Mission / Beliefs

The Lakeside Presbyterian Church is a servant ministry committed to make and nurture disciples of Jesus Christ.
By His grace we aspire together to enjoy our worship of Him, to encourage one another toward spiritual maturity, and to equip one another for ministry.

We, the members of the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church, in order to carry out God's mission and move forward together, profess our life together in Christ and our desire to set forth a united strategy for the work of His church.  We express our desire to continue to be a Presbyterian and Reformed church, committed to the Lordship of Jesus Christ and to the Bible as the Word of God.

Rooted in and shaped by a living tradition, we are part of the new creation in Christ, which God is bringing into existence.  Therefore, we are committed to:

• The worship of the Triune God
• The Holy Scriptures as the basis for our faith and activity
• Unity with other believers in Christ
• Total stewardship of life, time, talents, and money, including tithing through the local church
• Excellence in education and equipping leaders for tomorrow
• Loving and caring for one another and for other people
• Spreading the Gospel to all parts of the world
• Evaluating and changing church structures and priorities in order to meet the challenges of the future while preserving the best of the past

Expectations Of Members

1. Daily Prayer
   We are to pray continually (1 Thes 5: 17), in private, with our families, and as a church, for our concerns and for each other. We are to ask for prayer when we need it (James 5: 14-16).  We desire to be a praying church and as such we expect our members to commune with God in prayer every day.

2. Daily Meditation on God’s Word
   God’s Word should be open before us and influence what we think, say and do. This includes our private study and our study together.  Members are expected to read a portion of the Bible every day.  I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. (Psalm 119: 11).

3. Ministry
   God gives each of us gifts to serve him and others in his name. We need to help each other discover, develop and use these gifts in ministry which can be used inside the church and out. We are God’s workmanship created in Jesus Christ to do good works (Eph 2: 10). Every member should be involved in some ministry, as the Lord has gifted them. We are all involved in ministry together.

4. Corporate Life and Worship
   In order to function as a body, we have to gather together. This is most important on Sunday morning worship. Of course there are times when we cannot be present at worship (traveling, illness, etc.) but as a rule, members are expected to gather with us for Sunday worship.  Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching (Heb 10: 25).

5. Financial Giving
   Our weekly offering is done in our service as an act of worship. The biblical standard of giving is the tithe or 10% of what the Lord provides for us. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this and see if I do not throw open the floodgates and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it (Mal 3: 10). We expect our members to give purposefully based on a percentage of their income as the Lord has blessed them. Our giving should be an expression of joy and thanksgiving for what God has done for us. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver (2 Cor 9: 7).