely process and diligently apply what they have learned, while understanding that all learning is the study of an amazing God and His works. To this end, we give our students basic training in a core curriculum of theology, history, science, literature, writing, mathematics, and computer technology. We also expand our students’ academic experience by introducing them to foreign language, fine arts, physical education, and home economics. We anticipate that our graduates will be well-prepared for the university, direct entry into the marketplace, or other vocational training.

Sovereign Grace Home School Program

God has given parents the command to bring up their children in the training and instruction of the Lord (Ephesians 6:4; Deuteronomy 6:4-7). Along with diligent character training and the teaching of theology, parents must give careful consideration to the academic environment in which they place their children. We do not believe that home schooling is God’s will for every family, but rather that parents have the prerogative and responsibility to choose the educational method they think best suits the needs of their children and their goals in exercising the parental responsibility to train their children.

The Home School Program (HSP) provides support and oversight to approved home schooling families who are members of Chesapeake Community Church. HSP is recognized by the Maryland State Department of Education as an institution responsible to review home schooling students enrolled in its program. The HSP exists to serve our homeschooling member in four ways:

CONTACTS & LOCATION

Sovereign Grace Church
900 Trimble Road
Joppa, MD 21085
tel: 410.679-8815
e-mail: info@sovgracemd.net

Directions from Baltimore:
Take 1-95 North.
Take Exit 75--Route 152 (Mountain Road)
East toward Edgwood/Joppa.
Turn right on Trimble Road.
Sovereign Grace Church is on the right.

Directions from Philadelphia:
Take 1-95 South.
Take Exit 75--Route 152 (Mountain Road)
East toward Edgwood/Joppa.
Turn right on Trimble Road.
Sovereign Grace Church is on the right.

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