Living God's Love in Community
The First Presbyterian Church of Cottage Grove is a
welcoming faith community with a rich heritage that
strongly values the role of the pastor as teacher and leader. We pursue a liberal and progressive Reformed theology embracing all people, as indicated in our role as a More Light congregation. We set a high standard for worship services, striving to engage our congregation through a high-quality music program and vibrant preaching.
Mission Statement
of the First Presbyterian
Church of Cottage Grove
About Presbyterianism
Presbuteros, the Greek word meaning elder, is used 72 times in the New Testament. It provided the name for the Presbyterian family of churches, which includes the Reformed churches of the world. Both Presbyterian and Reformed are synonymous with churches of the Calvinist tradition.
In America, the first presbytery was organized in 1706, the first synod in 1717; the first General Assembly was held in 1789. Today’s Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) was created by the 1983 reunion of the two main branches of Presbyterians in America, separated since the Civil War: the Presbyterian Church in the U.S. and the United Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. The latter had been created by the union of the Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. and the United Presbyterian Church of North America in 1958.
The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is distinctly a confessional and a connectional church, distinguished by the representation of elders — laymen and laywomen — in its government. The church has a membership of 2,587,674 in all 50 states and Puerto Rico. Presently there are 11,260 congregations, 20,940 ordained ministers, 1,255 candidates for ministry, and 108,532 elders.
from http://www.pcusa.org/101/101-whoare.htm
In western Europe, the authority of the Roman Catholic Church remained largely unquestioned until the Renaissance in the 15th century. The invention of the printing press in Germany around 1440 made it possible for common people to have access to printed materials including the Bible. This, in turn, enabled many to discover religious thinkers who had begun to question the authority of the Roman Catholic Church.
One such figure, Martin Luther, a German priest and professor, started the movement known as the Protestant Reformation when he posted a list of 95 grievances against the Roman Catholic Church on a church door in Wittenberg, Germany, in 1517. Some 20 years later, a French/Swiss theologian, John Calvin, further refined the reformers’ new way of thinking about the nature of God and God’s relationship with humanity in what came to be known as Reformed theology. John Knox, a Scotsman who studied with Calvin in Geneva, Switzerland, took Calvin’s teachings back to Scotland.
Other Reformed communities developed in England, Holland, and France. The Presbyterian church traces its ancestry back primarily to Scotland and England.
Presbyterians have featured prominently in United States history. The Rev. Francis Makemie, who arrived in the U.S. from Ireland in 1683, helped to organize the first American Presbytery at Philadelphia in 1706. One of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, the Rev. John Witherspoon, was a Presbyterian minister. The Rev. William Tennent founded a ministerial “log college” in New Jersey that evolved into Princeton University. Other Presbyterian ministers, such as the Rev. Jonathan Edwards and the Rev. Gilbert Tennent, were driving forces in the so-called “Great Awakening,” a revivalist movement in the early 18th century.
from www.pcusa.org/101/101-history.htm
Our beliefs in the saving grace of Christ, the love of God, the power of the Holy Spirit, and the core teachings of the Bible unite us. As Presbyterians we value our individual freedom as well as the challenge to interpret the Bible both with our minds and our hearts. These beliefs guide us in our worship and interactions. We are stewards of God's creation and take seriously our responsibility to care for the world, our community, and each other.
We have a history of deep commitment to addressing social needs within our community. We desire to strengthen our church's educational ministry for all generations, including programs for youth and young families. We cherish our culture as a welcoming faith community and will carry this tradition into the future.
