The righteous… are planted in the house of the Lord; they flourish in the courts of our God.
–Psalm 92:12-13
Flourishing in God’s Grace
gather + grow + extend
Providence wants to be a church that is flourishing in God’s grace. This happens as we gather, grow, and extend God’s grace to those around us.
At Providence, we want to be like the trees described is Psalm 92 – Flourishing! They are full of life, health, joy and strength. This is the result of being continually in God’s presence. His radiant character is their sun. Their soil is His grace. We want to be just like them. We want to be constantly in His presence where our lives can be filled to overflowing with His grace. Only then are we able to flourish in all aspects of our lives.
GATHER
Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household… –Ephesians 2:19
God has uniquely gathered us together to form Providence. We are becoming a flourishing orchard planted and established in the soil of God’s grace. Through Christ Jesus we are no longer considered foreign or strange trees (foreigners and strangers), but are now citizens in God’s Kingdom, members of his family! As a family, we gather to worship, celebrate and praise the Name of the Lord.
GROW
And we, who… reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. –2 Corinthians 3:18
While we come to God as we are, he doesn’t want us to stay as we are. A young fruit tree needs to grow so that it might bear fruit. In the same way, we grow in our relationship with the Father through his Son, Jesus Christ. We submit ourselves to his transformative power. As a church we want all our members to be nourished, to grow strong and to mature. We receive this nourishing grace by being in God’s presence through worship, prayer, bible study, and community.
EXTEND
…so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God. –2 Corinthians 4:15
God’s work in us causes us to bear fruit, extending out on strong, healthy branches. These fruits of grace are an overflow of God’s flourishing grace toward us. And they are to be shared. We extend God’s grace to everyone so that more and more people may know there is a God who truly loves them. He has provided a way for them to receive His grace and salvation through Jesus Christ. By reaching out to those in our community —both local and abroad— we become Jesus’ hands and feet, extending this message of grace to everyone we meet.
Team Ministry
Because we believe the church not to be an organization but rather an organism, we have volunteer teams which help to oversee all the multifaceted areas of church ministry. Follow this link to see the Ministry Teams chart.
“Presbyterianism”
Many folks are bothered by denominations and the divisions they tend to create. At Providence we seek to foster unity among the diversity of people whom the Lord has brought to us (many are from a variety of denominational backgrounds).
Part of the problem lies in the misconception of names. Presbyterian is simply the Greek word for “elder” and means that the church is lead by a team of men called and ordained to shepherd the church (as opposed to one man or the congregation as a whole). As our book of church order states in the preface…
“Jesus, the Mediator, the sole Priest, Prophet, King, Saviour, and Head of the Church, contains in Himself, by way of eminency, all the offices
in His Church, and has many of their names attributed to Him in the Scriptures. He is Apostle, Teacher, Pastor, Minister, Bishop and the only Lawgiver in Zion.
It belongs to His Majesty from His throne of glory to rule and teach the Church through His Word and Spirit by the ministry of men; thus mediately exercising His own authority and enforcing His own laws, unto the edification and establishment of His Kingdom.”
–PCA Book of Church Order
As far as affiliations are concerned, Providence is a member of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA).