WHO WE ARE
For decades now, Our Father’s House has seen lives transformed as people encounter the presence of God in tangible ways and come to know Him as their Heavenly Father.
God has called us to be a place where people can experience healing from life’s hurts, mature in their giftings, and step forward as His representatives in every sphere He has called them.
Whether it is the community in our region of Southern Maryland or one of the nations in the far reaches of the earth, we are committed to living out and spreading the Gospel of the Kingdom until His return.
OUR VISION
To see a hurting world healed, and people launched into their destiny.
OUR MISSION
Putting the Father on display in a culture that Experiences God, Connects with Others, and Impacts the World.
We believe that man was created for fellowship and communion with God. We believe God is still speaking and moving mightily in the world today. We are committed to building an atmosphere where people can grow in their relationship with God, encounter the person and presence of the Holy Spirit, and experience the gifts and fruit of the Spirit. Come and EXPERIENCE God with us.
We believe that the Church is an extended family, constructed of individuals born again of the Spirit of God, and that each one is divinely placed in relationship to the others. It is in these loving and trusting relationships that we grow and mature in our gifts. We are committed to the welfare of people from conception to the grave; strengthening children, parents, singles, those single again, the fatherless or motherless, and childless couples. Come and find your place to CONNECT with us.
We believe that Jesus has called us to join His mission of spreading the good news of the Gospel of the Kingdom. We see our families, neighborhoods, workplaces, communities, cities, and nations as fertile ground for the impact of the Church. We celebrate the worth and unique giftings of each individual believer and importance of their giving of themselves in service to Jesus. Come and discover the IMPACT Jesus wants to make with you.
WHAT WE VALUE
OUR FATHER’S HOUSE CORE VALUES
1. A Commitment to the Triune God
John 14:16-17, 1 Cor 12:4-5, 1 Cor 6:19
We treasure and welcome the person, presence, leadership and manifestations of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. We recognize each believer has been created by the Father for a personal, intimate, revelatory relationship with Jesus Christ through the person of the Holy Spirit.
THEREFORE we live and model this relationship, encouraging one another to live in a personal and corporate intimacy with the Lord Jesus through the Holy Spirit.
2. A Commitment to the Bible
2 Tim 3:16-17, Psalm 119:160, Heb 4:12
We acknowledge and embrace The Holy Bible as the inspired and infallible Word of God, the living testimony of God’s plan for restored relationship with mankind. We commit ourselves to wholehearted obedience to the Scriptures above personal preference, personal convenience and limitations in our own understanding.
THEREFORE we are committed to personal study, preaching and teaching of the content and practical applications of Scripture in all aspects of our lives.
3. A Commitment to Praise and Worship
Psalm 95:6, John 4:23-24
We believe that man was created for fellowship and communion with God in the Spirit. This fellowship and communion finds intimate expression in the joyful praise and worship of our God.
THEREFORE we live, teach and encourage the personal lifestyle of worship towards God in attitude, posture, and practice. Further we are committed to revealing Him through our public presentation of worship in music, singing, dance, drama, and other creative expressions.
4. A Commitment to Prayer and Intercession
Matt 6:6, 1 Tim 2:1-3, Eph 6:18
We seek two-way communication with God as the basis of personal clarity, conviction and commitment to the purposes of God. We recognize that every victory – every advance of the Kingdom on earth – comes through the obedience of God’s people to the purposes of God. Our acts of obedience have their foundation in our prayers and intercessions.
THEREFORE we live a lifestyle of prayer and intercession, teaching and encouraging each other to develop a personal, vibrant, and intimate communication with God. We commit ourselves to pray for one another, our community, our nation, and the Kingdom of God.
5. A Commitment to Individual Ministry and Maturity
1 Pet 4:10, Rom 12:6-8, 1 Cor 12:8-11, John 12:26, Mark 10:42-45
We celebrate the worth and uniqueness of each individual believer and their giving of themselves in service to the Body of Christ. Serving others is the model of maturity that Jesus has left for His Church. Personal works of service is how we each contribute to and attain personal growth and maturity. Service, growth and maturity is how we attain unity of faith in Christ Jesus, and release His grace to reach and transform our world.
THEREFORE we strive to live in unselfish service to one another. Therefore, we identify individual gifts and exhort and encourage one another to fully live out our unique identities in Christ in our places of service to each other
6. A Commitment to Mission
Mark 16:15
We believe the command of Jesus to ‘Go into all the world and preach’ is the responsibility of every believer. We see our families, neighborhoods, workplaces, communities, cities, and nations as fertile ground to sow the Gospel.
THEREFORE we are committed to spreading the message of good news throughout the world through every means possible. We encourage, teach, and exhort one another to bring the message of salvation into every unreached area of our daily lives, our communities, and our world. We are deeply committed to financially support missionaries at home and abroad.
7. A Commitment to Relationship, Families, and Genuine Community
Gen 1:27-28, 1 Cor 12:18, 1 Cor 12:12-14, Matt 5:23-24, Matt 18:15
We believe that the body of Christ is an extended family, constructed of individuals born again of the Spirit of God, and that each one is divinely placed in relationship to the others. We are committed to the welfare of those members from conception to the grave. We believe in the sanctity of marriage between a man and a woman. We are committed to strengthening traditional marriages, children, parents, singles, those single again, the fatherless or motherless, and childless couples.
THEREFORE we are proactive in promoting the development of relational families; character and values in our children, youth and adults; fulfillment in singleness; decency in male-female relationships.
8. A Commitment to Traditional Biblical Marriage and Biblical Sexuality
Gen 2: 24–25; Ex 20:14, 22:19; Lev 18:22-23, 20:13, 20:15-16; Matt 19:4-6, 9; Rom 1:18-31; I Cor 6:9-10, 15-20; I Tim 1:8-11; Jude 7.
We believe that God has established marriage as a lifelong, exclusive relationship between one man and one woman and that all intimate sexual activity outside the marriage relationship, whether heterosexual, homosexual, or otherwise, is immoral and therefore sin. We believe that God created the human race, male and female, and that all conduct with the intent to adopt a gender other than one’s birth gender is immoral and therefore sin. Genesis 1: 27,
Deuteronomy 22: 5
THEREFORE we will only conduct marriages between one man and one woman. We will promote the sanctity of marriage, intimacy and parenting skills within marriage; and the reclamation of those ravaged by divorce.
9. A Commitment to Living Discipleship
Matt 28:18-20, John 13:35, Luke 6:40
We believe that discipleship is a requirement of the kingdom of God. The life of Jesus represents our model for reproduction in the Kingdom. Jesus did what He saw His Father doing. His disciples did what they saw Jesus doing. The message of the gospel was designed to spread throughout the world through relational discipleship.
THEREFORE we commit ourselves to living Christ-transformed lives that can easily be seen and reproduced by others. We commit ourselves to a lifetime of discipling one another into the works of Jesus.
10. A Commitment to Financial Responsibility
Mal 3.8, 2Cor 9:6-8, Luke 16:11
We are committed to financial responsibility in everything we do. We strive to be good stewards of all of the resources God entrusts with us. We endeavor to be people of honesty and integrity in all our financial dealings. This integrity begins with obedient worship of God in tithes and offerings, but also extends to our financial dealings with family, friends, fellow believers, strangers, creditors, the government, employers and employees.
THEREFORE we shall model Biblical principles of finance and teach them to one another on a regular basis.
OUR HISTORY
Since 1958, we have valued five things: Jesus, Life in the Spirit, Family, Transformation, and Community. It all starts with following Jesus.
God talks to us and we can experience God in tangible ways. We have God-given gifts and we were made to worship Him. The next generation is our priority at OFH and families of all types are welcome.
You were meant for meaningful relationships. It’s ok to arrive at OFH “broken” - we pursue health and maturity together. We want to see our neighborhoods and communities thrive. Our work and jobs have meaning to God.
OUR LEADERSHIP
Our pastoral team is eager to meet you!
Click on a picture to see more info.
JAY PATTERSON
LEAD PASTOR
DOCTOR LANNY D. CLARK
PASTOR EMERITUS
"I always thought Church was a place where you hide your problems. Put on your best face and come to serve. OFH shattered that illusion and brought me to a place of being real and learning to deeply love God and others — and myself."