QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Odessa, Ukraine
- How do I become a Christian?
- When do you meet?
- Why don't all churches just unite and get along with each other?
- Who are you?
- What does "Presbyterian" mean?
- What is the origin of the Presbyterian Church?
- What does it mean to be a Church member?
- When are your services?
- How do I become a Christian?
- Repent & Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior and the Lord of your life. A simple prayer directed to Jesus Christ Himself can be the beginning of a new life for you.
- When do you meet?
- Worship services are on Sundays at 11:00 a.m. at Pastera Street, #62, on the corner of Preobrazhenskaya (Soviet Army Street).
- Why don't all churches just unite and get along with each other?
- Sadly, not all churches believe or preach the Gospel. We live in a fallen sinful world, and
not all men are honest or sincere. We not only find conflicts in the Bible, but Scripture itself
tells us to beware of such men, to mark them, and even to avoid them. Many men speak naively of
unity. But True Christian Unity is based on our own unity with God Himself:
The Apostle John wrote: "That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ... If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth." (I John 1:3-6)
"In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother." (I John 3:10)
"If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness; ...: from such withdraw thyself." (I Timothy 6:3-5)
Nonetheless, we make every attempt to think the best of our brethren, and to seek cooperation as far as possible, for our unity does truly glorify God in a broken world.
- Who are you?
- We are a group of Christians who have come to Christ since 1993, but we consider
ourselves as the reorganization of the Reformed church which existed in Odessa since 1840.
In fact, we have been officially named in the courts of Ukraine as "the legal and moral
heirs" of that congregation. We are a part of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church of
Ukraine, which has 7 local churches throughout Ukraine. We have very close ties with the
Ukrainian Evangelical Reformed Church, and we have close ties with the Presbyterian Church
in America.
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- What does "Presbyterian" mean?
- This means the church is ruled by elders. The Greek word "presbuteros" means presbyters, or elders. These are the spiritual men (usually older and wiser, and therefore called elders) who are appointed by God and elected by the people. In the Presbyterian system of government, there is neither pope nor anarchy, but spiritual leaders who are ordained by spiritual authorities, yet who are answerable to their flock and to the church at large.
- What is the origin of the Presbyterian Church?
- In the 16th Century, all of Europe was in political disarray as the Reformation period
called into question the established feudalistic powers. Scotland was caught in an age-long
struggle for independence from England, where "Bloody" Mary Tudor sat on the
throne. The Scottish barons sought some forms of self-rule. The leader who came to the fore
was John Knox, who prayed, "Give me Scotland, or I die." His faith was rewarded.
Queen Mary said of him, "I fear John Knox more than all the armies of Scotland."
His vision was to reform the church and the country according to the teachings of the Bible
alone.
In 1560, the Scottish barons, convinced by the Biblical teaching of Knox and other reformers, voted to form a church ruled in the Biblical way — rule by elders. Thus began the Presbyterian Church. The same types of churches were formed in Continental Europe and took the name "Reformed."
- What does it mean to be a "Church member"?
- Church membership does not signify salvation. It is a means of recognizing publicly those
who have made a public profession of faith in Jesus Christ. This is called the Covenant Body,
not because of our promise to God, but because of His promises to us. By using the external
sign of Baptism which is given by God, the World can tell who has and who has not been
baptized and joined the church, and who can vote and hold office in the church. In our church,
the following vows are taken by all members and all seeking adult baptism, so that our
profession is unified:
- Do you acknowledge yourselves to be sinners in the sight of God, justly deserving His displeasure, and without hope save in His sovereign mercy?
- Do you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as the Son of God, and Savior of sinners, and do you receive and rest upon Him alone for salvation as He is offered in the Gospel?
- Do you now resolve and promise, in humble reliance upon the grace of the Holy Spirit, that you will endeavor to live as becomes the followers of Christ?
- Do you promise to support the church in its worship and work to the best of your ability?
- Do you submit yourselves to the government and discipline of the church, and promise to study its purity and peace?
What about children?
After adults have made such vows publicly, they are received as members, and their children are also considered "holy" (I Corinthians 7:14), meaning that they are set apart and included in the Covenant of God. These "covenant children" are thus eligible for inclusion in the covenant by baptism, a sign and seal of God's Covenant with them through their parent's faith. We then call them "non-communing members." God's covenant family has vowed to raise them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, so it is usual that they should grow to faith over time. It is NOT assumed that the children are saved BY baptism, nor do we ASSUME faith in them — they must REPENT and BELIEVE to be saved, just as everyone else. But baptism is a sign to them that God has cut them out of the herd for special attention (teaching, correction, etc.) and that if they will only continue in the way and add faith and obedience to their knowledge, their faith will truly save them. When they come of age and come to this personal knowledge and commitment, they are included into Adult Membership through a ceremony of "Profession of Faith", whereby they, too, swear to the 5 questions listed above and are then admitted to Communion.But membership also means service. All members of the Body of Christ are given "gifts" by the Holy Spirit which are to be used for the good of all: gifts to teach, help, serve, instruct, heal, do good, give, etc. Everyone has something, and we seek to train each person to find that gift and use it in Christ's church. We belong to each other, and we need each other.
- When are your services?
- Sunday School & Worship is at 11 a.m. on Sundays. Pastera Street #62.