One blessing of the pandemic was that it allowed us not only to participate in our local worship services but also to connect with Reformed Presbyterians in other areas of the world as they gathered for worship. The Witness asked over a dozen congregations around the world to tell us what the Lord’s Day looks like for their church.

Beginning with the Australian RP churches, we follow these services as the sun moves across the sky on the day God created each week for worship and rest. For security and practicality, we couldn’t include every area of the world where RPs gather. To provide a frame of reference, we’ve included both local and Eastern Standard times.

Saturday, 6:30 p.m. EST

Geelong, Australia, RPC

Pastor: Andrew Stewart

Website: rpca.net.au/geelong

Service Time: 10:30 a.m. AEDT

Each Lord’s Day we have a Sunday school, adult Bible class, and prayer meeting at 9:30 a.m. The morning service is at 10:30, followed by fellowship time. An evening service is held at 5 p.m.

Our church building is strategically located to minister to the wider Geelong region as well as people who pass through the city center—students, tourists, migrants, as well as everyday Australians. Since our renovation in 2009, the building is bright and comfortable.

Our Lord’s Day worship and preaching is the fire that drives the engine of congregational life. It equips the saints for ministry. What we learn from the sermons flows into fellowship groups and prayer meetings. Our fellowship groups meet in homes all over Geelong, and several meet via Zoom (especially elderly people and parents with young children).

We have been returning to a form of normality after two years disrupted by Covid and lockdowns. Even at the beginning of 2022, we were experiencing restrictions on how many could meet. And, during January and February, almost half of our members had Covid. Some are still disconnected from congregational life, and we are working through that challenge.

This year, our congregation commemorated the 160th anniversary of the construction of our church building in 1862. The opening had been marked by a series of evangelistic services with Rev. John G. Patton, a Reformed Presbyterian missionary in what was then called the New Hebrides. That emphasis on gospel preaching continues to be a feature of our congregational life.

The Geelong congregation is the largest of the three RP congregations in Australia and has a stable core group. We have people from many ethnic backgrounds, but the congregation is very obviously “Aussie.”

We are committed to the Word of God and the doctrines of the Reformed Faith. We are far from perfect, but we genuinely desire to see people in our community reached with the gospel so that they come to saving faith in Jesus Christ. We have whole family units that cover a wide age range—this makes it possible for old and young to mutually encourage one another.

—Andrew Stewart

Saturday, 8:30 p.m. EST

Kasumigaoka (Kobe, Japan) RPC

Pastor: Yusuke Hirata

Website: marokiwi.net/kasumi/

Service Time: 10:30 a.m. JST

We are located in a suburban residential area of Kobe, Japan. Therefore, reaching out to our neighborhood plays a crucial element in our ministry. In the Lord’s providence, God has sent us Christians, seekers, and children from our neighborhood to join our congregation. As a result, we have a good mix of old families and new members.

Kobe is a city with 1.5 million people, and it is the seventh largest city in Japan. In such circumstances, we face similar challenges to large cities in the Western world. Secular, godless culture seems to predominate in our society. Everyone seems to do what is right in his own eyes. Moral issues such as same-sex marriage and abortions are becoming increasingly prominent in society. Therefore, we want to testify the true gospel to the people around us. We are praying that the Lord would shine His glory upon and through our congregation so that the people around us would behold the light and come to the true King.

Sabbath school for children starts at 9:30 a.m., followed by a morning service at 10:30. Some members join for a time of prayer that starts at 10. We used to have church fellowship lunch once a month, before Covid, but it is suspended at this point.

Thankfully, we did not cancel any services during Covid, but some people are still hesitant to come to in-person services because of their age, health issues, and family issues. Such a situation also led to the introduction of internet technology in our congregation. Our pastor preaches for us once or twice every month online from Northern Ireland, where he is working on his Ph.D. Also, we have been broadcasting our service through Facebook, and midweek meetings on Wednesday evenings are held via Zoom. These opportunities have been an important means of maintaining the fellow-ship of our people during Covid.

—Yusuke Hirata

Sunday, 4:30 a.m. EST

Eglise Réformée Evangélique d’Orvault (Nantes), France, RPCI

Pastor: Andrew Lytle

Website: ere-presbyterienne.com

Service Time: 10:30 a.m. CET

Our church was founded by missionaries from the Reformed Presbyterian Church of Ireland (RPCI) in the late 1980s and is, as far as we know, one of only two Reformed, psalm-singing churches in the whole of France. In our department (state), we are the only Reformed and Presbyterian church, with the majority of churches being Pentecostal or Charismatic, along with an in-creasing number of ethnic African churches.

When we talk about the area in which we live and witness, we talk in terms of the different soils in which we sow the seed of the gospel. There are the soils of Islam, of traditional Catholicism, and of atheism and humanism. Each soil presents its particular challenges, and each soil requires that we tailor the message to that particular soil. And each of these soils is present in a climate of general suspicion toward evangelical churches, even on a government level. Just a few months ago, our equivalent of the Secretary of State described evangelicals as a problem for France.

On a typical Lord’s Day, there are between 20 and 30 people at the worship service, all of which is conducted in French, though there is a written English translation of the sermon for those who need it. Most members of our church are first-generation Christians, often the only Christian in their family; so we lack much of the stability that comes from solid Christian homes with generations of believers. There is also a broad range of countries represented, with as many as 12 nationalities on a Lord’s Day. This diversity brings many blessings but also many challenges. It forces us to ask how much of our Christianity is influenced by our background and culture as opposed to being based on scriptural principles.

In recent months, much of our energy has been taken up with the construction of a new church building beside the pastor’s house, which belongs to the church. This building will give us a lot more space for our worship service, as well as some smaller classrooms and a kitchen. The new building is close to the present building, so our area of outreach won’t change much. We’re currently working on a strategy for how to make best use of our future building, which should be ready before summer 2023.

Perhaps our greatest human need is for at least two new people or families who share our vision for the church, who speak French, and who are willing to throw themselves wholeheartedly into our work. Those who are most involved are often overextended and can easily grow weary. Our human resources are limited. Not so God’s resources. We grow tired. God doesn’t. We can’t change the heart of a single person. God can, and we believe that God will as we step out in faith.

—Andrew Lytle

Sunday, 6:00 a.m. EST

North Edinburgh RPCS

Pastor: Peter Loughridge

Website: edinburghrpcs.org

Service Time: 11 a.m. GMT

North Edinburgh RPC was planted in June 2012. A typical Lord’s Day for us consists of morning service at 11, lunch together afterwards on the first Lord’s Day of the month, and evening service at 5:30 with supper afterwards.

Our church is intentionally located away from the city center in Edinburgh. It is a beautiful and historic city with good churches close to the city center and the university areas. Yet, not far from the famous center, you reach housing projects that are home to thousands of people but have little or no gospel witness. The Reformed Presbyterian Church of Scotland (RPCS), in restarting a witness in the nation’s capital in 2012, deliberately selected an area in the north of the city with high population density, vast social needs, and few Reformed or evangelical churches.

This context for our church impacts our ministry. Living where we live, you can’t fail to notice the devastation brought by deprivation, addiction, abuse, crime, anger, violence, sexual sin, broken families, and more. That can be heartbreaking and deflating at times, yet, at the same time, is exactly the type of place where the church needs to be. The majority in our community have no church background or biblical literacy whatsoever; so preaching, teaching, and outreach cannot assume existing knowledge. Some teenagers from non-church families began attending services. It became clear that they were coming from homes with significant needs, so one member began what we call Breakfast Club. These young people go to her home before the morning service for breakfast and a simple Bible lesson.

Our lack of a building of our own presents frequent challenges. Before Covid, we met regularly in a hired room in the local high school, but we haven’t been there since March 2020. Plans to commence a Sunday school at that time had to be paused due to practical difficulties in our current short-term meeting places. In August 2022, we applied, along with other organizations, for a local community center, which was available due to a charity discontinuing. We were unsuccessful in this application, but we are trusting God’s better plan and timing. We were grateful for the prayers of the global RP Church in this application and would ask you to continue to pray for God’s provision for us in this need.

—Peter Loughridge

Ballenon and Ballylane RPCI

Pastor: Robert Robb

Website: ballenonballylanerpchurch.wordpress.com

Service Time: 11 a.m. GMT

We are a joint charge (two congregations), but we worship together each Sabbath morning and on the first and third Sabbath evenings. We use each of the two buildings on an alternative monthly basis. The buildings are only five miles apart. Attendance averages about 40 in the morning and 28 in the evenings.

One of the congregations has a large modern church hall that we can use for various fellowship and outreach activities. Unfortunately, the buildings of both congregations are set in rural locations, and neither gets many passersby. It might be better if the buildings were located in the town or city.

We try to encourage local people to come along to our Lord’s Day service where they will hear clear biblical teaching and the message of the gospel. We also organize some specific form of out-reach annually.

I believe God put us where we are to give long-term consistency of ministry (the congregations have not had long ministries in recent years) and to build the congregations up spiritually and, hopefully, numerically. The congregations need leadership, which I hope to develop among the men.

The rural location and culture mean that one has to think about the long term rather than the short term when it comes to bringing about necessary changes.

The congregations have generally consisted of the same families for a number of generations. This can be a good thing and a bad thing. Over the past four years of my ministry, relationships between the two congregations have greatly improved, and they work together extremely well.

The three most important things I tell people about the church are: 1. It is biblically based. 2. The preaching and teaching ministry will improve your spiritual life, if you allow it to do so. 3. We need more families; please consider joining us.

What makes our congregation different from other RP congregations is the fact that two separate, small congregations worship together using each of their facilities on an alternating monthly basis. Given that numbers in the Reformed Presbyterian Church of Ireland (RPCI) are falling and that many rural congregations are small, this may be the way forward in the future, especially if there is a shortage of pastors.

—Robert Robb

Sunday, 11:00 a.m. EST

Clarinda, Iowa, RPC

Pastor: Jonathan Haney

Website: clarindarpchurch.org

Service Time: 10 a.m. CST

Clarinda, Iowa, RPC was established in 1855 in a rural area southwest of the town proper, serving the Covenanter families that settled around it on their farms. One hundred sixty years later, with none of the congregation living in the immediate area and facing rising costs to maintain a building of that size, the congregation moved into the town of Clarinda.

Since 2015, the group has met in a small building just a block from the town square. The building has been repurposed many times, having originally been built as a service station. It sits at the corner of Washington and 14th Streets and shares the intersection with a convenience store, a bank, and a funeral home.

Meeting in town has opened up several ministry opportunities, including a game night in conjunction with the town’s lighted holiday parade, which runs directly in front of the building. The location means it is also available for community groups to meet, including a diet class, a sewing group, and the town’s International Club.

The church building recently had a facelift with a new coat of paint, adding to the visibility to the community. The deacons are in the process of further improvements with a new entryway and wheelchair-accessible ramp.

The Clarinda congregation is thankful for God’s provision of a building for meeting and ministry, and is looking forward to what the Lord will continue to do in this part of His kingdom.

—Ruth Falk

Sunday, 11:15 a.m. EST

New Creation (Kitchener, Ont.) RPC

Pastor: Scott Wilkinson

Website: newcreationrpc.org

Service Time: 11:15 a.m. EST

A typical scene here after a Lord’s Day service is that guests are welcomed, extended family members are greeted, the sermon is discussed, and events of the week are exchanged. We are renting a church building that has a small foyer, so most of the visiting happens in the pews. We worship together twice on a Lord’s Day and enjoy a fellowship meal together after the morning service once a month.

New Creation RPC is a small congregation with a core group of families who have attended the church for many years. There are young and old, students and infants, and a good range of stages in life. There are some with Reformed church backgrounds with others from different denominations as well as new converts. We have doctors, farmers, computer programmers, plumbers, builders, accountants, and various other professions represented. We are a diverse congregation who genuinely enjoy worship and fellowship together.

Throughout the school year, we have Bible studies midweek as well as catechism classes for the high school students. The youth meet once a month between the services for a book study, food, and fellowship. During the summer months, our Bible studies are furloughed, and we spend an evening a week doing street evangelism in downtown Kitchener. It has been a blessing to see the Lord bless this work with visitors joining us for worship services.

When the church-planting work began in 2001, there were no Reformed churches in the city of Kitchener. Pastor Scott Wilkinson and his wife, Elineke, stared this work with a Bible study, a lecture series at a bookstore, and then a radio show. Regular worship services began in 2003, and the church officially became a congregation in the RPCNA in 2010. We now have 40 communicant and 20 baptized members.

A recent answer to prayer was the election of two new elders. Seyr Lemos and John Smid will be serving alongside Rob Somers and Pastor Scott Wilkinson. We are also grateful for the continued service of our deacons, Tom Gillelan and Sam Sutherland. We continue to pray that the Lord would provide us with our own facility.

We are looking forward to the work that the Lord is doing in Canada through the formation of the Reformed Presbyterian Church of Canada. We pray that the Lord will strengthen and grow our congregation as well as the other congregations across our country, using us to bring glory and honor to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

—Laura Smid

Sunday, 11:30 a.m. EST

Living Way (Bryan, Tex.) RPC

Pastor: Steve Rockhill

Website: livingwayrpc.org

Service Time: 10:30 a.m. CST

Our Lord’s Day begins at 9:15 a.m. with a brief time of fellowship with coffee and snacks before Sabbath school. We have a men’s class, a women’s class, and classes for preschoolers and young-er elementary. Worship is at 10:30. Each Lord’s Day, we enjoy a fellowship meal together and then cap the day off with an evening service at 6:30.

A year ago we moved into a larger facility. While our previous facility was adequate for worship, times of fellowship and educational activities were impeded by the lack of space. Our new facility enables us to have a large comfortable meeting area for worship and fellowship meals, and we have several smaller rooms for classes. One of the biggest advantages is a large entryway where visitors and members no longer feel crowded. The larger space has also been a huge blessing for our annual clothing giveaway outreach—more space for tables and plenty of storage space.

Our location in a small, older shopping center near a small neighborhood and an apartment complex has enabled us to minister to the local (mostly lower-income) neighbors through the clothing giveaway ministry, our small food pantry, and mercy ministry. Being next to a laundromat has occasionally brought visitors waiting for their laundry to get done. Our fellowship meals are often greatly appreciated by the college students who attend and have been a gateway to begin a college/young adult ministry during the week.

We believe God placed us in our location to faithfully proclaim the gospel and worship Him in a reverent manner as a faithful witness to our age. One of our college students upon visiting the first time commented, “In a college town, it’s hard to find a church with faithful preaching and reverent worship.”

A lot of “cultural Christianity” permeates our region. Nearby College Station is home to a large university (Texas A&M), which has a culture all its own. As the Lord continues to grow and strengthen the work here in Bryan, we hope to increase our gospel footprint in both settings.

We’re still fairly new, but we’re thankful for the mix of people the Lord has brought to us (some RP background, some Reformed background, broad evangelicals, and recent converts). When we tell others about our church, we mention the teaching and proclamation of the gospel, reverent worship, and good fellowship (which includes the food!). We are also the first RP work established in Texas in the 21st Century.

—Steve Rockhill

Sunday, 12:00 p.m. EST

Stillwater, Okla., RPC

Pastor: R. Bruce Parnell

Website: stillwaterrpc.org

Service Time: 11 a.m. CST

Last summer, Stillwater RPC celebrated its 31st anniversary. In God’s providence, the congregation was started by the initiative of several core families who appealed to the Midwest Presbytery to plant a church here. Midwest Presbytery nurtured that work for several years through monthly preaching services. This advanced to the point of calling Bruce Parnell to serve as pastor in the summer of 1990 and organizing the congregation the following year.

At the organization service, commission member Bob Catloth charged the congregation in a memorable way. He exhorted us to have a vision for Christ’s kingdom that would lead to the establishment of other congregations in Oklahoma. Then, starting with the letter A in the Oklahoma atlas, he began to list cities in Oklahoma that need the gospel. The effect was moving, to say the least.

Since then, the Lord has been pleased to give resources and opportunities to Stillwater RPC to not only be established as a congregation but also to be used to “daughter” two other congregations in Oklahoma: one in Enid and one in Oklahoma City. We’ve been blessed to also be a support to the growing number of churches in Texas.

Throughout this period, the congregation has met in five different rented locations. Then, last spring, we purchased and renovated a church building that became available, moving into it on Oct. 1. We pray that we would be a light to the community in this new, visible location.

Part of our community is Oklahoma State University. We have been blessed to have students at-tend church while they are attending OSU. This has included students from across the country and from 15 nations.

Like many RP churches, Stillwater RPC has made biblical preaching and reverent worship a hall-mark of the Lord’s Day. In addition, God has blessed us with several good Bible teachers who have given us thought-provoking adult Sunday school lessons, many of which are made available on our website. We enjoy a fellowship lunch after the morning service, which provides an opportunity to deepen relationships with one another. Having lunch together is also connected to our outreach, as we have found that students enjoy a family meal with us.

While our location has changed over the years, one thing that has not changed much has been our leadership. One member said, “We’ve been blessed with a single pastor for over 30 years of faithful preaching and care, with most elders assisting for almost as long.”

—Bruce Parnell

Sunday, 1:30 p.m. EST

Fresno, Calif., RPC

Pastor: Johnathan Kruis

Website: fresnorpchurch.org

Service Time: 10:30 a.m. PST

Our fellowship hall, through which most of us enter—except Michelle, who winsomely likes to remind us to use the front door—is truly a hall. We line it with tables for meals that sometimes follow a worship service.

We provide Spanish Bibles and bulletins, although our services are in English. Some of our members’ and visitors’ native tongue is Spanish, with our birthplaces including Mexico, Russia, Netherlands, and Canada, as well as 11 states of the U.S.

Although we recently went 30 months without a full-time pastor (not a long time in comparison to our church’s 102-year history, but long enough), we were blessed by our elders’ shepherding and by the 42 men they scheduled to preach for us on those 134 Lord’s Days. Since July, Johnathan Kruis, who was ordained and installed as our pastor on Nov. 19, has served us, along with his wife, Evelyn. Their growing family of cute kids brings our total number of children and teens to about 25. We’ve been thankful to see God adding to our numbers both by births and by other new folks joining us, including our newest 90-year-olds. We now have two families that have four generations gathered with us for worship. We’re thankful, too, for growth in maturity and unity even in these challenging past few years.

We have resumed classes before worship, utilizing Tim McCracken’s The Whole Bible in Six Sessions for adults, as well as providing three children’s classes and a nursery.

From May through September, our exit from the morning service will likely be into this agricultural valley’s intense heat, which drove an early immigrant in Fresno to hand-dig an underground house for himself, now a historic landmark and tourist attraction. But our church’s air conditioning, along with the richness of gathering, will have refreshed and invigorated us—and it will welcome us back in the evening. Plan a trip to one of our nearby national parks, then come and worship with us on the Lord’s Day. We’d be delighted to have you.

—Lori McCracken