Tucked into a stretch of New York Avenue in Hudson, Florida, Hudson Church of God gathers a Pentecostal congregation under Pastors Greg and Trilby Richie. The church is defined less by programs and more by a carefully stated set of convictions - a fourteen-point Declaration of Faith in the Church of God (Anderson, Indiana) tradition - and by two weekly services, one on the Lord's Day and one midweek, that bring that faith into practice.
A Living Faith: The Declaration of Faith
At the center of Hudson Church of God is a written Declaration of Faith that lays out, point by point, what the church teaches and confesses. The congregation has chosen to make that statement public, and every article shapes the life of the body.
The Bible and the Godhead
The church affirms the verbal inspiration of the Bible. It also confesses one God, eternally existing in three persons - Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten
The Declaration sets out the person and work of Christ in classical Pentecostal terms. Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of the Father, conceived of the Holy Ghost and born of the Virgin Mary. He was crucified, buried, and raised from the dead. He ascended to heaven and now sits at the right hand of the Father as the Intercessor.
Sin, Forgiveness, and the New Birth
All people have sinned and come short of the glory of God, and repentance is commanded by God and necessary for forgiveness of sins. Justification, regeneration, and the new birth are wrought by faith in the blood of Jesus Christ.
Sanctification and Holiness
Sanctification, the Declaration teaches, comes after the new birth and is also wrought by faith in the blood of Christ, through the Word, and by the Holy Ghost. Holiness is set forth as God's standard of living for His people.
The Baptism with the Holy Ghost
In a statement that places Hudson Church of God firmly within the wider Pentecostal world, the Declaration teaches the baptism with the Holy Ghost subsequent to a clean heart. Speaking with other tongues as the Spirit gives utterance is identified as the initial evidence of that baptism.
Water Baptism
The church practices water baptism by immersion. Those who repent are to be baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
Healing in the Atonement
Divine healing is taught as a provision of the atonement for all who will receive it.
The Lord's Table and Feet Washing
The church observes both the Lord's Supper and the washing of the saints' feet as ongoing practices of the congregation.
The Second Coming
Hudson Church of God looks for the premillennial second coming of Jesus Christ. He will come first to resurrect the righteous dead and to catch away the living saints to meet Him in the air. He will then return to reign on the earth for a thousand years.
The Resurrection and Eternity
The Declaration closes with the bodily resurrection, eternal life for the righteous, and eternal punishment for the wicked.
Pastors Greg and Trilby Richie
The congregation is led by Pastors Greg Richie and Trilby Richie. Together they shepherd a body that identifies itself as a community devoted to following God's calling boldly and to serving the wider world. Both names appear as pastors of the church, and the church introduces them plainly: Greg Richie and Trilby Richie.
Under that leadership, the rhythm of the church is simple and steady. Two services a week, one Sunday and one Wednesday, hold the life of the body together.
Sundays at 10:30 AM and Wednesdays at 7:00 PM
The church gathers twice each week at its building on New York Avenue in Hudson. The Sunday service begins at 10:30 in the morning. The midweek service begins at 7:00 in the evening on Wednesdays. Both are regular opportunities for worship and are held in English.
Services are livestreamed online, so members who are traveling or homebound can take part from wherever they are.
Engaging and Inspiring a Journey of Faith
The church's own description of its purpose is direct. Hudson Church of God engages and inspires people as they go on a journey that will change their lives. Its stated goal is to cultivate a loving and varied community that is dedicated to following God's calling boldly and to develop disciples of Jesus Christ - for the betterment of Hudson and the entire world.
That wording points to two commitments at once. The first is inward: a community that loves one another and pursues holiness. The second is outward: making disciples who serve the people of Hudson and beyond.
A Pentecostal Identity
The shape of the Declaration of Faith places Hudson Church of God in a recognizable stream of American Pentecostalism. The combination of the baptism with the Holy Ghost with the initial evidence of speaking in tongues, the practice of water baptism by immersion in the threefold name, the ordinance of feet washing alongside the Lord's Supper, the belief in divine healing as part of the atonement, and the premillennial return of Jesus together form the doctrinal fingerprint of the Church of God (Anderson, Indiana) movement, of which Hudson Church of God is a part.
Finding the Church on New York Avenue
Hudson Church of God meets at 7631 New York Avenue in Hudson, Florida, in Pasco County along Florida's Gulf Coast. The building sits within the town it serves, and an interactive map is offered to help first-time visitors find their way.
Anyone wishing to reach the church by phone can call (727) 868-1191. Email correspondence goes to hudsonchurchofgod@tampabay.rr.com. Visitors are welcome to come to either service, to meet the pastors, and to enter into the life of a small, confessionally clear congregation that has staked its identity on the Declaration of Faith it holds in common.