About Our Church

You will find authentic fellowship and friendly people at First URC, for "we proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ" (1 John 1:3).

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Our Name:

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UNITED reminds us that we are united through faith to Jesus Christ, our only Savior and Lord. As members of His body we are also united one with another in Christian love and service.

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REFORMED indicates that this church stands in the tradition of the historic Protestant Reformation, and accepts the entire Bible as the authoritative Word of God, our only rule of faith and life.

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CHURCH tells that we belong to the family of believers, of which Jesus Christ is the Head, and only Ruler and King. We proclaim the entire Bible as the infallibly inspired Word of God and stand committed to the Biblical teachings as expressed in the historic creeds of Christianity.

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Why We Worship the Way We Do:

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Reformed churches have historically structured their services with an effort to worship God reverently, thoughtfully, in spirit and in truth (John 4:24). This guide may be of help understanding why we worship the way we do:

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Call to Worship: The Lord summons us to worship Him through the reading of an appropriate passage of Scripture.

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Silent Prayer: We pray individually for the Lord's blessing on our corporate worship.

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God's Greeting (Votum and Salutation): In the Votum, we confess our need for help from the Maker of Heaven and Earth, not only in our worship, but in all things. In the Salutation, God welcomes us and assures us of His grace, mercy, and peace.

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Psalter or Hymn of Praise: We extol the Lord in singing.

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Reading of God's Law: The Law reveals God's will for our lives and drives us to Christ as we confess our inability to keep the Law and trust in His forgiveness. The Law and the Gospel go hand in hand.

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Psalter or Hymn of Confession and Assurance: We sing of our sin and of our Redeemer, taking up in song the heart's reliance on God's grace through faith in Jesus Christ.

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Congregational Prayer: We bring both praises and petitions to the Lord recognizing our constant dependence on Him.

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Offerings and Tithes: We express our gratitude through the grace of giving.

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Psalter or Hymn of Preparation: Singing prepares us to hear the Word of God.

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Sermon: The Lord speaks to His people through His Word and His servant.

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Prayer of Application: We ask God to apply His Word to our lives.

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Benediction: The Lord dismisses us with His blessing.

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Doxology: We celebrate the glory and supreme majesty of God and our need for His continual presence in our lives.

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We freely acknowledge that our form of worship, whether in the morning or in the evening, is not the only acceptable form of worship. But we can also be thankful for the structure in worship that helps us worship with reverence and awe, remembering that our God is a God of order who tells us to do everything in a fit and orderly way (1 Corinthians 14:40).

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Affirmations Governing the Relationship of Church, State, and Family 
 

The Council of Oak Lawn URC officially adopted the following affirmations
Governing the Relationship of Church, State, and Family on September 3, 2024

1. Jesus Christ claims total authority over the nations as the Creator and Ruler of the kings, judges, and governors of the earth (Ps. 2:7-12; Ps. 110; Luke 23:3; John 19:11; Acts 17:7; Eph. 1:20-23; Phil. 2:9-11; Col. 1:15-17; 1 Tim.1:17; Rev. 1:5).

2. The one, holy, catholic (i.e. universal), and apostolic church has been founded by our Lord Jesus Christ long before our contemporary temporal authorities came into existence (Matt. 16:18; Mark 3:13-19; Eph. 1:22-23; 4:7-13; Col. 1:18; Belgic Confession Art. 27).

3. The church of Jesus Christ does not have her position in the nation assigned to her by the permission of civil government, but jure divino – she has her own organization, and she possesses her own office-bearers (Matt. 10:1-15; 18:15-20; 28:18-20; Acts 14:23; 1 Cor. 5:9-13; 6:1-7; Eph. 1:22-23; 4:9-13;
Belgic Confession Arts. 30 & 31; URCNA Foundational Principles 3, 6, and 12).

4. The authority of the state and the authority of the church exist side by side, instituted by God according to the purpose and means assigned by God and in service to God, as recognized in the Scriptures. The magistrate is instituted by God and is endowed with power, in order that it, on its part andwithin the limits set for its authority, may promote the maintenance of human life and its development as a society pleasing to God in agreement with the moral law of God (Mark 12:13-17; Acts 5:29-32; Rom. 13:1, 4; 1Cor. 6:1-7; 2 Cor. 10:3-6; Eph. 1:22; Phil. 2:9-11; 1 Tim. 2:1-4; Belgic Confession Art. 36).

5. The church shall recognize and honor the magistrate in its God-given power and service by faithfully proclaiming the full demands of God’s Law and Gospel, both for the office and life of the magistrate and for that of its subjects; and by being mindful of the apostolic injunction to make supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgiving for all men, including kings and those in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence (Rom. 13:1-7; 1 Tim. 2:1-2; see also Ezra 6:10; Jer. 29:7; 1 Pet. 2:17; Belgic Confession Art. 36; Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 140).

6. The magistrate, under penalty of forsaking its God-given office and falling into tyranny, should forbear assuming the right and power of the only King of the church, Jesus Christ, who from heaven rules and protects and completely saves His church. The church with its officers, in all that has been given and entrusted to it, owes absolute allegiance and responsibility to Christ alone, and shall for the coming of His kingdom and the overthrow of the kingdoms of antichrist have its expectation fixed alone upon the power of His Spirit and the revelation of His glory. (Ps. 2:7-9; Dan. 2:44; Rev. 2:4-5; Rev. 11:15; Rev. 20:7-10; Belgic Confession Arts. 27 & 36).

7. The churches shall remain free to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ peacefully, proselytize, establish churches, and disciple those who wish to follow Christ, without any form of censorship or penalties imposed by temporal civil authorities. We reject all false doctrine asserting that the church must surrender the content or form of its message to the prevailing ideological and political convictions of our day. The Christian church is in
all things to acknowledge and declare the transforming power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, whose Word upholds all things. The civil magistrate is called to protect the preaching of the Gospel and all the holy service of God with all the means given to it by God, in order that freedom of conscience to serve God according to His Word be guaranteed and every anti-Christian power which would threaten the church in the exercise of its holy ministrations be resisted and prevented (Psalm 82; Matt. 28:18-20; Gal. 1:6-9; 2 Tim. 4:1-5; Belgic Confession Art. 36; Canons of Dort Head 2, Art. 5).

8. The churches and their members shall remain free to meet in person for religious worship, prayer, the study of the Bible, or any moral or benevolent purpose without disturbance or interruption from any persons. The sacred duties to assemble for worship and engage in Christian ministry are divine obligations laid down in Holy Scripture and should be recognized and protected by civil authorities. Christians have the obligation to join with the assembly of Christ’s church wherever God has established it, even if civil decrees forbid it and death and physical punishment result (Ps. 92:1-2; Psalm 100; Heb. 10:19-25; Heidelberg Catechism Lord’s Day 38; Belgic Confession Art. 28).

9. Parents in Christian churches are to remain free to disciple, educate, and catechize their children in the faith and confession of the church concerningall of God’s revelation about creation, the fall of man, and salvation in Christ. They are free to do so without fear of persecution, reprisal, or the seizure of their children by the state. We reject the false ideology that beyond its God-ordained and limited sphere as a ministry of public justice, the state or any other institution should become sovereign over human life and so presume to fulfil the vocations of the family and the church (Eccl. 2:24-26; Eccl 3:12- 14; Daniel 1; Heidelberg Catechism Lord’s Days 1 and 13; Belgic Confession Art. 36).
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