church planting – Exclusive Psalmody

Reformed Presbyterian Church in San Antonio (RPCNA) is now meeting for worship

A new EP congregation is now meeting in San Antonio, TX. The Reformed Presbyterian Church in San Antonio is now meeting for worship. From their website:

“Welcome to the Reformed Presbyterian Church in San Antonio (RPCSA)! We’re a new outreach of the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America, an old branch of Reformed and Presbyterian Christianity. We aspire to be a vital, growing community of Christian households who love our Lord Jesus Christ and covenant together to live in Biblical fellowship, so that in every relationship and endeavor, we honor him who loved us and gave himself for us. Risen from the dead and ascended on high, he now reigns as mediatorial king over all things. By the proclamation of the gospel he calls men and nations to repent of our lawlessness and trustingly obey him. We live in joyful anticipation of His return in glory.

“Behold, how good a thing it is, and how becoming well
When those that brethren are delight in unity to dwell.”

Psalm 133:1, The Book of Psalms for Singing

Meeting Information

We meet at the Quality Inn, NW Loop 1604 and La Cantera Parkway, San Antonio, Texas 78209.

quality-inn-768x500

Link to Google Maps

Meeting Times

We meet each Lord’s Day (“Sunday”) according to the following schedule:

Time	Description
9:30-10:30 a.m.	Christian Education
10:45am-12:00pm	Worship

Leadership

We’re under the regular pastoral care of organizing Pastor Jonathan B. Leach. Jonathan received his BA in Biblical Studies from Geneva College in 1981 and his MDiv from the Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary in 1984. He served as pastor of an RP Church in the Philadelphia area (1984-’88) before accepting a commission as chaplain in the US Army Reserve. After 27 years in uniform he retired from the Army chaplaincy as a colonel in 2015. He’s euphorically married to Mary Lou, his wife of over ten years.

As Presbyterians, our pastoral leadership isn’t singular but plural. Until the congregation formally organizes and elects its own elders, two additional members of Midwest Presbytery join Jonathan on the presbytery’s San Antonio Committee. Together the San Antonio Committee provides Presbyterian oversight to the new congregation:

Mark Koller, Pastor, Dallas RP Church
Andrew Silva, Ruling elder, Dallas RP Church
Jonathan B. Leach, Organizing pastor and chairman, San Antonio Committee

Contact us!

Email: sanantoniorpc@gmail.com

Phone: (210) 347-5116

RPCNA: A New Church Planting effort in Dallas, TX

A new church plant is forming in the Dallas, TX area. Dallas Reformed Presbyterian Fellowship is a new work of the Midwest Presbytery of the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America (RPCNA). This small group has been meeting since February and started worship services this past Lord’s Day.

Meeting Location:
The Holiday Inn Express
700 East Central Parkway
Plano, TX 75074

Schedule:
9:30 am – Bible Study (all ages)
10:45 am – Worship
12:00 pm – Lunch! (Bring your own sack lunch)
1:00 pm – Open ended fellowship, sermon reflection, and psalm singing until everyone decides to go home!

The Tucson Reformed Presbyterian Fellowship is meeting in a new location

The new location for the Tucson Reformed Presbyterian Fellowship (RPCNA) is:

The Doubletree Hotel Tucson-Reid Park
445 S. Alvernon Way,
Tucson, AZ 85711-4198

From their website:

“Our morning worship begins at 9:50 AM & Evening Worship at 4:30PM

Today, our worship seems unique, even strange to some. We sing only the 150 Psalms without the use of instruments. Strange as it may seem, for thousands of years, this was the norm in the church. (see Dr. W. Robert Godfrey, Ancient Praise for a brief history of Psalm singing)

We hold to what is called the ‘Regulative Principle of Worship’, which states that God is only to be worshiped as He has revealed in His Word (Deut. 12:32). What God commands is to be employed in worship; if God does not command something, then it is forbidden.

This means that a simplicity of worship will be obvious as Word-centered worship is offered to God. The Tucson Reformed Presbyterian Fellowship will have the following elements in her public worship:

Reading of the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament.
The Preaching of the Word of God in an expository manner.
The Prayers of the saints and on behalf of the saints.
The collecting of gifts and tithes to sustain the advancement of Christ’s Kingdom.
The singing of Psalms without instrumentation.
The New Testament Sacraments of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper.

The Tucson Reformed Presbyterian Fellowship (RPCNA) is committed to the full inspiration and authority of the Bible in all matters of faith and life. We believe that the truth of Scripture is knowable and necessary for salvation. Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the Word of Christ (Rom. 10:17). Since Christ commissioned the church to make disciples of all nations (Matt. 28:19), we believe it is part of our duty to, set forth the truth of Scripture clearly and publicly by way of preaching and teaching, and creeds and confessions, so that they may be to taught to observe all that Christ has commanded (Matt. 28:20).

In light of the above, we believe that the most comprehensive and accurate summary of what the Bible teaches is to be found in the Westminster Confession of Faith, together with the Westminster Larger and Shorter Catechisms. The Westminster Confession was completed in England in 1647 as a comprehensive statement of Christian belief and practice, with the desired intention of helping Christ’s church become unified in doctrine, government, and worship (John 17:11). In addition to the Westminster Standards, we also maintain the Testimony of the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America, which is our continuing and contemporary application of the Word of God to our current culture and context.

Each of these documents is considered to be subordinate to, and correctable by, the Word of God. We hope that you will take some time to read our Confessional Standards and contact us if you have any questions or concerns.

For a theology of New Testament worship, please see “The Worship of the Church.”

The Tucson Reformed Presbyterian Fellowship (RPCNA) is a new work planted by the First Reformed Presbyterian Church of Phoenix AZ.

The “Reformed” in our name refers to our adherence to the biblical principles reasserted in the Protestant Reformation of the 16th and 17th centuries. The Reformers reasserted that salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, for the glory of God alone. We stand with our forefathers in affirming the doctrine of “Sola Scriptura” – the conviction that the Scriptures are God-breathed and sufficient for all matters of life and godliness (2 Tim. 3:16). Our spiritual heritage particularly comes from the Reformation in Scotland and the Scottish Covenanters. “Presbyterian” refers to our form of church government. Each congregation is under the oversight of a plurality of elders, who are also part of broader courts known as Presbyteries and Synod.

Our heartfelt desire is to worship God according to His will, in spirit and in truth (John 4:24). We desire to glorify Him in our lives as individual Christians and as a body of believers united to Jesus Christ our Lord. If you live in the Tucson area, or are planning to move or visit here, we invite you to come and worship with us!”

Update on the Stornoway RPCS church plant:

Stornoway FPCS — Culregrein Mission House, Stornoway

The following is from the September 2011 Stornoway RPCS congregational newsletter:

“It has been 2 months now since services of public worship commenced in Stornoway under the auspices of the Reformed Presbyterian Church of Scotland. We have been meeting in the small Culregrein mission house on Perceval Road. To date we have enjoyed pulpit supply from able preachers including Rev David Karoon, Rev Kenneth Stewart, Rev Andrew Quigley and Mr Stephen Steele. Rev David Karoon is from Singapore and was previously a minister in Arran before recently joining the RP Church in Scotland. Rev Kenneth Stewart who is well known to us in these parts is currently the minister of the RP congregation in Glasgow. Rev. Andrew Quigley is the minister of the RP congregation in Airdrie where he has been since 1994. Finally Stephen Steele is about to commence studies as a divinity student at the Irish RP college in Belfast.

For those of you who do not belong to the congregation, we would very much appreciate your prayers as we look to establish this fellowship and along with our brethren in other denominations in Stornoway seek to be as salt and light to the surrounding community and to reach the lost with the Gospel.”

From an earlier post here

From the Reformed Presbyterian Church of Scotland newsletter found here:

“In June 2010 the Airdrie RP Congregation began afternoon services in Glasgow out of a desire to see Christ establish an RP congregation in the city once again. This step of faith, supported by the RPCS Presbytery, was realised on Lord’s Day morning 22nd May 2011 when over 100 people gathered in Thornwood Primary School for the formal constitution of the new Glasgow RP Church. Many in the congregation, drawn from Airdrie, Stranraer, and Glasgow had a real sense of just how privileged they were, conscious of the fact that it has been 140 years since the last RP Church was established in Scotland.

The Rev. Andrew Quigley preached on the theme of ‘The Christian Faith, our glorious inheritance in Christ’. He made the point that for too long the RP Church in Scotland had been known for what it did not do. That, he said, was changing. Now we are becoming known as a Church which proclaims the gospel of Christ. A Church which is prayerfully expecting and working to see men, women, young people, and children converted and then conformed to the image of Christ.

The Rev. Gerald Milligan, Moderator of Presbytery, then put the terms of membership of the Reformed Presbyterian Church of Scotland to the 20 men and women who were becoming members. The Church was then formally constituted by the Rev. Milligan as he led the congregation in prayer. After the singing of Psalm 72, Rev. Kenneth Stewart, the newly appointed organising minister, led in prayer and pronounced the benediction. The new congregation has been averaging in the 40s at both morning and evening worship which is a cause for great thanksgiving. We also know of another dozen or so people who have indicated that they will be coming to the church from the middle of June on.”

Covenant Reformed Presbyterian Church (RPCGA) moves into its new (old) building for worship this coming Lord’s Day

Covenant Reformed Presbyterian Church (RPCGA) of New Braunfels, TX is moving this week to a new location. The group is in the process of securing a one year lease on an historic church building on loop 337 in New Braunfels. St. Martin Evangelical Lutheran Church was built in 1851 and is the oldest Lutheran Church building in the great state of Texas. Amazingly, the building has not been used for worship for around 100 years. Some members of St. Paul Lutheran Church have worked diligently in recent years to restore the building.

A new website is also available here.

CRPC is under the oversight of the Session of Christ Covenant Reformed Presbyterian Church (RPCGA) of Wylie, TX. They are in the process of applying for Mission Church status with the New Geneva Presbytery of the Reformed Presbyterian Church General Assembly (RPCGA). Their goal is to meet the qualifications of Mission Church status by October of 2011.

Please pray for this group as they work to establish a Reformed Presbyterian Church in New Braunfels, TX.

Bonner, Thomas Joel (1821-1895)

Bonner, Rev. Thomas Joel—”Was born in Monroe Co., Ala., Dec. 23. 1821. His father, William Bonner, had moved from Cedar Springs, in Abbeville Co., S. C; afterward located in Wilcox Co., Ala., and later in Freestone Co., Texas. Thomas spent his early years on the farm. He attended Miami University a while, but graduated from Erskine College in 1843. The same year he married Miss Amanda Posey, of Abbeville Co., S. C. His theological studies were prosecuted under Rev. Joseph McCreary one year, and in Erskine Theological Seminary.

He was licensed by the Alabama Presbytery in 1846. For a number of years he was S. S. for a vacancy in Lowndes Co. and occasionally visited vacancies in Georgia and Mississippi. At the solicitation of friends and kindred, he moved to Freestone Co., Texas, in 1859.

Some time before this he was ordained sine titudo by the Alabama Presbytery. He preached regularly in this new field, always loyally maintaining the principles of the church of his choice. For perhaps 15 years, he never saw the face or heard the voice of an Associate Reformed minister, yet always had a lively interest in the enterprises of Synod. About the year 1865 he organized a Psalm-singing church at County Line school house, near the line between Freestone and Navarro counties. This church was temporarily placed under the care of a presbytery of the Presbyterian Church in the U. S. The congregations of Harmony, Richland and Ebenezer come out of this organization. In the organization of the Presbytery of Texas, at Harmony Church, Dec. 9, 1876, Rev. T. J. Bonner presided and preached the opening sermon. He, with Revs. J. M. Little and W. L. Patterson composed the Presbytery. Failing health compelled him to retire from the active work of the ministry about the year ’79. He died June 13, 1895, at the home of his son, W. B. Bonner in Wortham, Texas. He left a widow and six children.