About UsOur Name
Our Beliefs
Our Denomination
What's
in
our name?
Why Memorial?
A "MEMORIAL" stone is erected to remind us of something significant
that has happened in the past. Thus to be called Memorial Church, is to
be described as a remembering
Church. Every time we look at one another, we are to remember what is
most important: Why we
exist... to Whom we belong... and to What we are called in Christ's
Church.
Why Orthodox?ORTHO means "straight" or "correct,"
and DOX means "honor" or "praise." Hence, ORTHODOX means, "the correct
praise of the one true and living God -Father, Son, and Holy Spirit."
So when we say that Memorial is an ORTHODOX Church, it means we are
committed to rightly serving God according to His Word, the Bible.
Why Presbyterian?
As PRESBYTERIANS, we
heartily embrace our historical ties to the great Protestant
Reformation in the 16th century. This means we
hold dear the great truths recovered at that time in Christ's church,
such as: Our salvation is dependant on God's Grace Alone,
and not on our works or merits in any way. Our justification (right
standing) before God is received through Faith Alone
on account of Christ's Work Alone.
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What We Believe We
believe that the central and most important teachings of the Bible are
accurately summarized in the Westminster Confession of
Faith and Catechisms (Larger and Shorter) written in
the 1640's. We therefore heartily and enthusiastically subscribe to
these documents as our official belief concerning our awesome God and
His glorious work of salvation in Jesus Christ.
"Thus it was
necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third
day, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should he preached in
His name to all nations." (Luke 24:46-47)
At Memorial Church, we
are dedicated to...- The primacy
of God's
inerrant Word
- The preaching
of God's sovereign grace in Christ
- Growth in the knowledge
of God's Truth
- Growth in the practice
of God's Truth
...so that we might glorify God and
enjoy Him forever. We
strive to live this out in the context of:- Reverent
God-centered worship
- Faithful
gospel witness
- Regular believing prayer
- Earnest
pursuit of holiness
- Christ's
lordship over all of life
- Promotion of peace and
unity
- Committed acts of service
- Loving
accountability
...all in absolute dependence upon
the triune God and his grace in Jesus Christ.
(see also 11 Key Beliefs as an Orthodox Presbyteriean Church)
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Denominational
Affiliation
Memorial
Orthodox Presbyterian Church is affiliated with the Orthodox Presbyterian Church (OPC).
We are committed to the historic Christian faith as revealed in the
Bible. It is therefore, God's Word, the Holy Bible, that is our final
authority as we seek to serve our Triune God - Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit. The OPC is a member of
the North American Presbyterian and Reformed Council (NAPARC).
NAPARC is "a fellowship that enables the constituent churches to
advise, council,
and cooperate in various matters with one another and hold out before
each other the desirability and need for organic union of churches that
are of like faith and practice." (more...)
11 KEY BELIEFS as an ORTHODOX PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH:
- The Bible alone and in its
entirety is the inspired, infallible, inerrant Word of God. This means:
- The Bible alone defines what man must believe
concerning God.
- The Bible alone defines what duty
God requires of man.
- The Bible alone is our
absolute and final authority at Memorial Church.
- There is but one true and living God who is
eternal and infinite. He is one is essence and three in persons - God
the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. These three persons
are one God, the same in essence, and equal in power and glory.
- God rules over all according to His eternal purpose and for
His own glory: He is absolutely sovereign.
- God
created this world in the beginning out of nothing, by the word of His
power, and all very good. God created mankind, Adam and Eve, upright
and without sin to love Him and live for Him.
- Our
first parents defied God and disobeyed Him. The sin of Adam, as the
head of mankind, plunged this world into a state of sin and misery. The
horrific consequences of this dreadful sin are…
- All
mankind fell into sin through Adam's first transgression.
- All
mankind are born corrupt in their entire nature, and spiritually dead
to the things of God.
- All mankind lack the
required righteousness to be able to be in a right relationship with
God.
- All mankind are under God's wrath and curse
for their sin and subject to all the miseries of this life, to death
itself, and to the pains of hell forever.
- God out of His infinite love and good pleasure has not left
all mankind to perish in their sin and misery. God has purposed to
rescue a people out of their sin and misery by sending forth a Savior.
- The only Savior is the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the eternal
Son of God. He, in time, took on a true human nature and became man so
that…
- He could suffer the punishment
due to us for our sin by dying in our place on Calvary's cross.
- He could fulfill all righteousness for us by living a
perfectly obedient life in our place.
- He could
secure forgiveness and eternal life for us.
- The Lord Jesus Christ, being true God and true man,
accomplished this great work for His people and rose again bodily from
the dead on the third day. He ascended into heaven and now applies the
benefits of His perfect work to us by the almighty power of God the
Holy Spirit.
- God is now pleased to proclaim to us
what Christ has done through the preaching of the "good news" or
gospel. Through the preaching of the gospel the Holy Spirit grants us
new life as He…
- convinces us of our
sin and misery.
- enlightens our minds to
understand the truth of Jesus Christ and our need for Him.
- renews
our crooked will.
- enables us to turn from sin and
embrace Jesus Christ alone for our salvation.
- As we are enabled to receive and rest in Jesus Christ alone
for our salvation, we enjoy by God's amazing grace…
- Justification - wherein God pardons all our sin and accepts
us as righteous in His sight only because of Christ's righteousness
imputed to us, and received by faith alone.
- Adoption
- whereby we are received into the family of God with all the
privileges of first born sons.
- Membership in
Christ's Church - wherein we join in the public worship of God; have
access to His ordinances; are fed, nourished, shepherded, cared for,
and equipped to be a blessing to others.
- Sanctification
- whereby we are now being renewed by God's grace and more and more
enabled to die unto sin and live in a manner pleasing to God.
- Perseverance - whereby God promises to persevere us in the
faith by His grace unto the end.
- The Promise of
Glorification - wherein we are guaranteed victory over death and the
certainty of our bodies being raised on the last day to fully enjoy God
to all eternity.
- The Lord
Jesus Christ will visibly return on the Last Day to raise the dead and
judge everyone who has ever lived on this earth. Those who trust in Him
alone for their salvation will be ushered into eternity to enjoy God
forever. Those who do not trust in Jesus Christ as their Lord and
Savior will be judged for their sin and condemned to hell to suffer in
body and soul under God's wrath forever.
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