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“O LORD, I love the habitation of Your house and the place where your glory dwells.� Psalm 26:8
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A Welcome from the Pastors Welcome to the Reformed Presbyterian Church of Lafayette. We are so glad you are able to join us today for the worship of our risen Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. We are looking forward to getting to know you. It is always a delight to see new faces. Whether you have worshiped with us before, or if this is the first time joining us, it is our hope that you had a good visit and that you were warmly welcomed by a number of the congregants. We trust that the information you find in this wecome packet will be of use to you. In it you will find a brief description of what it is we believe, who we are as a church, the ministries we have available, and what it is you can expect. Finally, if we can help in any way, please let us know. If you have questions about what you heard, or wish to know more than this packet shares, please feel free to ask. If you would like someone to be praying for you, we would be happy to know how we can be doing so. We are thankful that you are here, and hope that we can be used by God in your life. Many Blessings,
Dave Long Pastor
Keith Evans Associate Pastor
What is The Gospel? The “Gospel”, which means “good news”, is called that because it addresses the most serious problem we have as human beings. The problem is that God is holy and just, and we are not (Rom. 3:23). And at the end of everyone’s life, we will stand before the holy and just God and be judged (Heb. 9:27). We all will be judged either on the basis of our own righteousness, or the righteousness of another. The Good News of the Gospel is that Jesus Christ lived a life of perfect righteousness (Heb. 4:1 5), perfect obedience to God, and he has done this for all those who would believe in his name. He has done for His people, what we could not possibly do for ourselves. But not only has he lived a life of perfect obedience to account for our lack of holiness, he offered himself as a perfect sacrifice to satisfy the justice of God (Rom. 5:8). For God to forgive sinners, it is not a matter of God simply saying we are permitted to go to heaven, it was a very costly matter; it cost the sacrifice of his own Son, through death on the cross (Phil. 2:8).Yet Christ did not remain in the grave, but God pronounced his sacrificial death so valuable, that he raised Jesus from the dead; for Jesus died to pay the penalty for our sins, and was raised that we may be declared righteous (Rom. 4:25). This is what Jesus has done, but how are the benefits of Jesus’ work given to us? The Bible clearly teaches that we are not declared righteous by our own works, efforts, or deeds; but by faith, and by faith alone (Eph. 2:8-9). The only way you can receive the benefits of Christ’s perfect life, and sacrificial death is by placing your trust in him, and in him alone! (Acts 4:1 2) Whose righteousness are you trusting in this day; your own righteousness - and lack of it - or the righteousness of Jesus Christ?
Rom. 6:23 - “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
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What Do We Believe? The RP Church of Lafayette is a part of a denomination called the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America (RPCNA), which is a “confessional church”. This means we believe the Bible is the only rule of faith and obedience. We also believe that there are historical documents (The Westminster Confession of Faith, and Larger and Shorter Catechisms) which give clear statements of faith and doctrine. You can feel free to ask one of our pastors, or one of our other elders more about the contents of our beliefs, but a simple overview of our beliefs can be summarized in the following way: • The Bible is the Word of God; infallible, inerrant and authoritative for our lives. • God is One, existing in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. • Jesus Christ has saved sinners from death and hopelessness by His life, death, and resurrection. • People everywhere are called to turn from their sins, believe in Jesus Christ for salvation and submit to His Lordship. • Jesus has ascended into heaven where He now rules at the right hand of the Father. Individuals, families, churches, and nations should follow Him! • Jesus Christ will one day visibly return to earth and every person will stand before Him to account for their life. • In Christ your life has meaning, value, and purpose.
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Who We Are The Reformed Presbyterian Church is one of the oldest evangelical denominations in the country, founded in1798. We are committed to the doctrines of the historic reformed faith, which include: Sola Scriptura, the Scriptures alone give us truth; Solus Christus, Christ alone is able to save us from sin; Sola Gratia, grace alone rescues us from our bondage to sin; Sola Fide, faith alone is the vehicle for our salvation; and Soli Deo Gloria, God’s glory alone is the purpose for which we live. To that end we have purposed as a congregation to do the following:
Statement of Purpose • To faithfully proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ to the lost. • To live and teach the reformed faith and biblical worship. • To be salt and light to the earth by living out the Mediatorial Kingship of Christ. • To train and equip men and women to be effective laborers for Christ. • To joyfully serve and send those whom God brings to us into ministries around the world. (Adopted 1998; Revised 2011)
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What You Can Expect To Learn the Word of God The preaching and teaching here is straight from the Bible.You will also see how the rich and clear statements of the Westminster Confession of Faith and the Larger & Shorter Catechisms help you gain valuable insight into the historic Christian faith.
To Worship God Much of worship today is really just “Christian entertainment. ” Our goal is to lead you into God-centered, biblical worship.
To Receive Help in Raising Your Children Your children will find special friendships, solid teaching, and valuable experiences through Bible school, youth group activities, and mission opportunities that will help you see them through the maze of growing up in this day and age.
To Gain a Love & Appreciation for Ministry Around the World You’ll learn what God is doing around the world. We pray for places you’ve never been. And we send missionaries to places you may never go.
To See God Change Your Life If you are interested in overcoming sin and living to glorify God, our mid-week Bible studies and discipleship training can help you grow in godliness.
To Find Ways to Invest in the Eternal It’s so easy to spend all of our time and energy in pursuing our own goals -- career, recreational, and financial. But to become a laborer for Christ and to learn to “invest” your time & life into others is perhaps more rewarding than anything you’ll ever do.
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Ministries We Offer Jail Ministry For over 30 years, we have had an active and vibrant Jail Ministry. Every Sunday afternoon and Tuesday night we send a team of men and women from our church into the Tippecanoe County Jail and the Work Release Facility to teach the inmates about the freedom they can have in Christ. It is a thrilling thing to see God change the lives of many when they learn about the forgiveness of sins through Christ and the power of God to change them.
Purdue CORPS CORPS stands for Collegiate Organization of Reformed Presbyterian Students. It is our Purdue campus ministry. The goal of Purdue CORPS is: To evangelize, establish, equip and send students into the world who love God with all their hearts and others as themselves. During the school year there are weekly activities for college students designed to give them a Christian group of friends with whom they can study, grow in Christ, and fellowship. From Friday night meetings, to Sunday night Fireside Chats, our Purdue CORPS ministry gives college students a church home away from home where they can develop their love for God alongside their academic studies. There are always many activities.
Youth Ministries We have a youth group for junior high school and high school age teenagers. They meet every Wednesday night from 7-9 pm in one of the leaders’ homes. Our goal for youth group is, through biblical teaching, discipling relationships, peer fellowship, and fun activities, to lead our youth to a deeper walk with Christ and a greater commitment to His church. There are a number of other fun activities throughout the year.
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Bible studies We encourage people to be involved in one of our small group Bible studies, which meet during the week. These groups meet in various homes throughout the community. They are designed for fellowship, encouragement, friendship building, and Bible study. It is in our small groups that deep friendships often develop and personal sharing and caring is natural.
Missions Jesus Christ is building His church around the world. We pray weekly for different countries and different missionaries. Several from our congregation are currently serving in missions all over the world. Whenever possible, we bring missionaries to the church to learn firsthand about other cultures; and to see how the gospel is bringing light and hope to places of darkness and despair.
Fun & Fellowship The church is made up of families and together we are called the family of God. As in any good family, we simply enjoy being together. We love one another and find joy in serving Christ together. The first Sunday of every month we have a pitch-in dinner after morning worship and Bible classes. The ladies have regular craft nights. We have parties, fancy theme dinners, and ice cream socials. Twice a year we even have a workday together here at the church building. The gathering together of the church family provides a great context for developing deep friendships and for bearing one another’s burdens. When we are together we find that we can both be helped and provide help.
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Sunday School Classes Nursery Aged Children
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Meets in Nursery during worship and Sunday School
(Nursery is located on the main floor)
3-4 Year Olds
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1st through 3rd Graders
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Meets in Classroom next to Nursery Meets in basement (turn right at the bottom of the stairs, go to the room farthest in the back)
4th through 6th Graders
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Jr. High Students
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Meets in basement at the back of the Fellowship Hall Meets in basement (turn right at the bottom of the stairs, the class meets in the first room inside the apartment area)
(7th and 8th grade)
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Meets in basement in the Associate Pastor’s office
Adult Class #1
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Meet in Sancturary
Adult Class #2
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Sr. High Students (9th - 12th grade)
Meet in Library (on main floor)
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Thank you for joining us. We do hope to see you again soon!
David Long Pastor
Keith Evans
Associate Pastor
1723 S. 9th Street Lafayette, IN 47905-2128 765.474.3307 dlongrpc@reformedlafayette.com www. reformedlafayette.com Morning Worship - 9:30 am Bible School - 11:15 am Evening Worship - 6:00 pm