Who we are
We are Darren and Elizabeth Hammermeister. We were both born in Edmonton, Alberta; and we met while attending secular college in Calgary. We were married in August of 1986 and have one daughter who is a professional elementary teacher.
Pastor Darren has 34 years of experience. After earning his Bachelor of Theology degree in 1992, he served in various capacities such as youth pastor, assistant church planter, and pastor. In 1999 he took some time off from ministry to pursue a Master of Divinity degree from Detroit Baptist Theological Seminary. Following seminary, he actively served as a church planting pastor in Surrey, British Columbia from 2005-2025.
In addition to ministering alongside Darren, Elizabeth is also a professional, home-based piano instructor. She has been teaching since 1995 and earned her ARCT certification in 2003. She loves teaching enthusiastic students of all ages – her youngest is 5 years old and her oldest student is in her mid-forties.
Our Beliefs
We believe that the Bible is God’s inspired message, without error as originally written, and the final authority for our faith and practice. (2 Timothy 3:16-17; John 17:17)
We believe that the one true God exists eternally in three persons, God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, who are equal in essence, yet distinct in personality. (Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14)
We believe that Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God who added a fully human nature to his divine nature by being born of a virgin therefore becoming fully God and fully man. He lived a sinless life, died on the cross as the substitute for sinners receiving the penalty of God’s wrath against sin, rose from the dead, and will come again to establish His Kingdom on the earth. (John 1:1, 14; 1 Thessalonians 1:10; Hebrews 4:15; 1 John 2:2; 4:10; Revelation 11:15).
We believe that God created Adam in His own image by a direct act (not evolutionary processes) on the sixth literal day of the creation week. Adam deliberately disobeyed the expressed will of God and fell under God’s condemnation and the power of sin. Adam’s sin nature was passed down to all his descendants, the entire human race, which affects the entire being leaving all people completely unable to earn God’s favor or contribute to their own salvation. (Genesis 1:26-31; 3:1-15; Romans 5:12; 6:20; Ephesians 2:1-10; Titus 3:5).
We believe that salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone. Justification, being declared righteous by God, is only by faith, apart from works, and it results in the righteousness of Jesus Christ being credited to the believing sinner’s account. (Romans 3:21-25; 4:4-5; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Galatians 2:16; Ephesians 2:8-9).
We believe that the local church is currently the center of God’s activity in this world. Local churches are composed of born-again believers who have been immersed in water as a testimony of their faith in Jesus Christ and are organized according to the principles of God’s Word to carry out the mission of Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 2:41; 1 Timothy 3:15).
We believe Christ gave the church two ordinances. These are symbolic memorials, not sacraments by which participants gain grace from God. The first is baptism. The original Greek word was used to describe immersion (not pouring or sprinkling). While the original ritual between the Old and New Testaments was symbolic of cleansing, the New Testament ordinance took on the added symbolism of the believer being united to Christ in His death and burial (submerged) and in His resurrection (rising out of the water). Baptism is only for those who have repented of their sins and exercised personal faith in Christ. Baptism precedes and admits one into membership upon congregational affirmation. (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 2:38, 41; 8:36-38; cf. Romans 6:1-6)
The second ordinance is that of the Lord’s Supper. Saved, immersed members of a local church gather to commemorate the Lord’s substitutionary death which was necessary to secure their salvation. Believers reflect how they have personally benefitted by receiving the forgiveness of sins because of Christ’s sufficient work on the cross. They are also reminded of their final gathering with Christ in His Kingdom. The two elements, the bread and the cup, are symbolic of the body and blood of Christ and do not become His literal body and blood. Regeneration, baptism, church membership, and an orderly walk are all required for participating in communion. (Matthew 26:26-28; Acts 2:41-42; 20:7; 1 Corinthians 10:26; 11:26)
We believe in a final resurrection of both the saved and lost, one to eternal life and the other to eternal condemnation (John 5:29; Revelation 20:6, 13-15).
We believe in the literal return of Jesus Christ that will take place in two stages. The first stage is the Rapture – His personal, imminent, and pretribulational return in the air for all church-age saints. The second stage is His second coming in glory, when He will personally and publicly appear to establish His Millennial Kingdom on the earth. During this time believing Israel will be restored to covenant favor with God and to the land promised her and the Church will reign with Christ for a thousand years. After the Millennium there will be a new heaven and earth in which God will personally dwell with His people. (Zechariah 14:3-4; 1 Corinthians 1:7; 15:51-52; 1 Thessalonians 1:10; 4:16; Revelation 21:1-3)
We believe that believers and churches must separate from those who deny essential doctrines of the faith. Believers and churches must also separate from those who compromise the faith by granting Christian recognition and fellowship to those who have denied essential doctrines of the faith. Furthermore, believers and churches must strive to reflect God’s holiness, living differently than those who have not experienced the saving grace of Jesus Christ. (Romans 16:17; Ephesians 4:17-19; Philippians 3:17-19; 2 Thessalonians 3:6-15; 1 Peter 1:15-16; 2 John 9-11; Jude 3)