What we believe
First Presbyterian Church is a congregation of the Presbyterian Church in Canada thereby making us a part of the worldwide family of reformed Churches. We are one of the 800 churches of the PCC ( https://presbyterian.ca/) and we subscribe to creeds and the confessions of faith which govern our church as it pertains to ecclesiastical authority.
Our congregation is very unique in its makeup as it is comprised of individuals from different cultural background and denominational persuasions. Most of our church family are from a Presbyterian background, but there are some who hail from other backgrounds such as: Anishinaabe, Anglican, Lutheran, Roman Catholic, Baptist, Dutch Reformed and non-denominational. There are also others who prior to becoming members of our church family had no faith affiliation. Even though we are from different backgrounds we now celebrate our unity as members of one family and a common bond under the banner of Jesus Christ.
As Presbyterians, we believe in the triune God. In other words, God is one God, yet revealed in three persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We believe that the Bible is the written revelation of who God is. It is important to gather weekly for worship and to also regularly experience the sacraments of communion. Baptism is seen as a visible sign of God’s promise to God’s people.
Our church’s theology is well documented in a statement called Living Faith which outlines our main theological beliefs through inspiration from the Holy Scriptures. Living Faith is a very good tool for preparing new members and also for deepening members understanding of what we believe as a church nationwide.
The Session at First Kenora
Synonymous with Presbyterian Churches is the session, which is a group selected Elders including the Minister. Our congregation’s Session is made up of three Elders and our Interim Minister who sees to the spiritual guidance of our congregation as well as provides good governance and wisdom.
Members of Session are elected by the congregation from the members of the congregation and given a mandate to provide prayerful support, membership care, guidance and spiritual leadership to the church and community. Our Session meets once each month and also have a joint meeting with the Board of Managers a few times per year.
The Board of Managers at First Kenora
The Board of Managers (Deacons) is a group of volunteers within the Church that oversee all financial and building management issues and concerns. They do this through careful thought and prayer as follows of Christ. The Board works closely with Session whom they are also ac-countable to.
The Board does many things. Its tasks can be divided up into two groups:
- Care of the Church building and
- Stewardship of the Church finances.
These tasks range from simple lawn care and snow shovelling to undertaking major renovations within the Church as well as investing and spending monies on behalf of the Church.