Oakland Church is a large, growing church in Johnstown, PA, with a vibrant history of more than 100 years — yet we remain more committed than ever to make passionate and compassionate followers of Jesus Christ. It doesn't matter if you come from a church background or if you forgot where you left your Bible years ago... you are welcome here!

We are a Global Methodist Church, and we celebrate the strong heritage of faith, revival, and vibrancy of the Wesleyan tradition.

We believe in the Holy Scriptures.

The Bible is the inspired Word of God, a revelation from God to man; the living, infallible, and everlasting rule of faith and conduct, and is superior to conscience and reason.

2 Timothy 3:15- 17; 1 Peter 1:23-25; Hebrews 4:12

We believe in the one, true God.

The one true God has revealed Himself as the eternally self-existent "I AM," the Creator of Heaven & earth and the Redeemer of mankind. Although one Lord, the Scriptures teach that He is a Trinity (or, one Being of three Persons): the Father, the Son (Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit.

John 1:1-5, 10-14; Matthew 28:18- 20

We believe in the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Lord Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God. The Scriptures declare His virgin birth, His sinless life, His fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies, His miracles, His substitutionary work on the cross, His bodily resurrection from the dead, and His exaltation to the right hand of God.

Hebrews 1:3; 1 Corinthians 15:3; Matthew 28:6; John 14:6-9

We believe in salvation through Jesus Christ.

Man was created good and upright; however, man by voluntary transgression fell and thereby incurred not only physical death but also spiritual death, which is separation from God. Man's only hope of redemption is through the atoning & victorious work of Jesus Christ; salvation is received through repentance toward God and faith toward the Lord Jesus Christ. By the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, being justified by grace through faith, man becomes an heir of God, according to the hope of eternal life.

John 3:3; Ephesians 2:8; Titus 3:5-7

We believe in the Holy Spirit and His gifts.

The Holy Spirit dwells in all believers, conforming them to the image of Christ. Additionally, all believers are entitled to, should ardently expect, and earnestly seek the promise of the Father, the baptism in the Holy Spirit and fire, according to the command of our Lord Jesus Christ, which brings the endowment of power for life and service, the bestowment of the spiritual gifts and their uses in the work of the ministry.

Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4-5; Acts 2:38; Acts 1:8; Acts 11:14-16; 1 Corinthians 12:1-31

We believe in the Church.

The Church is the Body of Christ on the earth, the habitation of God through the Spirit, with divine appointments to fulfill her great commission, which is to glorify God, equip the saints, and disciple the nations. Each believer upon salvation becomes an integral part of the Body of Christ and should be planted in a local church (a local community of believers).

Ephesians 1:22-23; Ephesians 2:22; 1 Peter 2:9

We believe in water baptism.

The ordinance of water baptism (reflecting a personal burial and resurrection with Christ) should be observed as commanded in the Scriptures by all who have repented and in their hearts have believed in Christ as Savior and Lord. In so doing, they declare to the world that they have died with Jesus and that they have also been raised with Him to walk in newness of life.

Matthew 28:19; Romans 6:4; Acts 10:47-48

We believe in the Lord's Supper.

The ordinance of the Lord's Supper, consisting of the Elements—bread and the fruit of the vine—is the symbol expressing our sharing the divine nature of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Peter 1:4), a memorial of His suffering and death (1 Corinthians 11:26), and a prophecy of His second coming (1 Corinthians 11:26), and is enjoined on all believers "till He comes!"

1 Corinthians 11:24-25, 28

We believe in the sanctity of human life.

All human life is sacred and created by God in His image. Human life is of immeasurable worth in all its dimensions, including preborn babies, the aged, the physically or mentally-challenged, and every other stage or condition from conception through natural death. We are, therefore, called to defend, protect, and value all human life.

Genesis 1:27; Leviticus 19:32; Psalm 139:13-16; Jeremiah 1:5

We believe in the nuclear family.

God has wonderfully and immutably created each person as male or female from birth, and these two distinct, complementary genders together reflect the image and nature of God. Additionally, God calls many people into the holy covenant of marriage, which is the union of one man and one woman, as the foundation of the family unit, the basic structure of human society, and God has ordained and blessed sexual activity to occur exclusively within that union.

Genesis 1:26-27; Genesis 2:24; Leviticus 18:1-30; 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8; 1 Corinthians 6:9

We believe in the second coming of Christ.

We believe in the ever-increasing government of God and in the Blessed Hope, which is the glorious, visible return of the Lord Jesus Christ. We believe in the resurrection of the lost and the saved: one to a literal, everlasting damnation and the other to a literal, everlasting paradise. We believe there will be a new heaven and a new earth, and that the eternal Kingdom of God will have the ultimate victory.

1 Corinthians 15:51-52; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; Acts 1:9-11; Daniel 12:2; Revelation 22:1-7