“To know Christ, and make Him known”

  • Our heritage is in the Reformed tradition, with emphasis on God’s sovereignty, salvation by grace alone, a high view of Scripture as authoritative, the importance of Biblical preaching and the priesthood of all believers.

     

  • Our church is a member of The Fellowship Community, a network of evangelical churches within the Presbyterian Church (USA). The Fellowship Community’s Essential Tenants statement summarizes our understanding of our faith, and it serves as a standard for all leaders in the church.

     

  • We are an evangelical church, not in today’s political use of that word but rather demonstrating the historical marks of evangelicalism:

     

    • The importance of experiencing a personal relationship with God and inviting others to as well.
    • Considering Scripture as indispensable in knowing God and growing in faith.
    • Focused on the person of Jesus Christ, whose life, death and resurrection changes everything in both daily life and for eternity.
    • Living out a missional activism that cares for people, reaches to those on the margins, seeks justice through God’s grace and helps the broader community to flourish.

      

 

Our community at FPCH is a diverse group of people who, by grace, are following Jesus together in an urban setting. We believe that education of the mind, passion of the heart, and integrity of action are intimately connected in God. If you come and visit, you will find an intergenerational mix of students, professionals, retirees, marrieds, singles, and families, much like our amazing city of Los Angeles. There is a place for you here.

 

Our Vision Statement

“We believe God is calling us to be

a praying and worshiping community in the city.

Trusting in God’s grace, centered on Jesus Christ,

and equipped by the Holy Spirit,

we desire to proclaim the good news of Christ

with our words and lives.

We want to be a blessing

to our community and the world.”

 

 

Read More About What We Believe

God–  With Gregory of Nazianzus, when we say “I believe in God,” we mean God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  The Christian faith is a trinitarian faith.

 

The Sovereignty of God- The Reformed tradition consistently emphasizes God’s sovereignty.

Though a weighty word, in short we claim that God is in control of all things, and is moving history in a direction.

 

God’s Good Creation– God made the amazing creation that we exist in, and entrusts it to us to care for and protect it. This puts a weighty responsibility on believers to exercise sensitivity in environmental issues.

 

Human Beings– When God made creation and called it “good,” humanity was the crowning component. God made human beings in God’s image. Despite this, God’s image was marred by humanity’s rebellion and sin which broke the relationships between people, and with God.

 

The Supremacy of Christ – Jesus Christ is the Son of God, Word of God and God’s exact representation on earth. His birth was miraculous, and his life embodied mercy and grace. In Jesus’ death on a cross he absorbed into himself the brokenness and evil of human hearts.

We are reconciled through his suffering. In Jesus’ resurrection, the fear and power of death were broken forever.

 

The Holy Spirit- is the presence of God with us. Among other things, the Spirit points us to Christ, convicts us of sin, opens up the Scriptures and equips us for ministry.  We believe that the gifts of the Spirit are to go hand in hand with the fruit of the Spirit.

 

The Bible – Scripture, Old and New Testaments, is the most dependable way of hearing God. It is God’s Word, written in human words. We study it with prayer and humility, knowing we can trust it to communicate God’s will and infallibly show us how to live.

 

The Church- God calls people into community. It happened first with Israel and later as the Church. The Church is Christ’s body on earth. Its distinguishing mark is the love followers of Jesus have for one another. Its mission is to take the gospel into all the world- proclaiming truth, ministering mercy for body and soul, and caring for those on the margins. Many of the issues of our day are primarily spiritual and biblical ones, which only later became political. Thus the Church engages in working against racism, human trafficking, the devaluing of human life in every form, consumerism, violence and many, many others. The gospel is our motivation in investing in this work.

 

Theology– As a people grounded in scripture and evangelically orthodox theology, we find great value in immersing ourselves in foundational tenets of the Protestant Reformation, such as:

Sola Scriptura – based on Scripture alone;

Sola Gratia – by grace alone;

Sola Fide – through faith alone;

Solus Christus – in Christ alone;

Soli Deo Gloria – to the glory of God alone.

 

Grace– Grace is the undeserved favor that we receive from God through Christ. In Him, we get what we do not deserve: love, compassion, forgiveness and an invitation to eternity. We do not earn these things, but rather live in response to what we have received.   

 

Worship– In worship the Church is attentive to the presence of God. We proclaim who God is, ask intervention in our lives and give thanks for the grace given to us. We sing and make music in all sorts of styles, pray, reflect, listen and open the scriptures together.  In the mystery of the sacraments we enjoy God’s presence in real, specific and particular ways. The waters of baptism open a door to relationship based on God’s covenant faithfulness. Baptism reflects our identity- we are people who belong to God. It is a welcome into God’s family. As we gather with our family around the Lord’s table, God’s grace is ministered to us in tangible ways we touch, taste and smell. God’s grace and forgiveness are made real and we receive all that we need to follow.

 

Membership–  Official membership at FPCH is fairly informal, but important.  Joining as a member indicates a person feels God’s call to be part of our community. It means a willingness to enter the messy business of doing life together.  It shows a desire to have others to walk with and be accountable to as followers of Jesus. It also gives our community a way to call people into leadership of various types, confident that there is a strong and lasting commitment to this community. While everyone who joins has certain expectations for the church, the church also has expectations of each person: to be serious about faith in Christ, to pursue a Godly lifestyle, to act in ways that build others up, to utilize one’s gifts and time in service and to support the ministries of FPCH financially.

 

Leadership– Our church is led jointly by ordained pastors and elected elders who provide leadership to various ministry areas, are responsible for the spiritual growth of the church and also deal with the necessary business of FPCH.  There are also elected deacons who are ordained to serve in various roles- visitation, preparation of the Lord’s Supper, and many other places.  All of our leaders are asked to hold to a high standard in faith, living and relationships.

 

Salvation and Eternity– We are saved by grace- saved from our sin, and saved for God. The gift of God’s salvation is then responded to and lived out in every area of life. Because of Christ, we need not fear death. God’s people are invited to live forever in a kingdom with no tears, no death and in the full presence of Christ. Anything less would be hell.

 

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