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 Passionate worship
What we believe 

“In gratitude to God, empowered by the Spirit, we strive to serve Christ in our daily tasks and to live holy and joyful lives, even as we watch for God’s new heaven and new earth praying, ‘Come, Lord Jesus.’ ” — From “A Brief Statement of Faith”

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“Christian worship joyfully ascribes all praise and honor, glory and power to the triune God. In worship, the people of God acknowledge God present in the world and in their lives. As they respond to God’s claim and redemptive action in Jesus Christ, believers are transformed and renewed. In worship, the faithful offer themselves to God and are equipped for God service in the world.”

— From Book of Order, “Directory for Worship,” Presbyterian Church (USA) W-1.1000

A Brief Statement of Faith
The Presbyterian Church

In life and in death we belong to God.
 Through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
 the love of God,
 and the communion of the Holy Spirit,
 we trust in the one triune God, the Holy One of Israel,
whom alone we worship and serve.

We trust in Jesus Christ,
 fully human, fully God.
Jesus proclaimed the reign of God:
 preaching good news to the poor
and release to the captives,
 teaching by word and deed
 and blessing the children,
 healing the sick
and binding up the brokenhearted,
eating with outcasts,
 forgiving sinners,
 and calling all to repent and believe the gospel.
Unjustly condemned for blasphemy and sedition,
 Jesus was crucified,
 suffering the depths of human pain
 and giving his life for the sins of the world.
 God raised this Jesus from the dead,
 vindicating his sinless life,
 breaking the power of sin and evil,
 delivering us from death to life eternal.

We trust in God,
whom Jesus called Abba, Father.
In sovereign love God created the world good
and makes everyone equally in God’s image,
male and female, of every race and people,
to live as one community.
But we rebel against God; we hide from our Creator.
Ignoring God’s commandments.
we violate the image of God in others and ourselves,
accept lies as truth,
exploit neighbor and nature,
and threaten death to the planet entrusted to our care.
We deserve God’s condemnation.
Yet God acts with justice and mercy to redeem creation.

In everlasting love,
the God of Abraham and Sarah chose a covenant people
to bless all families of the earth.
Hearing their cry,
God delivered the children of Israel
from the house of bondage.
Loving us still,
God makes us heirs with Christ of the covenant.
Like a mother who will not forsake her nursing child,
like a father who runs to welcome the prodigal home,
God is faithful still.

We trust in God the Holy Spirit
everywhere the giver and renewer of life.
The Spirit justifies us by grace through faith,
sets us free to accept ourselves and to love God and neighbor,
and binds us together with all believers
in the one body of Christ, the Church.
The same Spirit
who inspired the prophets and apostles
rules our faith and life in Christ through Scripture,
engages us through the Word proclaimed,
claims us in the waters of baptism,
feeds us with the bread of life and the cup of salvation,
and calls women and men to all ministries of the Church.
In a broken and fearful world
the Spirit gives us courage
to pray without ceasing,
to witness among all peoples to Christ as Lord and Savior,
to unmask idolatries in Church and culture,
to hear the voices of peoples long silenced,
and to work with others for justice, freedom, and peace.
In gratitude to God, empowered by the Spirit,
we strive to serve Christ in our daily tasks
and to live holy and joyful lives,
even as we watch for God’s new heaven and new earth,
praying, “Come, Lord Jesus!”

With believers in every time and place,
we rejoice that nothing in life or in death
can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. Amen.

— Book of Confessions

      Theology
Some of the principles articulated by John Calvin remain at the core of Presbyterian beliefs. Among these are the sovereignty of God, the authority of the scripture, justification by grace through faith and the priesthood of all believers.

What they mean is that God is the supreme authority throughout the universe. Our knowledge of God and God’s purpose for humanity comes from the Bible, particularly what is revealed in the New Testament through the life of Jesus Christ.

Our salvation (justification) through Jesus is God’s generous gift to us and not the result of our own accomplishments. It is everyone’s job — ministers and lay people alike — to share this Good News with the whole world.

That is also why the Presbyterian church is governed at all levels by a combination of clergy and laity, men and women alike.

      Points of interest
Presbyterians confess their beliefs through statements that have been adopted over the years and are contained in The Book of Confessions.

These statements reflect our understanding of God and what God expects of us at different times in history, but all are faithful to the fundamental beliefs described above.

Even though we share these common beliefs, Presbyterians understand that God alone is lord of the conscience, and it is up to each individual to understand what these principles mean in his or her life.

 
PRESBYTERIAN 101

general guide to facts about the Presbyterian Church (USA)


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• Presbytery of S. Alabama
• Synod of Living Waters



Striving

to bring

God joy



Swift  
Presbyterian  
Church
 

             —————
23208 Swift Church Road
Foley, AL 36535
Phone: (251) 943-8367
email: office@swiftchurch.org


 

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