Nurture 2022: Christian parenting conference
Friday, August 12, 2022 6-8pm at 3620 Epley Lane, Cincinnati The Lord has given Christian parents an awesome opportunity and responsibility to raise their children in the fear and admonition of the Lord. This means holistic discipleship of their head, heart, and hands. How can we undertake this intimidating – yet exciting – task with […]
John Calvin and the Sacramental Word
This is a guest post by Drew Admiraal, a member of our church, a licensed exhorter in the URCNA, and an M.Div. student at Westminster Seminary California. One of the great and somewhat forgotten confessions of the Reformation is the Second Helvetic Confession, written by Heinrich Bullinger in 1562. Bullinger begins it with a chapter […]
Five Reasons for Catechetical Preaching
This is a guest post by Drew Admiraal, a member of our church, a licensed exhorter in the URCNA, and an M.Div. student at Westminster Seminary California. Most people outside of a Reformed church probably have never heard of catechetical preaching. Probably most even within Presbyterian and Reformed circles are not familiar with catechetical preaching. […]
Nurture: conference on Christian Parenting
If you missed the conference, click on the talk titles below to listen to the audio recordings. Where? 3620 Epley Lane, Cincinnati When? Friday, August 27, 6:00-8:00pm The Lord has given Christian parents an awesome opportunity and responsibility to raise their children in the fear and admonition of the Lord. This means holistic discipleship of […]
On Christian Fasting
Note: The Consistory of Westside Reformed Church encouraged the congregation to fast on May 6, 2021, the National Day of Prayer. This document was circulated beforehand and is presented below in a slightly-modified form. Introduction We have spoken in recent weeks about the significance of feasting and how it is a key metaphor for helping […]
Is your church preparing you for trials?
There was once a time that we lived “normal” lives. We Americans could have been excused for thinking that life was all about creature comforts. Many of our churches even reflected and encouraged this in their teaching and worship. Living your “best life now” was more than a book; it was the aim of this […]
Our Use of Liturgical Forms
If you have been in our church for any length of time, you should have received a copy of Forms & Prayers. Not only does it contain our denomination’s Liturgical Forms and Liturgical Prayers, which we make use of on Sundays, on Wednesdays, and at special services, but it also contains prayers for home use, […]
On Worship and Embodiment
It is common for sincere Christians to read Paul’s contrast of “flesh and Spirit” incorrectly, as if Paul were contrasting what is physical versus what is immaterial. Such a reading can easily lead to a sort of heresy that has plagued the church, where what is physical/material is deemed unimportant, even evil, while an immaterial […]
Our Goal in Ministry: that “Christ is Formed in You”
Why does the local church exist? Why do we gather together each Lord’s Day for Scripture, Sacrament, Prayer, Song, and Fellowship? What are your Minister, Elders, and Deacons trying to accomplish in their labors? And what should we all seek as we “speak the truth in love”? Many churches speak of their goal in ministry […]
Why Should You Sing in Church?
With the dawn of the Reformation came the recovery of congregational singing. If you had entered a local church prior to the Reformation, during the Medieval period (approx. 500-1500 AD), you would not have heard much singing from the congregation. In fact, there were many places where the congregation was actively discouraged from singing […]
