About Us
John Calvin Presbyterian Church is a faith community of believers and seekers who come together to worship God, to deepen our understanding and commitment to Jesus as Christ and Savior, and to embody a lifestyle led by the power of the Holy Spirit.
At JCPC you will find folks of a variety of ages, ethnic backgrounds, vocations, political affiliations, theologies, social causes, life circumstances and styles. Believing that God intends the richness of life to be found in such diversity, we strive to practice peacemaking components: respect, active and careful listening, forgiveness, cooperative recreation, and a challenge to violence in all its forms.
We confess that with God, the impossible is possible. By the power of the Holy Spirit, Christ is present with us now. Christ’s presence empowers and strengthens us for the mission of bringing justice and peace in this world. Christ’s mission resonates deeply in the identity of our church.
We believe following Christ is not easy or simple, so we seek guidance from the Holy Spirit as well as encouragement from one another in faith and in life.
Statement of Welcome and Inclusion:
John Calvin Presbyterian Church,
Annandale, Virginia
There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. Galatians 328 (NRSV)
John Calvin Presbyterian Church joyfully affirms and welcomes all people who are seeking Truth and are interested in the way of Christ regardless of race, ethnicity, nationality, sexual orientation, age, socioeconomic status, religious background, gender, gender identity, physical health and ability. The life and work of Christ as revealed in the Bible make clear that “the same Lord is Lord of all and is generous to all who call on him” Romans 10:12. We at John Calvin Church deeply hold to Jesus' radical hospitality of welcoming and celebrating all. In the words of the hymn, “Let this house proclaim from floor to rafter: All are welcome!” at John Calvin Presbyterian Church.
Background:
Despite Jesus' life of welcome and inclusion, many churches have kept "outsiders" at arm’s length at best, and persecuted them at worst. In recent times sexual orientation and gender identity have divided people and churches, but we believe that these issues should not be a basis for discrimination. At JCPC we hold that Christ's unconditional love should be extended to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) people, and we joyfully affirm marriage of same-sex couples according to the same PC-USA guidelines for "traditional" marriage:
Marriage is a gift God has given to all humankind for the well-being of the entire human family. Marriage involves a unique commitment between two people, traditionally a man and a woman, to love and support each other for the rest of their lives. The sacrificial love that unites the couple sustains them as faithful and responsible members of the church and the wider community.
In civil law, marriage is a contract that recognizes the rights and obligations of the married couple in society. In the Reformed tradition, marriage is also a covenant in which God has an active part, and which the community of faith publicly witnesses and acknowledges.
-221st General Assembly (2014) of the PC(USA), Amendment 14-F
In the spring of 2015 members of John Calvin spent two Sundays discussing Mark Achtemeier’s book The Bible's Yes to Same-Sex Marriage: An Evangelical's Change of Heart. It describes the author’s journey of faith and through the pages of the Bible. He concluded that “a careful reading of the whole Scripture reveals God's good news about love, marriage, and sexuality for gay and straight people alike.”*
The response to this study was overwhelming: If a close study of scripture reveals that God’s love is for all, and that the message of the whole of scripture is one of love and inclusion, we at John Calvin choose to actively welcome all.
-Approved by the Session, June 17, 2015
*From Amazon.com website
Click here to read about the commitment of the Presbyterian Church (USA) to welcoming our interfaith neighbors to dialogue.