Faith Presbyterian Church moves to Delmer
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As of Sunday, Faith Presbyterian Church has a new home.
Faith Presbyterian relocated from 110 Broadway to Delmer, a few kilometres west of Tillsonburg where they are renting the former Delmer United Church.
"We were in Tillsonburg three years," said Pastor Steve Richardson, who lives with his family in Courtland. "We just ran out of space where we were and this was available. Space was important."
On an average Sunday, including children, Richardson said their young congregation has about 40 in attendance. Their new location is both comfortable and spacious with seating for 100-plus people, allowing them room to grow.
"We did look around Tillsonburg a fair bit, but the big deal is obviously the price."
Faith Presbyterian Church had opened in Tillsonburg three years ago with assistance from their sister church, Woodstock's Grace Presbyterian Church. Richardson, who has been a pastor since 2006, starting as a Baptist minister in Eden, became a Presbyterian pastor in 2011.
"We are different from the Presbyterian Church of Canada," he noted. "We are Associate Reformed Presbyterian (ARP), and our roots go back to Scotland.
"What we share in common with other churches is our desire to spread the message of the good news of the Saviour Jesus who has come to save sinners from their sin."
Where they may be unique, he said, is that they see themselves having something in common with what are considered 'the old paths.'
"We think that a lot of churches have got caught up in pointing the finger at the world, and we think the Bible says that judgment begins at the House of God. And we just want to call people to remember God's love, the whole of it – all Ten Commandments.
"There's a lot of emphasis sometimes in the broader church on particular social issues that we think are wrong, but even in the church we've completely forgotten the Sabbath."
Which makes their church, in some ways, a bit old-fashioned.
"Refreshingly old-fashioned," Richardson laughed.
Faith Presbyterian Church services are 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. every Sunday.
"It's two completely different services. It's entirely connected with the idea of the Sabbath. In the old days most churches had it," said Richardson, adding with a smile, "but with the advent of the Ed Sullivan show it started to go away."