About Bay Hills Community Church

Bay Hills Community Church has a 50 year history of serving the greater Hayward area. Dr. Glen Scillian served as Senior Pastor for 29 years and retired in 1998. Rev. Gary Ray served us from December 1999 thru Febuary 2010. Bay Hills Community Church offers a variety of worship, study and fellowship opportunities. We would be pleased for you to share in our growing ministry.

We are a multi-generational and multi-ethnic congregation, and we focus on the four things that unite us:

• Our Salvation (What God has done for us).
• Our Statement (Why we exist as a church).
• Our Strategy (How we fulfill our purpose).
• Our Commitment to each other

In essential beliefs, we have UNITY

“There is one body and one Spirit...there is one Lord, one faith, one baptism and one God and Father…” (Ephesians 4:4-6)

In non-essential beliefs, we have LIBERTY

“Accept him whose faith is weak without passing judgement on disputable matters…Each of us will give an account of himself to God…So whatever you believe about these things, keep between yourself and God.” (Romans 14:1-22)

In all our beliefs, there is LOVE

“…If I hold in my mind not only all human knowledge, but also the very secrets of God, and… have faith…to move mountains, but have no love, I amount to nothing.” (1 Corinthians 13:2--PH)

Our Beliefs

We are a Bible-based, loving community church. Bay Hills Community Church is Baptist in affiliation, mission-minded, and service/praise oriented. The following information profiles our doctrinal and ministry philosophy information:

• The Bible:  We believe the Bible is the holy and inspired Word of God – useful for addressing the struggles and challenges of today (2 Timothy 3:16; John 17:17; 2 Peter 1:21). We believe that God has the power to, and has desired to preserve the integrity of His Word throughout the ages. For additional information, please request Pastor Gary Ray’s sermon notes on “The Integrity Of The Word Of God”.
• God: We believe that there is only one God. This God exists in the form of three persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit (Matthew 3:16-17, 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14; John 14:16.) For additional information, please request Pastor Gary Ray’s tract on the “Trinity”.
• Jesus Christ: We believe Jesus Christ was born of a virgin (Matthew 1:18, 20; Luke 1:34-35), lived a sinless life and through the cross, offers salvation to all who believe in Him (John 3:16). Jesus Christ is both fully divine (John 1:1; Philippians 2:6), and fully human (John 1:14; Romans 8:3; I Timothy 2:5). Believers are called to anticipate, and prepare for His imminent return.
• Holy Spirit: We believe the Holy Spirit lives within the heart of every believer. The presence of the Spirit brings peace (Philippians 4:6-7), power (Acts 1:8), and special gifting (1 Corinthians 12:11). The Spirit enables the believer to serve with effectiveness, and leads the church and individual to do that which honors Him (1 Corinthians 14:3-5, 12-26). The working of the Spirit is both profound and orderly.
• Satan: Satan is the originator of evil in our world (Genesis 3:1-7; Ephesians 6:10-12). Satan is real (Matthew 13:19, 39; Acts 5:3; 2 Corinthians 11:14), and is our adversary. However, the Bible makes it clear that God’s power is superior, and that Satan has been defeated through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross (Hebrews 2:14-15).
• Sin: We believe that all people have sinned – that is, fallen short of God’s standard of perfection (Romans 3:9-10, 22-23; Psalm 14). In acknowledging our sin, we are positioned to receive God’s grace, and the forgiving power of Christ (1 John 1:9).
• Salvation: We believe that Christ died for all people (Romans 5:18; 2 Corinthians 5:19; 1 John 2:2), but only those who accept the forgiveness offered by Christ will be saved (Romans 5:1, 15, 18). We believe that individuals are saved by grace (not by works) through faith (Ephesians 2:8-10), and that the salvation experience is evidenced by a life of good works (John 8:31; John 14:15; John 2:3).

What We Believe About the Church

• The church is a place to celebrate (worship) and learn (discipleship). “His intent was that through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known.” (Ephesians 3:10)
• We believe a great commitment to the GREAT COMMANDMENT and the GREAT COMMISSION will grow a GREAT CHURCH.

The Great Commandment: “Jesus said, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart... soul…and mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and Prophets stand on these two commandments.’” (Matthew 22:36-40)

The Great Commission: “Jesus said, ‘Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.’” (Matthew 28:18-20)

• To “Love God with all your heart” is to worship
• To “Love your neighbor as yourself” is to be involved in Christian service.
• To “Go…make disciples” is evangelism
• To “Teach them…all things…” is discipleship.

Therefore, our four main priorities are worship, Christian service, evangelism and discipleship.