Our Beliefs

At Rockawalkin our vision is to be disciples of Christ in ministry to all so that we may encourage others to experience a lifelong relationship with Jesus Christ. Our mission is to share Christ's love through our words and actions.

We believe the Bible is the inspired and inerrant Word of God.
We believe God the Father is the One true God, creator of everything, absolutely Holy, and eternal.
We believe in the Holy Trinity, three persons in one, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
We believe that Jesus Christ was conceived by the Holy Spirit and was born of the Virgin Mary.
We believe that Christ died for our sins, and He arose bodily from the dead on the third day in the same body in which he suffered and died.
We believe that Jesus Christ was resurrected and ascended into Heaven and is seated at the right hand of God.
We believe God sent His son Jesus Christ as the atoning sacrifice for our sins and has procured for every believer eternal redemption and everlasting life.
We believe the Holy Spirit is a divine person and permanently dwells in the Church within the soul of each believer.
We believe Satan is the author of sin, and adversary of Christ, His Church, and His people, who exists in the world to kill, separate, and destroy.
We believe in the Genesis account of creation as being the literal and historical account of the direct creative acts of God.
We believe that marriage is a lifelong covenant, ordained by God, which joins one man and one woman, who were each born as a man or woman, in a single exclusive union, as spoken by God in Scripture.
We believe that the salvation of sinners is divinely initiated by the Holy Spirit and wholly of God’s grace by faith through the intervention of the Son of God.
We believe that in order to be saved, all must be born again as a new creation in Christ Jesus. The new birth of eternal life is a free gift of God.
We believe that all who are born again are eternally kept secure by God the Father in Jesus Christ.
We believe that the Church, which is the body of Christ, was begun on the day of Pentecost and unites believers to each other and to Christ.
We believe that Christian baptism is the immersion or sprinkling of a new believer in water, under the authority of Rockawalkin Church. Baptism is an outward sign of identification and a testimony to the believer’s new life in Christ.
We believe that Jesus Christ instituted the Lord’s Supper to commemorate His death and shed blood and remembrance of His life on earth until He comes again.
We believe in the bodily resurrection of all mankind, the saved to eternal life and the unsaved to judgment and everlasting punishment.

For a complete Statement of Beliefs, please refer to our available General doctrinal position document “Statement of Faith.”

What To Expect

Our Sunday morning worship service blends contemporary and traditional service styles and music. We use technology to enhance our service and to better appeal to those of all ages and preferences. Through the warmer months we often hold special services outdoors at our Crossroads Worship Center.

Not sure what to wear? Don’t worry, we have people attend in a variety of outfits. Our members show up in shorts and dressy t-shirts, khakis, jeans, dresses, polos, button-downs, dress shirts, ties, and suits. Come as you are and expect to feel welcomed.

There is an opportunity to give donations if you feel led, though there is no pressure to do so.

Throughout the week we offer opportunities for spiritual growth through Bible studies, Christian discussion, and opportunities to serve in the community. Check out our ‘Ministries’ page for more information on these opportunities.

Our History

In 1839, families of Williamstown felt the need to establish a church in their community. On February 19, 1839, John and Peggy Humphreys signed the deed granting land for what was known as Ebenezer Methodist Episcopal Church of Williamstown, in what was then Somerset County. At the General Assembly in June of the same year, the charter for the church was approved. The pastor at that time was Rev. Joseph Carlisle.

The original church building had a gallery for slaves and freed African Americans. Persons of both races worshipped together until after the Civil War, when a church for African Americans was built on land donated by Daniel Melson. About 1861, the community known as Williamstown and the church known as Williamstown Ebenezer M. E. Church became known as Rockawalkin M. E. Church.

A new church was the topic of church conversation in the spring of 1871. In June of that year, Josephus Humphreys deeded a tract of land for "divine purposes". The contract was given to E. J. Pusey at a cost of $1,299. The church was completed on December 9, 1871 and on December 10, 1871, was dedicated by Rev. J. S. Ostrander. The old church is what we know now as our main sanctuary.

In June 1942, the trustees agreed to wire the church for electricity. The work was agreed to and completed within the same month. The work was done by Alfred Baker of Delmar.

In April 1947 a discussion took place about building a new Sunday School room to join the church. The new building was begun in December 1947 and completed in September 1948 at a cost of $6,000.00. The main church auditorium was refinished at the same time. The new addition was dedicated on October 3, 1948.

In 1983, the dream of having a building to house our Sunday School became a reality. We had ground-breaking services on Sunday, June 26, 1983 and started building our Sunday School addition. The old Sunday School Room, known as the Wesley Fellowship Room, became a part of the sanctuary. Early in 1984, we moved into the new addition.

On December 10, 1989 we celebrated our 150th Anniversary of continued service. Bishop Joseph H. Yeakel and Dr. P. Thomas McKelvey, our District Superintendent, joined us in our celebration. During the afternoon service, the mortgage for the new Sunday School addition was burned.

On June 17, 2007 a new steeple was dedicated. In 2008 new lights were installed in the sanctuary and monitors were added to make it easier for all to see the song lyrics and announcements.

Our most recent addition was the outdoor worship center known as Crossroads Community Connections. This outdoor worship center allows us to take Jesus into the community and hold outdoor services, concerts and other events.

In December 2021, we disaffiliated from the United Methodist denomination and became Rockawalkin Church, Inc., a non-denominational church.