ABOUT US

We are governed by church members. Presbyterian comes from the Greek word “presbyter,” which means “elder” or “faith leader.” Elders are members of the church whom the Spirit has filled with gifts for leadership, service, and guiding the life of the church. Elders are nominated and voted on by the congregation each year to serve three-year terms. Together with the minister, they make up our church session, which governs, serves, and leads us as a local congregation.

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We are connectional. Our congregation does not minister alone but is a part of the much larger church of Jesus Christ. We are a member of the Presbytery of Eastern Virginia, the Synod of Mid-America, and the Presbyterian Church (USA). We join together in Christ’s mission, witness, and fellowship.

 

We believe women and men are called by God to all ministries of the church.  In all areas of ministry, we call both women and men who are gifted, trained, and ready to serve. This includes Deacons, Elders, and Ministers of Word and Sacrament.

 

We believe God’s grace claims us before we can do anything at all to earn or deserve it.  Through the love of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit, God claims us as part of God’s family, forgives our sins, frees us from all powers of evil and death, and leads us into lives where we get to share God’s love and grace with all we meet.

 

We are reformed and always reforming.  We do not believe that we are perfect people or a perfect church. We make mistakes. We have our biases. We get things wrong. We give thanks for the saints who have come before us, laying down a foundation of faith, but always knowing that we have more to learn and grow. Informed by scripture and guided by the Holy Spirit, we open ourselves to discovering new ways we can more fully follow Jesus Christ and proclaim God’s love to the world.

 

A great summary of our beliefs and practices as Presbyterians is found in “A Brief Statement of Faith”

 

In life and death, we belong to God.

Through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,

the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit,

we trust in the one triune God, the Holy One of Israel,

whom alone we worship and serve.  

We trust in Jesus Christ,

Fully human, fully God.

Jesus proclaimed the reign of God:

preaching good news to the poor and releasing the captives,

teaching by word and deed

and blessing the children,

healing the sick

and binding up the brokenhearted,

eating with outcasts,

forgiving sinners,

and calling all to repent and believe the gospel.

Unjustly condemned for blasphemy and sedition,

Jesus was crucified,

suffering the depths of human pain

and giving his life for the sins of the world.

God raised this Jesus from the dead,

vindicating his sinless life,

breaking the power of sin and evil,

and delivering us from death to life eternal.

We trust in God,

whom Jesus called Abba, Father.

in sovereign love, God created the world good

and made everyone equally in God’s image

male and female, of every race and people,

to live as one community.

But we rebel against God; we hide from our Creator.

Ignoring God’s commandments,

we violate the image of God in others and ourselves,

accept lies as truth,

exploit neighbor and nature,

and threaten death to the planet entrusted to our care.

We deserve God’s condemnation.

Yet God acts with justice and mercy to redeem creation.

In everlasting love,

the God of Abraham and Sarah chose a covenant people

to bless all families of the earth.

Hearing their cry,

God delivered the children of Israel

from the house of bondage.

Loving us still,

God makes us heirs with Christ of the covenant.

Like a mother who will not forsake her nursing child,

like a father who runs to welcome the prodigal home,

God is faithful still.

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 our 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 the 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 people 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!”

With believers in every time and place,

we rejoice that nothing in life or death

can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

 

There is much more to discover about the history, tradition, beliefs, and practice of the Presbyterian Church (USA) at www.pcusa.org.