Join us for worship this Sunday!

O Come let us adore Him, Christ the Lord!

Events this Sunday

10:45 AM: Elder Terry Carnes will be leading us in worship and Pastor Mark Herzer will be preaching.
Series: “The Offices and Titles of our Lord”
Sermon: ”Mediator”
Scripture: 1 Timothy 2:1-7

12:30 PM Adult Sunday School: Pastor Mark Herzer will be continuing our study of the Westminster Larger Catechism, as we look together at Q & A #28.

Catechism Review: Don’t forget to keep up with your Westminster Shorter Catechism (WSC)! We will be learning Q&A #49 & #50 this month:

Q. 49. Which is the second commandment?

A. The second commandment is, Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them; for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me: and showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.

Q. 50.  What is required in the second commandment?

A. The second commandment requireth the receiving, observing, and keeping pure and entire, all such religious worship and ordinances as God hath appointed in his word.

And don’t forget to keep reviewing the earlier questions!

Children Sunday School: Deb Bowen will be teaching children from 3 years on up, in the front Sunday School room.

Church Luncheon: Immediately following our Sunday School. All are invited. Plan to stay for food and fellowship.
Reminder: This Sunday the church will be providing hot dogs, rolls and condiments. Feel free to bring chips, or something similar, if you like.
Snacks: All are welcome to bring snacks as they desire.

Upcoming Events

December 31 - We will not be having our Wednesday Night Bible Study.

News and Announcements

Changes to Sunday Lunch - Now in effect.

• 1st Sunday of the Month - Regular Lunch - A-G
• 2nd Sunday - Church provides hotdogs, rolls, and condiments. Feel free to bring your favorite chips, etc.
• 3rd Sunday - Regular Lunch - H-Z families bring food
• 4th Sunday - Church provides hotdogs again
• 5th Sunday - No lunch. A good chance to get together with others.

Many thanks to the men (and their wives) who were prepared to serve hotdogs for lunch during the week of “the big snow.” Although the weather put plans on hold and it ended up being more of a dry run, we are grateful for their readiness and willingness to serve. Thank you for blessing the body of Christ in such a tangible way!

The BCO Corner

A much maligned part of our policy in certain segments of the Presbyterian Church in America, is our Book of Church Order, commonly referred to as the BCO. Those who advocate for a more “generous” interpretation, sometimes accuse us (more conservative types) of “treat[ing] the BCO as though it were inspired and inerrant, word for word.” What does the BCO itself say? We read in the Preface,

“Christ, as King, has given to His Church officers, oracles and ordinances; and especially has He ordained therein His system of doctrine, government, discipline and worship, all of which are either expressly set down in Scripture, or by good and necessary inference may be deduced therefrom; and to which things He commands that nothing be added, and that from them naught be taken away.”

I'd like us to notice those four things we say that Christ, as our King, has given us through His Word (oracles):

• His System of Doctrine (which we have summarized in the Westminster Confession of Faith with the Larger and Shorter Catechisms)
• His System of Government (which is the first chapter of the BCO - Form of Government)
• His System of Discipline (2nd chapter of the BCO - Rule of Discipline)
• His System of Worship (3rd chapter of the BCO - Directory for Worship).

As a denomination, we have agreed that our confessional statements accurately summarize what the Bible has to say about what we are to believe concerning God and what duty God requires of man. Our confession depends on Scripture and is therefore subordinate to it.

In a similar manner, we have agreed, as a denomination, that our understanding of what the Bible teaches about the government, discipline, and worship in Christ's Church has been summarized in the BCO. Our BCO depends on Scripture and is therefore subordinate to it.

In other words, we no more consider our BCO to be equivalent to Scripture than we consider our doctrinal statements to be equal with scripture. What we are merely saying is that we believe that what we have stated in our BCO is what Christ, as our King, has set forth in Scripture either expressly, or which may be deduced by good and necessary inference, concerning government, discipline, and worship.

In the future, I hope to share some of the wonderful things we find there.

Special Prayer Requests

• Kermahs’ - Jeff, Elena, and the kids have safely arrived in New York City where they are spending some time with Elena's family. We look forward to having them with us again beginning in January 2026.
  Special Need: Please pray as they are finalizing negotiations for purchasing property in Ghana which could serve as a base for their future ministry.
• Presbytery Committee - Please pray for this committee as they consider whether a member church is violating Biblical principles in their policies regarding Deacons and Deaconesses. Elder Terry Carnes is serving on this committee.

Home Visitation: If you would like a home visit with Pastor Mark or one of the elders, email Pastor Mark to schedule.

Special Attention: Live Streaming will be available during each Sunday morning worship service beginning at 10:45 a.m. This is currently being hosted on the church’s Facebook page.

We also have a collection of sermons on Sermon Audio.

Peace and Grace to you,
Elder Terry Carnes