Mission and Vision of Newtown Presbyterian Church

Newtown Presbyterian Church is a community of disciples (students) of the way of Jesus Christ.   We profess faith in Jesus Christ as Lord of all and we seek to follow in his footsteps.  As such, we seek to witness to the love, grace, and peace of God revealed in Jesus Christ through word and deed.   

We worship, study, pray, and serve alongside one another.

This witness isn't perfect because we're human and therefore flawed.  All people--even the best of Christians--have fallen short of the glory and perfection of God.  As such, we confess the multitude of ways that our words and deeds fail to meet God's expectations.  But then we go further:  We confess our faith in (reliance upon) the compassionate mercy of God as revealed in Jesus Christ.  

Which is to say: we trust that we have been forgiven.   

In a spirit of gratitude for all God has done for us through Christ, we reach out to one another, the members of this community, and the world.  Which is another way of saying this: We seek to be faithful to God’s will for the world.  

We seek to grow spiritually--both inwardly and outwardly.  Inwardly, we hope to develop faith and understanding so that the spiritual gifts of each member will contribute to the growth of the Body of Christ.  Outwardly, we seek to be faithful to the great commission of Jesus to “go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” (The Gospel according to Matthew, chapter 28). 

We seek to support one another as we grow in our faith, and we'll do our best (with God's help) to minister to a world that's changing and developing with every passing day.  

As Presbyterians, we affirm our connectional system.  We seek to be faithful to the great ends of the church, to our brothers and sisters in Christ who represent other traditions, to the mission of the Church universal, and to God's will for the world.  We remember that all of humanity comprises the household of God.

We seek to communicate this mission and purpose to all people-- to build a community of worship, study, and service that witnesses to the good news (Gospel) of Jesus Christ in this community, our  nation, and the world.  

As a community of disciples (students) we seek to follow in the footsteps of Christ our Lord--to look to him for guidance and strength.  We remember that Christ healed wounds, proclaimed justice for all (including the poor and the outcasts), and offered the sort of holy, eternal peace that surpasses all human understanding.

We look ahead in faith--to that day when everything and everyone will be fully reconciled in Jesus Christ our Lord.  Thanks be to God.

A Statement on Matthew 25 

We, the leaders and members of Newtown Presbyterian Church, affirm our commitment to the Gospel of Jesus Christ our Lord--the Good News about God's boundless, eternal love for the world.  Since Christ is the Lord of all creation and we have dedicated ourselves to discipleship in his name, we welcome any and all opportunities to seek, strive, and work for justice and equality-- especially on behalf of the disenfranchised and oppressed. Heeding the teachings of Jesus as found in the Gospels (including but not limited to the 25th chapter of Matthew's Gospel), we invite God's call upon our lives: to empower and lift up people who feel left out and left behind- - the vulnerable and marginalized. This commitment correlates with the polity and theology of our denomination, the Presbyterian Church (USA), as well the Philadelphia Presbytery.We confess that we have been called to follow in the footsteps of Christ our Lord.  As such, we stand firmly against any-and-all forms of prejudice and oppression, always eager to remind the world that every person bears the image of God our Creator -- and is therefore deserving of dignity and respect.  Furthermore, we commit ourselves to the holy, sacred task of transforming all institutions and systems -- so they reflect and bear witness to the justice of God as revealed in Jesus Christ our Lord.  Jesus taught us that whenever we practice compassion toward "the least of these," we minister to him-- offering not only food, water, shelter, and clothing, but making every effort to renew-and-reform the world according to his teachings.  We, the leaders and members of Newtown Presbyterian Church, will fulfill this ministry by the grace of God--through worship, Christian education, mission, outreach, and acts of mercy and compassion.  We pray the prayer that Jesus taught, "Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven," looking hopefully and faithfully to God for all the strength, wisdom, courage, faith, hope, and love we need to bear witness to the Gospel in every arena of our lives.  Thanks be to the triune God -- who creates, redeems, inspires, and empowers us to serve.