Chuch Motto: Caring for ALL with Faith, Hope & Love

We strive to be a spiritual community—

We are guided by Scripture and the Holy Spirit.

We strive to be a nurturing community—

We are a safe harbor for all God’s children.

We strive to be a learning community—

We grow together by exploring how to be faithful in our everyday lives.

We strive to be an intergenerational community—

We learn from and are led by God’s children of all ages.

We believe in the Trinity, which is the doctrine that God is one, existing in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The three persons of the Trinity are distinct and unified, co-existing in perfect harmony and working together to create and sustain the world. We believe that the Trinity is an essential part of understanding God. By embracing the Trinity, we can have a deeper relationship with the Lord and better understand God’s will for our lives.

The Bible is a collection of 66 individual books that together tell the story of a group of people bound by a common faith in God. It is divided into two main sections: the Old Testament containing 39 books originally written primarily in Hebrew and the New Testament containing 27 books originally written primarily in Greek. For Presbyterians and others of the Reformed tradition the Bible is the means by which Christian believers come to understand how God has been present with humanity since the beginning of time and is present in our world today. By studying the scriptures we can begin to know of God’s faithfulness, constant love and eternal goodness.

We believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God. He is the central figure of Christianity, the Word of God made flesh. Jesus was sent by God to be the ultimate sacrifice for our sins so that we could enjoy an eternal life with Him. Jesus’ teachings on love, forgiveness, humility, and repentance are at the core of our beliefs. We also believe in Jesus’ resurrection, that it was proof of His deity and the promise of eternal life for all those who believe. We are called to follow Jesus, to live lives of holiness, and to share the Good News of the Gospel.

Presbyterians believe God has offered us salvation because of God’s loving nature. It is not a right or a privilege to be earned by being “good enough.” No one of us is good enough on our own — we are all dependent upon God’s goodness and mercy. From the kindest, most devoted churchgoer to the most blatant sinner, we are all saved solely by the grace of God.

Though a person may be baptized at any age, infant baptism is a common practice in the Presbyterian Church. Parents bring their child to church, where they publicly declare their desire for that child to be baptized. When an infant or child is baptized the church commits itself to nurture the child in faith. When adults are baptized they make a public profession of faith.

“The Sacrament of Baptism holds a deep reservoir of theological meaning, including: dying and rising with Jesus Christ; pardon, cleansing, and renewal; the gift of the Holy Spirit; incorporation into the body of Christ; and a sign of the realm of God. The Reformed tradition understands Baptism to be a sign of God’s covenant. The water of Baptism is linked with the waters of creation, the flood, and the exodus. Baptism thus connects us with God’s creative purpose, cleansing power, and redemptive promise from generation to generation. Like circumcision, a sign of God’s gracious covenant with Israel, Baptism is a sign of God’s gracious covenant with the Church. In this new covenant of grace God washes us clean and makes us holy and whole. Baptism also represents God’s call to justice and righteousness, rolling down like a mighty stream, and the river of the water of life that flows from God’s throne” (W-3.0402).

When we gather at the Lord’s Supper the Spirit draws us into Christ’s presence and

unites with the Church in every time and place. We join with all the faithful in heaven

and on earth in offering thanksgiving to the triune God. We reaffirm the promises of our

baptism and recommit ourselves to love and serve God, one another, and our neighbors in

the world. The opportunity to eat and drink with Christ is not a right bestowed upon the worthy, but a privilege given to the undeserving who come in faith, repentance, and love. All who come to the table are offered the bread and cup, regardless of their age or understanding.

All are welcome to take communion at our church. We serve by intinction, meaning we invite the congregation to come forward and dip the bread in the cup. There are prepackaged gluten free elements available.

We trust in God the Holy Spirit, everywhere the giver and renewer of life. The Spirit justifies us by grace through faith, sets us free to accept ourselves and to love God and neighbor, and binds us together with all believers in the one body of Christ, the Church. The same Spirit who inspired the prophets and apostles rules our faith and life in Christ through Scripture, engages us through the Word proclaimed, claims us in the waters of baptism, feeds us with the bread of life and the cup of salvation, and calls women and men to all ministries of the church. In a broken and fearful world the Spirit gives us courage to pray without ceasing, to witness among all peoples to Christ as Lord and Savior, to unmask idolatries in Church and culture, to hear the voices of peoples long silenced, and to work with others for justice, freedom, and peace. In gratitude to God, empowered by the Spirit, we strive to serve Christ in our daily tasks and to live holy and joyful lives, even as we watch for God’s new heaven and new earth, praying, “Come, Lord Jesus!”

Excerpt from “A Brief Statement of Faith”