The Itty Bitty Nitty Gritty Bible Church is people; moreover, we are people who have become born again by accepting Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Saviour. We are a portion of the greater Christian Church, the worldwide community of born again believers. We are a network of independent home-based groups of Christians. The Lord Jesus Christ is our head; He is Lord.
We are unified in one creed: our “What We Believe” statements. These statements reflect the truths that are revealed in the Bible; our creed, as well as our whole organization, stands corrected by the Bible.
We're not about bettering or changing this world, global peace, human unity or a new world order; we're about preparing people for the soon to come new Earth and Heaven. We exist to win souls, teach from the Bible, train believers to be soul-winners and provide opportunities of support and fellowship amongst believers.
We equate love for God with compassion and empathy for our fellow humans: a compassion that is concerned about where people will spend eternity, a compassion that yearns to share the truth and love of Jesus Christ with them.
We exist to serve God by propagating all of the theological and spiritual truths that are revealed in the Bible. Additionally, we exist to provide practical Biblical guidance to independent groups of believers. The Biblical guidance we provide is purposed to strengthen and encourage individual believers in their Christian faith as well as equipping them to be effective soul-winners.
Our mission is cyclic: it begins by sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ with our lost and dying world, continues on by equipping believers to be soul-winners so as to win others to salvation in Jesus Christ, to become soul-winners, and so on, and so on.
Our vision is the fast approaching new Heaven and new Earth, which will be populated exclusively with those who became born again by accepting Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Saviour while on this Earth. We look forward with anticipation to this coming eternal age where there will be no more sin, suffering and death; God will walk amidst the saved of Earth.
We believe that our current world is not in the same condition that it was originally created in. When God created our universe it was in perfect order. At the moment that Adam and Eve rebelled against God, the universe became defective. This change affected the entire creation, from the galactic scale all the way down to the molecular level. The world changed from a creation of perfection, peace and eternity to an existence of instability, decay and death. Sinfulness, sadness, wildness, war, disease, disasters and death are all a direct result of humanity’s rebellion towards God.
We believe that we are living in the last days of this planet’s existence. We believe that our current world is in an ever increasing state of transition to global oneness: politically, religiously, economically, etc. The stage is currently being set for Satan’s last gasp; the planet will be under the leadership of one government and one pseudo-faith. Two men will oversee this finality; the “Anti-Christ” (a global political leader) and the “Beast” (a global religious leader).
We believe that our current world will ultimately come to an end. At that end, this planet will be destroyed by God Himself, not by some natural cataclysm such as global warming, meteors, etc. or by human influence such as pollution or atomic war.
We believe that global peace is not possible on this planet. We believe that in place of our current dying planet, God will create a new Earth, one that is again perfect, at peace and eternal.
We believe that there are two “churches” currently on our planet: the true Church, the cumulative body of those who are born again through Jesus Christ and also a false “church”, satanically inspired religious organizations of sinful people.
We believe that the true Church is an invisible network of true believers, born again in Jesus Christ. They are bound together by God the Holy Spirit Who indwells in each true repentant believer. Its foundation is solely the Bible. The false “church” mimics Christianity, however it is devoid of spiritual connectivity with God. It is comprised of people who “play church”. Its foundation is based upon worldly/pagan traditions, humanism and popular/relative beliefs.
We believe that in these end times, even the true Church is in a state of struggle. Its own leadership and fellowships have been infiltrated by witting and unwitting agents of Satan, namely, people who profess to be saved and evangelical but live double-minded lives. They “act” Christian but are still in bondage to this world and sin.
We believe that church membership is determined by a spiritual connection with God, not by having one’s name on a man-made membership roll. At the last great judgment, God will separate the “sheep” (those who are true to Christ) from the “goats” (those who rejected Christ or were fake regarding Him). Those saved (the true Church) will enjoy Heaven and inherit the new Earth; the lost (the false church) will be banished for eternity in “The Lake of Fire” a.k.a. Hell.
Our motto is a particular verse of Scripture that best communicates who we are in Jesus Christ, our loving concern and an evangelistic appeal to all people: “We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God.” –Paul (2 Corinthians 5:20)
Our name describes our nature and attitude. We operate as small “Itty Bitty” groups of believers. Our beliefs and goals are the essence “Nitty Gritty” of Christianity: Jesus Christ, God the Son, was punished and died for our sins; we each must become born again in order to be saved from sin, death and hell. The “Bible” is the fundamental source of all of our beliefs. We are a “Church”, a part of The Church, the world-wide community of those who are born again through Jesus Christ.
Our insignia incorporates our name, our mascot: “Zippy” the hummingbird, the victoriously empty cross of Jesus Christ and the most important words of Jesus that each and every individual needs to hear and heed: “You must be born again.” (John 3:7)
Our mascot is “Zippy” the hummingbird. Although the dove is traditionally used as an emblem of the Christian Church, we believe the hummingbird best represents our little part of the greater Christian community. Hummingbirds are small, fast and effective; they are consumed with flying from flower to flower and thus focused on propagating life. The Itty Bitty Nitty Gritty Bible Church’s existence is to rapidly, effectively and bountifully propagate eternal life through the Good News of Jesus Christ.
We believe that Church membership is determined by a spiritual connection with God, not by having one’s name on a man-made membership roll. There is only one mediator between God and an individual, God Himself, the Lord Jesus Christ.
We do not bestow a status of individual membership within the Itty Bitty Nitty Gritty Bible Church; however, we do have two prerequisites for individuals who would like to identify with us: first, one must be a born again, repentant and obedient believer in Jesus Christ and secondly, one must be in agreement with our “What We Believe” statements.
Although we do have an individual membership status per se, we do request that you contact us if you have decided to identify with us. Please see the “Contact Us” link on the home page.
The Itty Bitty Nitty Gritty Bible Church operates much in the same manner as the Christian Church operated in its infancy; we simply meet together in our homes as a group of associated believers. We also meet in public places such as malls, restaurants or parks. Taking an outing together also provides a great opportunity for fellowship and sharing Jesus Christ with the lost.
We purposely avoid as much “structure” and/or “overhead” as possible. Our basic operation method is simple: we meet together as a group of believers as we would ordinarily meet in other social gatherings such as parties, dinners, barbeques, etc.
When we gather, we make preparations so that our time together is quality time; we don’t want to cram everything into the classic Church one hour time slot. Our meetings last as long or as short as necessary. Our gathering time length and schedules are mindful of the Lord’s desire for fellowship with us; we also are mindful of the time limitations that our people may have.
We purposely are not locked into any specific routine as we gather. We desire to avoid practices that would develop into a ritual. Our fellowships gather because of a desire to be with each other, not out of habit or a sense of compulsion. Our worship, praise and prayers are spontaneous and from our hearts.
Although the early Church met on the first day of the week (Sunday), we may or may not gather on Sundays. We may or may not even gather on a specific day or with a certain frequency; what is important is that we gather regularly and as often as necessary for the spiritual wellbeing of our people.
As we meet we spend time: reading and studying the Bible; sharing testimonies of praise, thanks and needs; praising God through music; communicating with God through prayer; having a meal, enjoying each other’s company and sharing in the “Lord’s Supper”.
We also provide age appropriate activities for children. They too share in the fundamentals of gathering as believers: sharing testimonies, praising God, studying the Bible, etc.
Our primary goals in time spent learning are to develop each member’s grasp of: the Bible, their own Christian walk, Christian doctrine and the creed of the Itty Bitty Nitty Gritty Bible Church, Biblical guidelines for Christian living and skills for winning the spiritually lost to salvation in Jesus Christ.
As part of our outreach we invite non-believers to our gatherings. In doing this we introduce them to the Lord Jesus Christ and encourage them to accept Him as their personal Lord and Saviour. We invite unsaved family members, friends, neighbors and anyone that we meet or associate with. We are careful to make non-believers feel welcome; however, we are also careful to reserve spiritual activities such as prayer and the “Lord’s Supper” only for those who are saved.
We avoid using treasuries. We share any incurred costs mutually amongst each other. Those who are capable share their blessings with others; those who are financially challenged need not be imposed upon.
Although we are highly flexible in the way we operate, our gatherings are always structured, meaningful and joyous. Summing up the way we operate, we gather together, praise God, study the Bible, fellowship, support each other and introduce the spiritually lost to Jesus Christ and the salvation He offers.
The Itty Bitty Nitty Gritty Bible Church
P.O. Box 1294, Wilkes-Barre, PA 18703
We are incorporated in the state of Pennsylvania as a non-profit religious entity. We are not recognized by the Internal Revenue Service as a tax-deductible church. We choose not to have I.R.S. tax-deductible status so as not to have any government restrictions and/or interference upon our beliefs and editorials. Our small staff is currently un-paid but there are periodic expenses. Your contributions would be greatly appreciated. Monetary gifts should be mailed to our address above. (All contributions will be acknowledged.) Thank you in advance for supporting this ministry!
Ownership / Privacy Statements
The Itty Bitty Nitty Gritty Bible Church is incorporated as a non-profit corporation in the state of Pennsylvania in the United States of America. Unless indicated otherwise, all of the material contained within our website is the property of the Itty Bitty Nitty Gritty Bible Church, Inc. You may freely use any of our material so long as your use of our material is in harmony with the Bible, used freely for the glory of God and proper credit is given to the Itty Bitty Nitty Gritty Bible Church.
All communications to the Itty Bitty Nitty Gritty Bible Church will be treated as private unless indicated otherwise.
