xile Presbyterian
Church is a congregation of the Presbyterian
Church in America. Our beliefs are summarized in the Westminster
Confession of Faith, the Westminster
Larger Catechism, and the Westminster
Shorter Catechism. Some of the particular things we emphasize include:
n a culture obsessed
with quick-fixes and instant gratification, it is difficult to believe that growth
in the Christian life can come through such simple means as the faithful preaching
of the Word of God and the administration of the Sacraments of Baptism and the Lord's
Supper. But these are exactly what God has given as the two "keys" for Christian living.
As we hear the Bible preached week after week, and as we receive by faith the body
and blood of Christ in Communion, we are built up and strengthened for our pilgrimage
to glory (Acts 2:42; Rom. 10:17; 6:3-4; I Cor. 11:23-26)
esus told his disciples,
"Everything written in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms was written
about me" (Luke 24:44), and for this reason Paul the Apostle summarized his message
simply by saying, "We preach Christ crucified" (I Cor. 1:23). At Exile Presbyterian
Church Jesus Christ is preached from every portion of Scripture, for the purpose of
preaching is not simply to provide handy tips for successful living, but to feed God's
people the Bread of life - the crucified and risen Lord Jesus (John 6:35).
ot only will the
worship of our triune God occupy the saints for all eternity, it is also the central
activity of the Church in this present age (Rev. 5:8-10; Heb. 12:18-29). Our desire
at Exile Presbyterian Church is to renew our covenant with our Savior and God each
week in a manner that is joyful, reverent, and most of all, biblical (Heb. 10:19-25).
he Christian Church
has been described as a colony of resident aliens in a hostile, wilderness world,
and as such, we really need each other! For this reason we make it one of our main
priorities to foster a spirit of community, without which we could never fulfill Pauls
instruction to bear one anothers burdens, and so fulfill the Law of Christ (Gal. 6:2).
As saints who have been empowered by the Spirit of our risen Lord, we seek to encourage,
pray with, weep with, and care for one another, knowing that the Christian life is
not meant to be lived in isolation, but in fellowship with our brothers and sisters
in the faith (John 13:34-35).
owerful community
and fervent evangelism go hand in hand, for God's people are not called to focus solely
on ourselves, but to reach out to the lost and dying in this world. It is our prayer
that the awful realities of sin, judgment, and eternity, coupled with the blessedness
of belonging to a community as powerful the one described above, will inevitably result
in fervent evangelism and outreach to our unbelieving friends, family members, and
co-workers. In addition to the obvious need to be salt and light in this world, bringing
an unbelieving friend to one of our worship services is a wonderful evangelistic
opportunity, for the Gospel is presented clearly and powerfully each week.