Much can be said about this question, but our faith in the God of the Bible is ultimately grounded on the historical fact that the man Jesus died and rose from the dead. This blatantly supernatural act has many eyewitness testimonies that survive to this day and comprise the books of the New Testament. In fact, the New Testament itself affirms the foolishness of Christianity if Jesus Christ did not rise from the dead: “And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain” and “If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied” (1 Corinthians 15:14, 19). But if Jesus really has been raised from the dead, then our response determines our eternity. What could matter more than that? We would love the opportunity to interact with any questions you have as you look into this. Stop by this Sunday to say hello and discuss!

Yes! While many people “believe the Bible,” many understand it in different ways. We believe the most accurate interpretation of scripture is summarized in the reformed confessions of the 1600s, particularly the Westminster standards (Confession of Faith and Shorter and Larger Catechisms), which serve as our statement of faith.

Absolutely not! Although we do consider many statements in our confession to be essential to the Christian faith, we understand that some particular topics have divided the church throughout history in honest disagreement. Our desire is to celebrate the unity we have as believers in the gospel of Jesus Christ, and we welcome and encourage open dialogue about differences.

Everyone, whether they acknowledge it or not, has a system by which they understand the Bible. The term “reformed” refers to a system which, although present throughout the history of the church, was revived during the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century. Its central tenets are:

• The scriptures are our final authority for all matters of faith and life.
• The substance of all the scriptures, both Old and New Testaments, is God’s work of saving a people for himself through the work of Jesus.
• God saves his people only through faith in the work of Jesus, as a free gift, and apart from anything that we do to earn it.

We are members of a denomination called the Orthodox Presbyterian Church (OPC). We are also in fellowship with the broader North American Presbyterian and Reformed Council (NAPARC) which includes the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA), the United Reformed Church (URC) and many other denominations.

The whole church on earth is one interconnected body, over which Jesus himself is head. One of the ways this interconnectedness is expressed is in denominational relationships. These relationships give congregations a formal framework for supporting and encouraging each other and for addressing administrative and practical needs. This formal structure does not prevent less formal relationships between congregations, whether the semi-formal organization of NAPARC or other informal relationships between local churches that may arise organically. Another benefit of a denominational structure is unity and stability in our interpretation of the Bible, as the apostle Paul desired “that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about by every wind of doctrine” (Ephesians 4:14). Our denominational affiliation reflects not an intention to exclude others, but our intention to be open and clear about the truths we affirm. With Paul, we do not desire the church to be divided, but for all of us to “come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God” (Ephesians 4:13).

As God brings us into his covenant people by baptism, he nourishes and sustains our life with Christ in that covenant by the Lord’s supper. For this reason, if you are a baptized member of a Christian church, we invite you to participate with us as we celebrate our fellowship with Jesus Christ and one another. We celebrate the Lord’s supper on the second Sunday of every month.

The audio program linked below is designed to convey the biblical rationale behind the what and how of our worship. It is conducted in a round-table, conversational, style. Each part is about half an hour.

• Why We Worship the Way We Do – Part 1 (Duration: 28:39)
• Why We Worship the Way We Do – Part 2 (Duration: 33:57)
• Why We Worship the Way We Do – Part 3 (Duration: 33:01)