Welcome to Locust Presbyterian Church.
Who we are and what we believe.
We are a church of imperfect people gathering to worship God through acts of service and Sunday worship. We are part of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) “God alone is Lord of the conscience” is a hallmark for Presbyterians, meaning that faithful women and men, as they seek to follow Jesus Christ, study, and interpret Scripture together in making decisions for the church. We follow the confessions of the church and believe “Jesus Christ, as he is attested for us in Holy Scripture, is the one Word of God which we have to hear and which we have to trust and obey in life and faith” (Barman Declaration II.8.11).
We follow the PC(USA) Book Of Order and believe “At the core of Presbyterian identity is a secure hope in the grace of God in Jesus Christ, a hope that, by the power of the Holy Spirit, empowers us to live lives of gratitude: ‘In affirming with the earliest Christians that Jesus is Lord, the Church confesses that He is its hope, and that the Church, as Christ’s body, is bound to His authority and thus free to live in the lively, joyous reality of the grace of God.’ (Book of Order F-1.0204)”
We believe in two sacraments; Baptism and Communion. As they are both outward expressions of the inner workings of the Holy Spirit instituted by the Lord Jesus Christ through the witness of the Scriptures. All are welcome to the table even those who doubt so that they may be assured of God’s grace, mercy, love, and forgiveness.
We believe that “both believers and their children are included in God’s covenant love. The baptism of believers witnesses to the truth that God’s gift of grace calls for our grateful response. The baptism of our young children witnesses to the truth that God claims people in love even before they are able to respond in faith” (Book Of Order W-3.0402). In Paul’s letter to the Ephesians (1:4) the Bible declares that God claimed humanity as God’s own “before the foundation of the world.”
Prayer and Scripture are at the heart of our worship service. Our Sunday service is a combination of contemporary music and traditional hymns, both of which engage and unite the body of Christ in common worship. We believe music is an offering and response to God and not for entertainment purposes.
We believe by the power of the Holy Spirit, where the Word is read, preached, proclaimed, that Jesus, the Living Word is present.
We believe that hearing and reading is only part of the worship of our Lord. Following Jesus’ example, the church is called to actions of service. We strive to follow Jesus as outlined in Matthew 25: 34-40. Our acts of service include but not limited to; the free food and items Cross in front of the church to provide for all to anonymously take what they need, the monthly meals for the community, the card ministry that reaches over 100 people with reminders that God loves them.
We strive as imperfect people to not judge, but to love as Christ loved us, serve as Christ served and live as He set the example for us.