Vision Statement
Our vision for Covenant United Reformed Church:
"The faith once and for all delivered unto the saints" (Jude 3)
To understand this faith, to internalize it, and to work it out into our daily activity, so that we can pass it down to our children, outweighs every other interest - including the numerical success of the church.
Word and Sacrament
The primary focus of our worship is the public reading and exposition of God's Word, and the administration of his sacraments.
Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth
Following the pattern of the Heidelberg Catechism, our service has three elements: Guilt, Grace, and Gratitude. Our sermons are Christ centered, with special care given to correctly distinguish between Law and Gospel.
Form, Order and Reverence in Worship
The Scriptures teach us that God seeks those who worship him in Spirit and in truth. Accordingly, we are called to worship God in an orderly manner, "with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire." Thus we utilize the historic Reformed liturgy.
Accountability
We belong to the United Reformed Churches because we believe that the biblical pattern for ministry demands "checks and balances" and a structure of accountability higher than ourselves. Creeds, confessions, a catechism and a historic liturgy link us to other believers not only in this time and place, but across time, geographical boundaries, and cultures. Many of us have seen "lone ranger" Christianity too many times.
Children and Family
The Biblical notion of covenant theology, as interpreted by the historic Reformed tradition, provides us with a solid theological basis from which to discuss marriage, family, children, and other personal relationships within the church.
Sharing our Faith
In addition to growing in our own understanding of the faith, the Scriptures exhort us to share it with those outside the church. We must not only be prepared to give to everyone an answer for the hope that we have (1 Peter 3:15), but we must be zealous to see that our non-Christian friends, families and neighbors hear the message of Christ crucified (Romans 10:14-15) with the prayerful and confident expectation that God will be pleased to call many to faith in His Dear Son through the ministry of Covenant United Reformed Church.
The Lord's Day
While we do not view it in a legalistic manner, we do believe that God has called us to be set apart from the world. The Lord's Day is set apart for sacred purposes and is therefore God's gift to us for the building of our families in the faith.
Friendship and Comradery
Encouraged by a youthful demographic, we also enjoy fellowship in unstructured opportunities of light-hearted conversation. There is a love for the free exchange of ideas in a spirit of inquiry and exploration, without fear of judgement or acrimony.
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