The Christ's Assembly

The Christ's Assembly Worldwide, or The Christ's Assembly for short, is an "independent" and historic Seventh Day Baptist congregation known for inter-denominational unity. They continue on today with the traditions of the original General Baptists, upholding the original [http://www.reformedreader.org/ccc/tsc.htm 1660 General Baptist Confession] .

In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries the General Baptists were feared because they took the bible literally [ [http://www.reformedreader.org/ccc/bgc.htm English Baptist General Confessions ] ] , so the 1660 Confession was put together to set the record straight, that they do not want to overthrow the government. The confession was specially delivered to King Charles II on July 26, 1660. Many famous martyrs are recorded to have attended the Knott's earliest church, the "Eythorne Baptist Church". This is well recorded throughout the centuries of persecutions; such members that were martyred included Joan Bocher, who was burned at the stake on the 2nd of May 1550.

Unity with other denominations is demonstrated in the history and practices of this independent assembly. Which is the reason they're labeled "independent" as they claim to be an inter-denominational Fellowship open to all Christians worldwide. Since the Christ's Assembly is independent, elders have worked in unity with many denominations including Methodists, Lutherans, Presbyterians, Seventh Day Baptists, and Pentecostals. This is outlined in their doctrinal beliefs that they work with all Historic Denominations because each were founded on biblical doctrines.

tatement of Beliefs

From [http://christsassembly.com/assemblies.htm Christsassembly.com:]

"Among all the basic mainstream truths of Christianity, we also keep the 7th Day Sabbath, declare the primitive way in keeping all of His commandments, as well as using the Hebrew Calendar (as the [http://www.reformedreader.org/ccc/tsc.htm 1660 General Baptist Confession] states "the first month of the year called March", and gives an outline as above). The most widely used prayer book in Christianity called "the Book of Common Prayer", originally from the early 1600s, also tells us how to calculate the Hebrew calendar and has many Israelite festival services and songs. We are primarily composed of Seventh Day Baptists."

The original creeds of the church go back to the Apostles Creed of 200AD, the persecuted Waldensians Creeds of Early Medieval Europe, and the major body of believers in every Western European Country [ [http://www.steps2life.org/php/view_article.php?article_id=237 When and How Was the Sabbath Changed from Saturday to Sunday? - September 2000 ] ] before their governments saw these literal bible believers as too powerful and outlawed them [ [http://www.sundaylaw.net/books/other/edwardson/facts/foftoc.htm Facts Of Faith Table of Contents ] ] . The Pope had even declared a crusade against the Sabbath keeping, bible believing Waldensians.

Historic Traditions of Unity

It was around 1650 that Knott, along with Jeffery brought the general baptist church to Monmouth County New Jersey, forming the Shrewsbury Seventh Day Baptist church [ [http://www.wallnj.com/history1.htm Wall Township Official Website] "In a northwestern location, a group of Seven Day Baptists settled on Hurley's Corner (near Highway 34 and West Hurley Pond Road) about 1728 under the guidance of Peter Knott." and "..the Seventh Day Baptists had erected a house of worship on a lot of land near Hurley's Corners, which was takenup by Peter Knott as early as 1720." (Source: History of Monmouth County, New Jersey 1664-1920, p. 485.)] . His son Peter Knott was recorded as an elder in both the Shrewsbury Presbyterian and Seventh Day Baptist churches evidencing the inter-denominational nature of the church. [ [http://www.christsassembly.com/literature/historic_unity_christs_assembly.htm Historic Unity In The Christ's Assembly]

A few generations later this Seventh Day Baptist family moved to Ohio where a great many more of their churches were founded. Many of their relatives are recorded by the Worldwide Church of God as important Seventh Day Baptist Ministers paving the way for forming their church. In this and many related splinter groups there are over 200,000 members. The Christ's Assembly, being independent and holding all historic doctrines, does claim to have and represent many millions of believers.

Links to Independent Seventh Day Baptists

* [http://www.Christsassembly.com The Christ's Assembly Online]
* [http://1335.com Open Bible Ministries Ireland]
* [http://www.stpeterschristianchurch.org St. Peter's Cathedral]
*United Seventh-Day Brethren
* [http://ocfellowship.org OC Fellowship of God]
* [http://christsassembly.com/audio_sermons/crouch.htm Restoration Fellowship]

References

*" [http://primitivebaptist.info/mambo//content/view/532/36/ The Baptists In All Ages] " by J. S. Newman Chapter XV
*" [http://christsassembly.com/literature/Knight_history.htm A Sketch of the Rise and Progress of the Ancient Order of the General or Six Principle Baptists] " by Richard Knight, 1827 Providence, Rhode-Island
*"General Baptist History, From Restoration to Revolution", Chapter 2
*" [http://www.seventh-day-baptist.org.au/library/books/sdbhist.htm Seventh Day Baptists in Europe and America" volume 1] Rev. J. Lee Gamble and Charles H. Greene. (1910)
* [http://www.eythorne-baptist.co.uk/history.htm History section of Eythorne Baptist Church's website]
* " [http://www.baptistpillar.com/bd0625.htm Memorials of Baptist Martyrs] " by J. Newton Brown (1854)
* " [http://website.lineone.net/~gsward/byepaths.html Bye-Paths in Baptist History] ", by Rev. Joseph Jackson Goadby, Chapter 2 (London 1871)
*"Oxford Dictionary of National Biography" (DNB): articles on Joan Bocher and Esther Copley
*" [http://members.aol.com/KHoeck2/notes.html Throughout the World An Eye Witness] " Chapter from "When and How Was The Sabbath Changed..." by Ralph Larson
*" [http://www.sundaylaw.net/books/other/edwardson/facts/fof18.htm Sabbath Reform In Scandinavia] ", Chapter 18 from "Facts of Faith", by Christian Edwardson

Further reading

*A.C.Miller, "Eythorne: the story of a village Baptist church" (London: Baptist Union 1924)
*F.J. Landes, "Silent Men, Ch. Peter Knott and Descendants" (1957)
*F. Randolph, "A History of Seventh Day Baptists in West Virginia: Including the Woodbridgetown and Salemville Corliss Churches in Pennsylvania and the Shrewsbury Church in New Jersey" (1905)