Statement of Faith
GOD
I believe in one holy, sovereign, personal, caring, compassionate and triune God who continues to work in and through the created world with divine love and care; healing the hurting, restoring the broken, bringing light to our darkness, and new life out of death.
HUMANITY
God created humanity in God’s image and called us to live as just stewards over all creation as a selfless, loving, self-giving community and as partners in a mutually loving covenant relationship with God and one another.
SIN
In our freedom we turned from God and God’s ways, seeking the satisfaction of our own desires and acting in disobedience to God’s will. Marred by sin, we are guilty and in need of forgiveness; the image of God in us has been corrupted and confused.
JESUS
Out of love and compassion, God made God’s-self known to us through Jesus Christ. That we might have life and have it abundantly, the Word became flesh and lived among us, embodying God’s will for humanity, showing us what it means to live in a right relationship with God and one another, and giving us a glimpse of God’s kingdom. Suffering with and for us and giving his life for our salvation, Jesus has freed us from the bondage of sin and reconciled us to God.
HOLY SPIRIT
The Holy Spirit, our comforter and guide, renews our hearts, enlightens our minds, calls us to repentance and challenges us to grow in faith, obedience and love. Gathering us together as the body of Christ, the Spirit enables us to live as God’s people and join in God’s work.
CHURCH
As one expression of the Church, the Presbyterian Church USA seeks to center its life in Christ, serve the purposes of God’s love, and forever be transformed and reformed by the Word of God. Called by the Spirit, the church makes every effort to live for the sake of God and the world; a community whose life and focus embodies and proclaims the Good News of God’s love and grace. We long and strive for the day when the things of darkness, selfishness and greed, suffering, violence and oppression will be no more. Through acts of compassion and mercy, prayer and worship, teaching and preaching, the church strives to live as a new community of faith, hope, love, and witness that manifests God’s reign, relieves suffering and offers people the fullness of life in Christ.
SCRIPTURE
The scriptures of the Old and New Testaments without parallel are the sufficient, authoritative, and unique witness to our relationship with God and all that pertains to a saving faith and transformed life. Revealing God’s nature and will, scripture guides the church in worship, proclamation, and community life.
SACRAMENTS
Commanded and instituted by Christ, the sacraments of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are outward signs of the inward promises of God; sacred acts through which God reaches out, grasps, holds, and sustains us. Through the power of the Spirit, they testify to the grace by which we are saved and confirm in us the promise of our true identity: that we are God’s people; that we belong to God.
I believe in one holy, sovereign, personal, caring, compassionate and triune God who continues to work in and through the created world with divine love and care; healing the hurting, restoring the broken, bringing light to our darkness, and new life out of death.
HUMANITY
God created humanity in God’s image and called us to live as just stewards over all creation as a selfless, loving, self-giving community and as partners in a mutually loving covenant relationship with God and one another.
SIN
In our freedom we turned from God and God’s ways, seeking the satisfaction of our own desires and acting in disobedience to God’s will. Marred by sin, we are guilty and in need of forgiveness; the image of God in us has been corrupted and confused.
JESUS
Out of love and compassion, God made God’s-self known to us through Jesus Christ. That we might have life and have it abundantly, the Word became flesh and lived among us, embodying God’s will for humanity, showing us what it means to live in a right relationship with God and one another, and giving us a glimpse of God’s kingdom. Suffering with and for us and giving his life for our salvation, Jesus has freed us from the bondage of sin and reconciled us to God.
HOLY SPIRIT
The Holy Spirit, our comforter and guide, renews our hearts, enlightens our minds, calls us to repentance and challenges us to grow in faith, obedience and love. Gathering us together as the body of Christ, the Spirit enables us to live as God’s people and join in God’s work.
CHURCH
As one expression of the Church, the Presbyterian Church USA seeks to center its life in Christ, serve the purposes of God’s love, and forever be transformed and reformed by the Word of God. Called by the Spirit, the church makes every effort to live for the sake of God and the world; a community whose life and focus embodies and proclaims the Good News of God’s love and grace. We long and strive for the day when the things of darkness, selfishness and greed, suffering, violence and oppression will be no more. Through acts of compassion and mercy, prayer and worship, teaching and preaching, the church strives to live as a new community of faith, hope, love, and witness that manifests God’s reign, relieves suffering and offers people the fullness of life in Christ.
SCRIPTURE
The scriptures of the Old and New Testaments without parallel are the sufficient, authoritative, and unique witness to our relationship with God and all that pertains to a saving faith and transformed life. Revealing God’s nature and will, scripture guides the church in worship, proclamation, and community life.
SACRAMENTS
Commanded and instituted by Christ, the sacraments of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are outward signs of the inward promises of God; sacred acts through which God reaches out, grasps, holds, and sustains us. Through the power of the Spirit, they testify to the grace by which we are saved and confirm in us the promise of our true identity: that we are God’s people; that we belong to God.
