Welcome to Gateway Church!
Below, you can take a peek behind the curtains and find out who's who that helps lead this church!
Ray Sewell
Lead Pastor
Pastor Ray Sewell has been our lead pastor since May 2019, after serving in St Louis as the founding pastor of Diverse City Church. With the help of God, He and his family, led the church from 8 members to over 400 members. After 11 years of service, in the St Louis region, he and his family felt led to move back to his hometown of Frederick, MD.
His ministerial experience that started in 2002, ranges from Youth Pastor, Outreach Pastor, Associate Pastor, Senior Pastor, and District Bishop.
Pastor Ray is an Ordained Bishop with the Church of God, and his ministerial training was done through International Bible College and the Church of God School of Ministry.
He and his wife, Lorrunda, have been married since 2006. They have five children: Lacey, Hadassah, Isabellah, Gabriellah, and Anthony, and one fur-baby, Hunter.
Fun facts about Pastor Ray
- Pastor Ray is a country boy that grew up in Frederick, MD, yet has much experience in, and a love for, the inner city.
- Pastor Ray loves people. He is very intentional about building relationships with others, and believes that “real” ministry happens through relationships.
- He is very health conscious, and is a huge advocate for Health & Wellness; mind, body, soul and spirit.
- In his spare time, he enjoys being with his family, cooking, being outdoors, playing sports, traveling, and as a foodie he is always trying food from different cultures.
Erin Rhodes-Baylor
Worship and Youth Director
Mission
Exalt Christ
Loving God and bringing Him Glory.
Evangelize the City
Loving people, being kind, telling your story, and inviting.
Equip the Church
Discipling, teaching, empowering, and preparing people for life.
Evolve into a Community
Growing together and becoming a family.
Purpose
The purpose of Gateway Church is to be a relevant church that perfectly blends both love and truth. We strive to be a church that is so loving that anyone (and everyone), regardless of their past or position, will be accepted RIGHT WHERE THEY ARE! We believe love heals and grace understands. Our job is to exemplify Jesus, by showing love and grace (Ephesians 3:14-19). We strive to be a church of balance; a church that not only “loves”, but also stands for truth. Loving people where they are, not judging or condemning, but also standing up for the unadulterated truth (John 14:6; 17:17).
What makes Gateway different from the rest?
- You will experience Diversity
- You will experience a love for all people
- You will experience Spirit-filled services
- You will experience dynamic worship
- You will experience relevant messages
Commitment Statement
Gateway Church celebrates diversity. We are committed to being a perfect Church for imperfect people of all cultures, nationalities, generations, and denominations. We are a church that gathers, together, to grow in Christ through worship, evangelism, discipleship, and fellowship.
We are a Church whose members genuinely love, care, and accept people just as they are; without regard of one's past or position. At Gateway Church, we are committed to offering a love that: Accepts people where they are, Restores the broken, and releases purpose.
Gateway Church is a family that is not consumed with religious traditions. Rather, we are consumed with God’s Truth, God’s Spirit, and God’s Love, through a personal relationship with Him. Our commitment is to make sure every person experiences the love of Jesus, the heart of Jesus, and the character of Jesus.
- We are a Church that stands, solely, on the Bible as the Word of God; Jesus as the Son of God; and the Holy Spirit as the personal working Power of God.
- We are committed to having dynamic praise and worship, anointed teaching and preaching of the Word, and powerful Spirit-filled services.
- We are committed to living a life that brings Glory to God through our obedience to His Word and through our commitment to walk as He walks.
- We are committed to being a missional church, reaching out to the lost, the broken, and the needy, in a very practical manner, using relevant methods.
- We are committed to a cyclical ministry. We Evangelize, pursuing the broken. We Equip, teaching them the ways of Jesus. We rejoice as the broken are restored, becoming Evangelists, themselves, now pursing the broken.
- We are committed to leading worship services in such a way that is relevant to our community, but never compromising the truth of God’s Word.
At Gateway Church, we believe that the Bible is from God and that the Bible is true.
According to the Bible, the following are affirmations we hold:
The Authority and Power of the Bible
We believe the entire Bible to be the inspired, infallible Word of God, the revelation of God’s will for man and the divine and final authority for the Christian life.
Trinity
We believe in one God, the Creator of all things, who is revealed in three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Jesus Christ
We acknowledge Jesus Christ as true God and true man — conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of a virgin, crucified, and resurrected — our High Priest and Advocate now seated at the right hand of God the Father.
Man
We are the pinnacle of God’s creation, created in the likeness of God. We have rebelled against God through sin and separated ourselves from the glory of God; we are in need of redemption and restoration to the intended likeness we were created in that has been distorted by sin.
Genesis 1:27, Genesis 5:1-2; Romans 3:23, Romans 5:12; 1 Corinthians 15:49, Colossians 3:10
Salvation
We believe in personal salvation and forgiveness of sins through the shed blood of Jesus Christ, acknowledging every person’s need for the grace and mercy of God.
Resurrection
We believe in the eventual resurrection of the dead, the eternal happiness of the saved, and the eternal punishment of the lost.
Eternity
Man was created for eternal existence. There will be just punishment and reward. For those who are in Christ Jesus there is no condemnation, and they will spend eternity in the presence of God i.e. the new Heaven and the new earth. Those who reject Jesus will be separated from Him by their sin in a real place of eternal conscious punishment called Hell.
Matthew 25:41, Matthew 25:46, Revelation 14:9-11; Matthew 24:44, John 14:3, Acts 1:11, 1 Thessalonians 4:16, Hebrews 9:28, Revelation 22:20; Romans 14:10- 12, Revelation 20:11-15; Romans 2:5-8, 2 Corinthians 5:10; Matthew 25:34, Romans 8:1, 2 Peter 3:13
Baptism
We baptize in water all those who have placed their faith in Jesus Christ and who desire to publicly identify with Him, in accordance with the Bible’s command.
Holy Spirit
We believe in the present supernatural ministry of the Holy Spirit, whose purpose is to glorify Jesus Christ and instruct and empower every believer for godly living and service.
Call to Holiness
We believe holiness to be the standard of living for God's people.
Baptism of the Holy Spirit
We believe that the baptism with the Holy Spirit is a promise from the Father for every believer and is distinct and subsequent to the experience of the new birth. We support the manifestations of the Holy Spirit: miracles, healing, speaking in tongues, etc; as the Holy Spirit deems fit.
The Lord's Supper
We serve the Lord’s Supper and, according to Scripture, remember Jesus’ sacrifice on the Cross and celebrate His resurrection power.
The Second Coming
We believe in the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and that His appearance will be accompanied by a bodily resurrection of those who have died in Christ.
Healing
We believe that Jesus is the Healer!
Prayer
We believe in the power and effectiveness of prayer.
God's Plan for you!
We believe in God’s terrific plan for each of His followers to honor God and help people.
The Church
The church is the community of followers of Jesus Christ. The church is the body of Christ of which Jesus is the head, set on the mission given by Jesus to make disciples and spread the love of Christ. All true followers of Jesus should take an active part in the body of a local church to worship God, to know God more intimately, pray, to make disciples of Jesus, serve, for encouragement, and to be nurtured in order to grow to maturity in faith. We believe in accountability, the church being a family and constant fellowship among believers.
Ephesians 5:23; Matthew 28:18-20, Acts 1:8, 1 Corinthians 12:12-14, Ephesians 1:22-23; Hebrews 10:25; Colossians 3:16, Ephesians 1:12, Ephesians 5:16-20; Psalm 9:10, Jeremiah 9:24, 2 Corinthians 4:6, Philippians 3:10, Colossians 1:9-10; Matthew 28:19; Matthew 20:26-28, Luke 6:35-36; Acts 14:21-22, 1 Thessalonians 5:11; Ephesians 4:12-13, Colossians 1:28, Hebrews 13:17; 1 Thessalonians 5:17
Sanctity of Life
We believe that all human life is sacred and created by God in His image. Human life is of inestimable worth in all its dimensions, including pre- born babies, children who are orphaned, those who experience physical or mental challenges, and every other stage or condition from conception through natural death. We are therefore called to defend, protect, and value all human life.
Have a question or comment?
We are here for you! Below, you will find out all of the ways you can contact us!
Phone
Main Office
(301) 582-4595
Connect on Social Media
Service Times
Sundays
9:00am - Coffee
10:00am - Service in Main Sanctuary
Wednesdays
7:00pm - Online devotional on Facebook and YouTube for Adult devotionals
7:00pm - Kids and Youth service meet in-person at the church