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We are a community of faith that celebrates diverse opinions, the warmth of Christian love, and the opportunity to serve others in many ways. There's room for you here. We invite you to join us in worship, fellowship, and mission. The sanctuary is accessible and children are always welcome. Crib and toddler room for young children are available during the Christian Education and worship hours, staffed by paid adults. The narthex with its windows looking into the sanctuary is designed for parents who wish to participate in worship while caring for their own infants. We take part in outreach through partnership with neighbors such as North Presbyterian Church and Willoughby Food Pantry. We also support One Great Hour of Sharing and take part in various ministries of hunger alleviation, self-development of people, and peacemaking.
Our Beliefs ...Presbyterians trace their history to the 16th century and the Protestant Reformation. Our heritage, and much of what we believe, began with the French lawyer John Calvin (1509-1564), whose writings crystallized much of the Reformed thinking that came before him.
Calvin did much of his writing from Geneva, Switzerland. From there, the Reformed movement spread to other parts of Europe and the British Isles. Many of the early Presbyterians in America came from England, Scotland and Ireland. The first American Presbytery was organized at Philadelphia in 1706. The first General Assembly was held in the same city in 1789. The first Assembly was convened by the Rev. John Witherspoon, the only minister to sign the Declaration of Independence.
Some of the principles articulated by John Calvin remain at the core of Presbyterian beliefs. Among these are the sovereignty of God, the authority of the scripture, justification by grace through faith and the priesthood of all believers. What they mean is that God is the supreme authority throughout the universe. Our knowledge of God and God's purpose for humanity comes from the Bible, particularly what is revealed in the New Testament through the life of Jesus Christ. Our salvation (justification) through Jesus is God's generous gift to us and not the result of our own accomplishments. It is everyone's job - ministers and lay people alike - to share this Good News with the whole world. That is also why the Presbyterian church is governed at all levels by a combination of clergy and laity, men and women alike.
Mission Statement ...The
mission of the First Presbyterian Church is
To provide all ages meaningful opportunities for Christian growth through
worship, prayer, education, fellowship, stewardship and service to others.
Our
Vision is of a church that is spiritually alive, engaged in outreach and
mission and constantly working to be a loving, intergenerational
community.
To Meet This Vision, First Presbyterian Church of Willoughby will: Be
a church where people of all ages feel a warm welcome; Be
a church willing to try new, creative ideas; Be
a church reaching out to all who are searching for a meaningful spiritual
life; Be
a church active in vital mission locally and globally; Be
a church which provides joyful worship and stimulating and exciting
Christian Education for all ages; Be
a church active in building and strengthening congregational ties through
supportive and intergenerational fellowship and recreation; Through
all these, continue to grow as a loving church community.
Statement of Faith ...In life and in 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, and 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 him 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 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.*
We share in the mission and ministry of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) in the Metro Cleveland region, the state of Ohio, the United States, and throughout the world.
We have been a part of the Willoughby community since 1833 and are a member church of the Presbytery of the Western Reserve, Synod of Covenant, and Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). |
