We Believe

Our beliefs are expressed several times each year in the following areas:

Our Church Logo

The St. John’s logo brings together the past and the future of our church; we remember both Christ’s faithfulness over the past 192 years, and we acknowledge our desire to be faithful to him.

The image of the cross proclaims that Christ’s death and resurrection is central to our faith. This particular cross image is based on a Celtic design, thus commemorating our roots with the Selkirk Settlers of Scotland. After an unsuccessful settlement in Winnipeg, they moved to Holland Landing, Ontario. In 1819 they founded a church that eventually became known as St. John’s.

The Celtic cross has been stylized to acknowledge both our Scottish tradition and Christ’s global vision for the Church. There are four squares surrounding a central square within the cross, and this design symbolizes how God has united people from the four corners of the earth. Psalm 107:1 reminds us to “Give thanks to the Lord for He is good, his love endures forever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say this, those he has gathered from the north, south, east and west.” As people gathered by God, the congregation of St. John’s is part of this worldwide praise.

Finally, the colours of the logo also unite the old and the new. This contemporary palette of blue and purple represents the official Presbyterian blue and evokes the traditional colours associated with Christ’s majesty. Blue is associated with sky and water and is perceived as a constant in our lives; it is seen as reliable, trustworthy and dependable; it inspires confidence. God’s character is all those things and He is unchanging. Blue is a restful and calming colour and reminds us that He is our peace. We want to present St.John’s as a constant in our community — reliable and trustworthy — a place of calm and tranquility.

The second colour of the logo is purple. This is a complex colour with many meanings ranging from contemplative to regal. It is known as a spiritual colour. Purple is often viewed as a regal and majestic colour associated with royalty. Christ is our King.

The harmony of these colours is a vision of how the institutional Church works to promote the transcendental power of Christ’s kingship. As part of the Presbyterian Church in Canada, St. John’s affirms that Jesus Christ is the only King and Head of the church.

This logo holds our traditions near yet propels us onward. We remember God’s faithfulness in our current vision “to share the love of Christ, through worship, service and education.”

The Apostles’ Creed:

 

I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth:
And in Jesus Christ his only Son, our Lord;
who was conveived by the Holy Ghost,
born of the Virgin Mary,
Suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, dead, and buried;
he descended into hell;
the third day he rose again from the dead;
he ascended into heaven,
and sits on the right hand of God the Father Almighty;
from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Ghost;
The holy catholic church;
the communion of saints;
the forgiveness of sins;
the resurrection of the body;
and the life everlasting.

Amen.

We believe that Jesus Christ is the revelation of God and Son of our heavenly Father. What we need to believe and do as followers of Christ is recorded for us in the Bible. We study and proclaim the Bible’s message so that all may come to know Christ as their Lord and Saviour and follow Him in active service.

We believe God would have us serve Him through service to others. We are working together so that God’s kingdom of love, justice and peace can be known within our community and beyond.

Our beliefs are summed up best in the two great commandments:

”You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, with all your strength and with all your mind, and you shall love your neighbour as yourself.” Luke 10.27

We believe that all people are gifted by God and have something to contribute to others. In that spirit, St. John’s Presbyterian Church welcomes you to share in our beliefs.

Sacraments:

In obedience to our Lord’s command and example we observe two sacraments, Baptism and Holy Communion. These are visible expressions of the Gospel given as means of entering and sustaining the Christian Life

In both Baptism and the Lord’s Supper, there is a sacramental union between the sign and the thing signified. Water signifies forgiveness and new life in Christ;

bread and wine, the body and blood of our Lord.

The grace effective in the sacraments comes not from any power in them
but from the work of the Holy Spirit. Rightly received, in faith and repentance,
the sacraments convey that which they symbolize.

Baptism:

Baptism is a sign and seal of our union with Christ and with His church. Through it we share in the death and resurrection of Christ and are commissioned to his service.

In Baptism, water is administered n the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. The water signifies the washing away of sin, the start of new life in Christ, and the gift of the Holy Spirit.

By the power of the Holy Spirit, God acts through Baptism. It is the sacrament not of what we do but of what God has done for us in Christ. God’s grace and our response to it are not tied to the moment of Baptism, but continue and deepen throughout life. It is a sacrament meant for those who profess their faith and for their children. Together we are the family of God.

Baptism is also an act of discipleship that requires commitment and looks towards growth in Christ. Those baptized in infancy are called in later years to make personal profession of Christ. What is born may die. What is grafted may wither. Congregations and those baptized must strive to nurture life in Christ.

Baptism assures us that we belong to God. In life and in death our greatest comfort is that we belong to our faithful Saviour Jesus Christ.

St. John’s schedules classes on a regular basis to discuss such areas as:

• The meaning of baptism
• What happens during the service – what you will do at that time of the sacrament

For more information or to request a baptism date for you or your child, speak to the Minister.

Holy Communion:

Holy Communion is celebrated several times during the ecclesiastical year.

In breaking bread and drinking of wine, Jesus told us to remember Him. In this action called Holy Communion, Lord’s Supper, or Eucharist, Christ offers Himself to us and we present ourselves to him in worship and adoration.

In Holy Communion Christ places His table in this world to feed and bless His people. The Holy Spirit unites us in Christ so that in receiving the bread and wine in faith we share in his body and blood.

The Lord’s Supper is a joyful mystery whereby Jesus takes the bread and wine to represent His atoning sacrifice, deepening our union with Him and with each other, giving us of his life and strength. Here Christ is present in His world proclaiming salvation until He comes; it is a symbol of hope for a troubled age.

The Eucharist is thanksgiving to God. We pray for the world and with gratitude offer our lives to God. We celebrate His victory over death and anticipate the joyous feast we shall have in His coming kingdom. We pledge allegiance to Christ as Lord, are fed as one church, receive these signs of His love, and are marked as His.

Those who belong to Christ come gladly to His table to make a memorial of His life and death, to celebrate His presence, and together as His church offer him thanks. And we remember that this is not the minister’s table, it is not St. John’s Table — it is Christ’s Table.