What We Believe

...that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love... that you may have the power to comprehend... the love of Christ.
Ephesians 3:17-19 NRSV

Our core values:

INSPIRING WORSHIP ~ COMPASSIONATE SERVICE ~ ARTS & MUSIC ~ MIND & SPIRIT


Intention Statement
Peacemaking Commitment
Great Ends of the Church
Stained Glass Window

Westminster's Intention Statement

        At Westminster Church, we live a whole life
             in response to God
                attentively
                    together
                        engaging the world
                            for the good of all
                                following Jesus Christ.

                                                                    ~   Adopted by the Session, April 2011

 Brief Statement of Faith, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)

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 release to 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 Jesus from the dead,
     vindicating his sinless life,
     breaking the power of sin and evil,
     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 makes 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 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!

With believers in every time and place,
  we rejoice that nothing in life or in death
  can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Copyright © 1991 by the Office of the General Assembly, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). This document is part of the Book of Confessions, which is in turn Part I of the Constitution of the Church. Used with permission.

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Westminster's Commitment to Peacemaking

The Session of Westminster has adopted the Presbyterian Commitment to Peacemaking.    One expression of that commitment for our congregation is the Westminster Peace Prize,
which is annually in recognition of the efforts of an organization or individual to foster peace and reconciliation locally or in the world.  

 
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The Great Ends of the Church

The great ends of the church are:

The proclamation of the gospel for the salvation of humankind;

The shelter, nurture, and spiritual fellowship of the children of God;

The maintenance of divine worship;

The preservation of the truth;

The promotion of social righteousness; and

The exhibition of the Kingdom of Heaven to the whole world.

Book of Order, G-1.0200
 

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Westminster Presbyterian Church Stained Glass Window

The window in the front of the sanctuary was designed and constructed by John Vanderburgh of Zeeland, Michigan.  It embodies the spirit and function of the church in its theme:  Christian Witness and Service.

church window

The Lamp symbolizes the foundation of Christian witness and service:  "Your word is a lamp to my feet". Psalm 119:105

The Torch symbolizes the purpose:  "Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven."  Matthew 5:16

The Praying Hands symbolize Christian service and compassion:  "Pray without ceasing" 1 Thessalonians 5:17  

as does the  Hand With Cup : "For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink...".  Matthew 25:35

The Raised Hand symbolizes Christian witness:  "You will be my witnesses ... to the ends of the earth."  Acts 1:8  

as does the Hand and Staff:  "I beseech you as pilgrims ... to have conduct yourself honorably among the gentiles, ...that they may see your honorable deed and glorify God ...."  I Peter 2:11-12

The curved lines in all directions symbolize the hope that Christian Witness and Service will be effective in all facets of life.

The letters IHC and XP are abbreviations of the Greek spelling of Jesus Christ.






To find out more what the Presbyterians believe, see the Presbyterians Today site which highlights many articles. 

The Presbyterian Creeds and Confessions also gives information on the Presbyterian view of the world.

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