Welcome!
Sunday, 9:30 a.m. Adult Class in the Library
Sunday, 9:30 a.m. Children’s Sunday School .
Maundy Thursday, March 28: 6 p.m. Seder Supper at the Wolcott First Baptist Church
Good Friday, March 29: 6:30 p.m. Service at the Huron Presbyterian Church
Easter Sunday, March 31: 7 a.m. Sunrise Service in Northup Park
10:30 a.m. Church Service
Whoever you are; wherever you are on your faith journey;
you are welcome to come and explore, praise,
question,
Presbyterian Disaster Assistance – Ukraine Emergency Appeal: Gifts can be made online, by calling (800)-872-3283, by texting PDAUKR to 41444, or by check made payable to Presbyterian Church U.S.A. with “DR000156-Ukraine” on the memo line and mail to: Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), P.O. Box 643700, Pittsburgh, PA 15264-3700.
PRAYER LIST: Bill Cahoon, Cricky Gilbert, Ellen Elwell, Val Mills, Verne Mills, Paula DeMass, Bob Stell, Mike & Linda Douglass, Rosie Wright, Mary Ann Sparnon, Eleanor Stevenson, Carol Merrell, Edith Hutchings, Shirley Bishop, Tom Johnson, Pete Douglass, Alice Youngman, Jordan Lockwood, Arlene Youngman, Maxine Pankratz, and
ALL MILITARY PERSONNEL SERVING OUR COUNTRY
Sunday services start at 10:30 AM, and Sunday School is before service at 9:30 AM for both children and adults. This vibrant and loving congregation would love for you to stop by one Sunday.
I am on the Committee of Preparation for Ministry (CPM), and this is a presbytery committee that prepares ministerial candidates for ordination. One of the most difficult requirements for seminarians is to write a “faith statement”, which they have to present to the CPM. It is rare for a candidate to be rejected for not being “orthodox” enough, but it is an important milestone in articulating one’s beliefs and faith journey.
I thought it would be an interesting exercise to share with you all my faith statement from when I was a candidate for ordination. My CPM did pass me, though I think they suggested I use fewer “fifty-cent” words in my sermons. I still believe what I wrote back then, and I would be happy to dialogue about it. Here are my basic beliefs about my faith in God.
Walter’s Brief Statement of Faith
I believe in God Almighty, Creator of all that is. God is omniscient, omnipotent and all loving by nature. I believe that God is sovereign over history and will redeem this world from all evil and suffering. This will happen when the kingdom of heaven is fully manifest on earth as it is in heaven. I believe that we are designed to be in relationship to God, yet our sinful, depraved nature separates humanity from God. Even so, God is present and working to redeem us at every moment of our lives in some way. Ultimately, my relationship to God is a mystery to me, yet do I trust in God.
I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He is coeternal, consubstantial, and coequal with God the Father and the Holy Spirit in a Trinitarian unity. I believe that he became incarnate as a man on this earth in order to save us from our sins. He did this through his life of ministry and sacrificial death on the cross. I believe that by the power of God, he rose from the dead and broke the bonds of sin and death. I trust that all who believe in him and become his disciples will also partake in his resurrection and life.
This fellowship of people is the church and they are united in Christ's spiritual body. Our spiritual unity is expressed by the sacraments of baptism and communion. These sacraments are signs of saving grace and holy union through Christ, which the Holy Spirit seals upon our hearts. I believe that Christ will come again to this world and judge the living and the dead. I believe that I have a personal, saving relationship with Christ. Ultimately, my relationship to Jesus Christ is a mystery to me, yet do I trust in God.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, who is my Comforter and Counselor of Truth. I believe that the Spirit is the author of faith, prayer, and the good works in my life. I believe that the authors of the Bible were inspired by the Holy Spirit, and thus I believe that it is the word of God. The Spirit sustains me when, by faith, I am open to God and surrender my pretense of self-sufficiency. The workings of the Spirit are often quite radical and unpredictable, but through the Spirit, God's purposes are always fulfilled. Ultimately, my relationship to the Spirit is a mystery to me, yet do I trust in God.