Attica-Williamsport
Evangelical Presbyterian Church
Statement of Faith

We believe that in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth: all things seen and unseen, and by His sovereign power, all of creation is sustained. 

We believe that Jesus Christ is the only begotten eternal Son of God the Father Almighty.  In fulfillment of prophecy, He was born of the Virgin Mary, lived a sinless life, yielded that life as a blood sacrifice for our sins, and was raised bodily from the dead, ascended to the right hand of God the Father, and He shall return at the appointed time to claim His own.  He is the way, the truth, and the life, and by God’s grace, our only way to salvation.  Apart from Him, we have no other way to the Father and eternal life with Him in earth and in heaven. 

We believe that the Holy Spirit is our comforter, counselor, advocate, and helper, awakening the spirits of those God has called, and guiding God’s people as they call upon His Name. 

We believe that the Bible is the recorded Holy Word of God, true, accurate, and infallible.  It is the authoritative witness to the Lord Jesus Christ, and Jesus is the ultimate fulfillment of that witness and prophecy.  Jesus, teaching by reference and by example, confirmed the Holy Scriptures as our guide to the Will of the Father, and the only reliable guide for the life to which we are called. 

We believe that the Church, the Body of Christ made up of His children, is called to obedience and righteousness in all aspects of life.  What God’s Word calls sin is still sin, and it separates us from fellowship with the Father, except that the Grace of God and the blood of Jesus promise forgiveness and redemption as we confess our sins and repent. 

As witness to our beliefs, we commit ourselves to lives of obedience, relying on the Word of God and the ministry of the Holy Spirit: 

• We seek purity of doctrine based on the authority of Holy Scripture.
• We will permit into positions of leadership only those who accept the authority of God’s Word and seek to obey it in the witness of their daily lives.
• We will support, and permit under our control, only those causes, entities, and events where Jesus is acknowledged as the only Savior and Lord, where the Word is taught as authoritative by faith, and where the Body of Christ is called to purity in body, mind, and spirit. 
• We acknowledge that God has ordained the family as one man and one woman, faithfully united in covenant bond for life, together with their sons and daughters.  This is a living example of Christ’s relationship to His Church, and is the best and most secure environment for raising and nurturing children. 
• God has ordained and blessed sexual expression between husband and wife within the bond of covenant marriage, and this is the only context where it is acceptable in His sight. 

This statement of faith does not encompass the entirety of our beliefs.  The church recognizes only the Holy Bible, the written Word of God, as the final authority for truth, morality, and the conduct of mankind.  For matters of our faith, doctrine, practice, policy, and discipline, Session (our Board of Elders) provides interpretive authority on the Bible’s meaning and application. 

After prayerful examination and consideration, Session unanimously adopted this statement of faith on the 21^st day of May 2015. 

Mark Mason                                  Rob Eyman
Clerk of Session                           Moderator