Love ↷ Sacrifice ↷ Salvation ↷ Transformation ↷ Restoration
As a community aspiring to an active, living faith (Hebrews 10:24-25), we open our doors and hearts to all who wish to honor God. We are dedicated followers of Jesus Christ and His Word, and we gladly remember His eternal day of rest, the seventh-day Sabbath.
We strive to be more than a congregation; we desire to be a supportive family. Not only are we committed to helping each other grow in our spiritual journeys, but are equally interested in helping with all aspects of life. Whether offering support to those struggling in their faith, or lending a hand to remove a fallen tree after a storm, or providing food to those in need, we accept that we are called in all manner of cases to love and support one another. Toward this end, we foster an environment of peace, promote unity, encourage participation, and ensure everyone feels a sense of belonging, all under the expansive love of God. The church itself should not be a source of division in the family of God.
Our shared love for God is the bond that unites us. Through Him, we may find unity, acceptance, and a deep sense of connection. We believe that in God's presence, we are woven together in love, united in spirit, and made complete.
In our church, in addition to the Gospel Commission of Matthew 28:19-20, we strive to foster a positive, welcoming environment where everyone feels comfortable and at home. Our aim is to serve as a spiritual hub where you can:
We treasure the wisdom and grace found in adhering to God's Commandments, with reverence for His true Sabbath and Marriage, both given as everlasting gifts to humankind at Creation. We recognize His eternal Commandments, not as restrictions to keep us from enjoying life, but as guides to keep us from the pain and suffering that Satan strives to lead us into. We keep our gaze firmly on Jesus, with the guidance of the blessed Law to shield us, and are mindful of the foundational beliefs that bind our hearts together. In all these things, we aspire to create and sustain a unified and supportive community.
We believe, like people, a church must be active to be healthy, and for a church to be active, it needs leaders and members who are not idle. Our leaders endeavor to provide engaging services and roles and events for our members and community and strangers to interact with. This, along with a foundation in the knowledge of God, reinforced by the power of the Holy Spirit, is what energizes our congregation.
We view our church family as our extended family. It is not enough to come together at the church building to share a time of worship. It is necessary to call on church family members, share in their daily lives, offer comfort and counsel, ask for help, lend a hand, and cultivate friendships. Those claiming to heed the call of God shouldn't be depicted by "See you next week!"
Interested in learning more about God and also the guiding principles of the FP7 faith?
Explore The Gospel to become acquainted with the uplifting news of salvation — a testament to the boundless love and grace of our Heavenly Father.
Get to know what We Believe, where we offer an overview of our faith, rooted in the Holy Bible (2 Timothy 3:16-17) and inspired by the Holy Spirit.
To learn even more, check out our wiki. (This site follows the wiki, meaning that things are developed there first and then migrated here. As such, it is the wiki, not this website, that is the higher authority regarding FP7COG matters.)
Whether you are a member or not, feel free to join and use our forum to talk with others about FP7.
Our salvation is rooted solely in faith. However, it is our faith in our salvation that urges us to leave behind our old life and fully embrace the wisdom and commandments of God. We strive to journey on His path, not in pursuit of salvation, but because of it, secure in the heartening knowledge that we are already saved. Motivated by love for God, reverence for His sacrifice, and gratitude for His gift of salvation, we aim to obey His commands and genuinely reflect His image (James 2:14-26).
Yet, we acknowledge we cannot accomplish this by our own strength. It is only through His transformative power, the Holy Spirit working in us (John 14:26), that we are enabled to live in harmony with our beliefs.
In line with our dedication to sharing Christ's love (1 Peter 4:8-10), we're eager to expand our church family, reaching out to those not only within our congregation but also extending our warmth to the wider community. Following the example of Jesus (Galatians 3:28 — John 13:34 — Mark 2:15-16 — Romans 15:7) we aspire to engage with everyone, regardless of background or status, spreading the hope and joy that our faith brings us.
For more details, please visit our Community, Calendar, Church Needs, and What's New pages.
We do not endorse one Bible translation or paraphrase as "the best" Bible, nor do we assert there is but "one true" Bible.
We have elected to use the New English Translation (NET) Bible for publication. When you see a Bible verse quoted on our sites or in printed materials, unless otherwise stated it will be from the NET.
We admit the selection of the NET Bible is one of preference. We appreciate its style, the extensive footnotes, and the extensive peer review it has received. We do not, however, hold that the NET is the best for all people or for all purposes. Rather, we rely on many Bibles to gain insight and understanding (Hebrews 4:12), but for simplicity and consistency, we selected just one for use in publication.
For more about what we believe regarding Bible versions, please see this page.
Are you feeling called to join our community and share in our fellowship?
We will be blessed and happy to welcome you into our church family!
Begin your journey with us by exploring our Membership page, where you'll find everything you need to connect with us, participate in our worship services, and contribute to our dynamic ministries.
As disciples of Christ, we are dedicated to embodying our faith through love, kindness, and service. We invite you (Revelation 22:17) to join us in cultivating a close bond with God and one another. Together, we can illuminate the way as a beacon of hope and healing in a world that yearns for it, reaching out in fellowship to those in our midst.
We are the Filii Patris Sabbati Church of God.
Our name means Children of the Father Sabbath Church of God.
Why did we choose that name?
It describes us well. Each part of the name is discussed below.
Filii Patris — Children of the Father
We are all God's children (1 John 3:1) and claim His free gift of salvation through faith in His Son and our Brother, Jesus Christ. This is an important distinction of the Christian faith, that we are not merely subjects, but family members.
Sabbati — Sabbath
On Saturdays, the true eternal Sabbath of the seventh day gifted to us Creation (Genesis 2:2-3), reinforced by God's own hand at Sinai (Exodus 20:8-10), observed by Jesus (Luke 4:16 — Mark 1:21) and the Apostles (Acts 13:14 — Acts 17:2), we meet in fellowship to praise and worship Him and to strengthen one another. (Technically, Sabbati would translate as "of the Sabbath". As God created both humanity and the Sabbath day, "Children of the Father of the Sabbath" would be correct. As we interpret Sabbati to stand alone, however, Filii Patris Sabbatum would perhaps have been more correct. But, we didn't find it to have the same verbal quality.)
Church of God
Unlike some churches bearing the "Church of God" moniker — believing it to be the only proper name of God's church — we simply prefer it as a clear statement. As in the days of Paul (1 Corinthians 1:2) we are a church belonging to and worshipping the One God. All of which is to say, we are not affiliated with other churches or denominations bearing the Church of God name; however, let us be clear that we have many things in common with our Church of God brothers and sisters other than the name, so we are happy to have them be associated with us.
But why in Latin?
For the sake of a unique moniker, to be honest. We intend to use and be recognized by our initials, FP7COG or simply FP7, more so than by our full name. The Latin form does offer another benefit — try googling it.
How is it pronounced?
There are a few minor variations possible, but we say FEE-lee-ee PAH-tris sah-BAH-tee. Or, more accurately, that's what we say when we don't just say FP7.
Why FP7 instead of FPS?
Filii Patris Sabbati is FPS. True enough. However, the Sabbath is the seventh day, and using a 7 serves as a reminder of our seventh-day Sabbath faith. And, since seven is also spelled with an S, we like to pretend it fits for that reason, too.
The final analysis...
In a world overloaded with acronyms and initialisms, we felt having something simpler to use, such as FP7, would be better. We also discovered that, for some, the 7 was easily associated with the Sabbath. Given the full initialism, FP7COG, most Christians easily deduce COG means Church of God. True, the FP part leaves most guessing, but at the same time we've found that makes it memorable and unique. So, in the end, we thought FP7COG or simply FP7 would convey meaning — and we think it looks better in print and on signage than FPSCOG or FPS, or worse yet COTFSCOG or COTFS.
You have questions. We understand. Our website provides a wealth of information and it tries to answer many questions; however, there are always more questions. It seems that in the race between answers and questions, answers are never in the lead. Our hope? Someday, if we provide enough answers, maybe questions will start falling behind!
If you have questions, that's okay! Please, don't hesitate to Contact Us and see if we can, through prayerful study under the faithful guidance of the Holy Spirit, discover answers together. (Acts 20:28 — 1 Peter 5:2-7)
May the peace and blessings of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you always! (Numbers 6:24-26)