Liberty Fellowship
Liberty Fellowship was launched by Paul & Leslie Trask in the fall of 2019. We had been meeting together in a rental facility until March 2020. In the wake of the COVID-19 panic we lost that meeting space, and since then had been meeting in an online teleconferencing facility.
But good news! In March 2021 we began meeting in person again! We now meet Wednesday evenings at 7:00 at Strasburg Union Church, 305 S. Fourth St., Strasburg, Missouri 64090, where Paul Trask leads our study. We also join with Strasburg Union Church for Sunday morning Worship at 11:00, where Dr. Steven Carpenter delivers the morning message.
We have a very warm and welcoming group of people – and a most lively fellowship! All are welcome to join with us.
So What Are We About?
Liberty Fellowship is all about exalting and following Jesus Christ, “the author and perfecter of our faith” (Heb 12:2). As the Second Adam (1 Cor 15:45) Jesus has redeemed us from the First Adam’s fall, and has “rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves” (Col 1:13). That eternal Kingdom, while spiritually present in this current age, will find complete and ultimate fulfillment upon Christ’s climatic return to wrap up world history, execute judgments, give rewards and redeem even the cosmos itself resulting in New Heavens and a New Earth where we will live with Him forever (Rev 21:1–4)! Amen and Amen!
As members of the Body of Christ during this present age, we dedicate ourselves to Him and to each other. During our time together we encourage each other in righteousness by focusing deeply on the Word of God and through prayer. Our preaching and teaching is all anchored in a faithful and compelling exposition of the Holy Scriptures “which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus” (2 Tim 3:15).
A “Free Church”
Liberty Fellowship is a “Free Church” organized (1) under the Lordship and Sovereignty of Jesus Christ alone, and (2) under the Constitutional freedom provided by the First Amendment which states that, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”
And, unlike most churches in the USA today, we reject the “charitable organization” 501(c)3 designation under the IRS Tax Code. Most American Churches actively seek this designation, somehow believing it grants them credibility and their donors deductibility of contributions. This is completely needless, however, since under the Tax Code, contributions to churches are automatically deductible. And, as with any other “benefit” granted by government, there is a long list of strings attached to the 501(c)3 designation. And these strings actually defeat the freedom of Religion affirmed in the 1st Amendment, and thereby blunt the lawful and rightful influence of the Church in American culture. This is one significant contributor to America’s continuously declining culture.
A Necessary Corrective
Another significant contributor to America’s continuing decline is a false theological system which has gained a stunning foothold in the Church over the past century. The most prominent feature of this system is its “secret, pre-tribulation rapture of the church.” This theory is a most novel innovation first created in the nineteenth century and then popularized throughout the twentieth (and now twenty-first) century. But most Christians do not realize that this presenting doctrine is just the tip of a very large iceberg of theology – all of it decidedly un-Biblical. The essential foundation of this false system is the presupposition that God has two completely separate peoples, together with a completely separate covenantal relationship with each – (1) the Church vs. (2) the Nation of Israel. This false system of theology reduces the Church to ultimate failure – a mere “parenthesis” to use their own language – at which time God will return to His original plan for the Nation of Israel. This is not just a little bit off – it is a complete and absolute reversal of what the Bible is actually teaching! As such it is an affront to the completed work of Christ on the cross. We teach extensively on these matters, and help Christians repent and recover from their involvement in this cultish system. In the process, the actual truth and glory of Jesus Christ and His Holy Scriptures are faithfully and accurately unfolded.