STATEMENT OF FAITH (Apostles Creed):  I believe in God the Father, Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth; And in Jesus Christ, his only begotten Son, our Lord, Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary; Suffered under Pontius Pilate; was crucified, dead and buried. He descended into hell. The third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead; I believe in the Holy Ghost; I believe in the holy catholic church, (church over-all, church around the world) the communion of saints, The forgiveness of sins, The resurrection of the body, And the life everlasting. Amen.

About the Apostles Creed:

A brief note about the Apostles Creed.

This creed was first written around 200A.D..  It gradually developed and was changed and modified over time up through 750A.D..  Just like the Bible, we must remember the spirit in which it was written and just like the Bible, it too is a matter of interpretation, and takes on different but similar forms.  In the spirit that it was written, it is a generally accepted statement of faith.

In 390 A.D., was the first time the phrase was added, "decended into the grave".  This was not a punishment term.  In 650 A.D, the phrase appeared again, but modified.  That phrase was "decended into Hades"  The meaning of the phrase then and also today, is that Jesus Christ was momentarily separated from God, not that He actually went to Hell as we think of going to Hell today. As Christ's punishment for our sins, He did endure a brief separation from the Father on our behalf.  This is the intent of the phrase decended into hell.

The term holy catholic church again is a phrase which refers to the church as a whole, not the denominational Catholic Church as we know it today.

Let me point something out. When we use the word "catholic" in the Apostles’ Creed, the "c" in "catholic" is not a capital "C." It is a lower case "c." It is an adjective. The word "catholic" is an amalgam of two Greek words: "kata" which means "over," and "ola" which means "all."  In other words, I BELIEVE IN THE CATHOLIC (OVERALL) CHURCH AROUND THE WORLD.  And, for the purpose of this directory, I would like to interpret this as our "community of believers in Jesus Christ.

I hope this helps.