statement of faith...

The Gospel of Jesus Christ
We believe the GOSPEL of the Lord Jesus Christ is the only remedy for the sinful and fallen condition of the hearts of men, women and children. The gospel is the good news that God has provided a substitute who is the Son of God, Jesus Christ. As our substitute, the Son of God, suffered the wrath of God that is toward sinners. He shed His blood to save a multitude whom no man can number. The call of the gospel comes to every person in the world. It is the gospel call to repent (to turn away from all personal sin) and to believe in Christ (to trust in Him as the only way to be forgiven of the guilt of my sin and to be given a new, eternal life). A person who has believed upon Christ will find that they have a new heart which God has given them: a heart that hates sin; a heart that loves Scripture; a heart that desires to obey God’s law. A sincere desire to obey God’s Word is the only trustworthy fruit that a person has become born again and is justified by grace.

The Reformed Faith
We are a REFORMED church which means the leaders and members agree that the Reformed confessions of faith are faithful explanations of the truths revealed in the Word of God. We are thankful for the Belgic Confession (1561) and the Westminster Confession (1647). These historical statements have aided faithful churches in the past centuries to defend the truth of the gospel against error and have been a rich means of educating believers and their children in the knowledge of the Christian faith.

The Lord’s Day
We believe that Sunday is the LORD’S DAY; the Christian Sabbath Day. The Lord Jesus Christ rose from the dead, the early churches gathered, and the Holy Spirit was poured out on the first day of the week. The Old Testament Church remembered the work of creation on their Sabbath day. The New Testament Church celebrates the work of the new creation on the Lord’s Day. The whole day is to be given to public and private worship, fellowship and physical rest from our daily labors. This good and spiritual commandment of setting apart the first day of the week as the Lord’s Day is so that the New Testament believer might join fellow believers in worship, perform acts of mercy and necessity, remember the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and prepare for the holiness of heaven. As a church we seek to delight in this day and grow in our understanding of it.

Worship
In the WORSHIP SERVICES on the Lord’s Day, we endeavor to worship the Triune God in both a reverent and joyful manner. The public worship consists of the simple biblical elements of preaching and teaching, singing of hymns and psalms, prayer, offerings, and sacraments. We believe God has written down in the inspired Word how He desires His people to worship Him.

In light of the popularity of contemporary worship in our generation, the worship at a Reformed church may seem new and different for many of our visitors. Our sincere desire is to worship God, through His Son Jesus Christ, the Scriptures, and by the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit. Entire worship services are often centered upon one theme from the Bible. Hymns are selected beforehand and attention is paid to their biblical content. The congregation is encouraged to think about what they are singing and to experience the grace of those truths. The greatest part of each service is devoted to the preaching or teaching of God’s Word. The morning sermon has been either a series or an expository message. In the evening, the pastor has been bringing theological sermons meant to instruct in the Biblical doctrines and to have practical applications.

The congregation, along with visitors who have professed their faith in Jesus Christ and are members in good standing in a Christian church, enjoy an evening Lord’s Day communion service 6 times during the year. This special service is devoted to Scriptural readings by men of the church, prayers, and a time of partaking of the Lord’s Supper.

The congregation enjoys other means of grace together on the Lord’s Day. A lengthy time of fellowship has become commonplace after the worship times. A men’s or women’s prayer meeting meets occasionally on Sunday night and a Theological Discussion Class meets regularly after the second worship service. The purpose of this time is for questions and answers, and for the edifying of the body of believers.

Our desire is to draw near to God because He has promised to draw near to His worshipping people. We desire that the risen Christ would meet us and communicate His grace to us as our prophet, priest and king.

Our Leadership
Our LEADERSHIP consists of Elders and Deacons. We find these two offices taught in the pastoral epistles. The Elders are called to preach, teach, administer the sacraments, oversee and shepherd the flock. The Deacons are called to assist the Elders and serve the congregation in the area of mercy. Those who are ordained to these offices must meet the biblical requirements. The pastor (one of the Elders) is available to meet with friends from the community to give counsel or to help answer questions about the Bible.