Who We Are

Westminster Presbyterian Church (WPC) is an active, creative, and caring community of people joining under God's love. As a congregation, we serve one another and the community; together we grow as disciples of Jesus. WPC 2010 ANNUAL REPORT

WPC is one of 11,100 congregations in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). The PC(USA) has approximately 2.4 million members and 14,000 ordained and active ministers. Presbyterians trace their history to the 16th century and the Protestant Reformation. Our heritage, and much of what we believe, began with the French lawyer John Calvin (1509-1564), whose writings crystallized much of the Reformed thinking that came before him.\

Every year on Heritage Sunday, we celebrate the confessional history of the Presbyterian Church. Learn more about the history of the Presbyterian Church (USA) by visiting Confessional Resources at www.pcusa.org. Also, for descriptions and history of all the creedal banners, check out Presbyterian Creeds & Confessions .

The following appears in the "Who We Are" series on the web site of the PC(USA). Read more at www.pcusa.org:

“In gratitude to God, empowered by the Spirit, we strive to serve Christ in our daily tasks and to live holy and joyful lives, even as we watch for God's new heaven and new earth praying, ‘Come, Lord Jesus.'”
—from "A Brief Statement of Faith"

Presbuteros, the Greek word meaning elder, is used seventy-two times in the New Testament. It provided the name for the Presbyterian family of churches, which includes the Reformed churches of the world. Both Presbyterian and Reformed are synonymous with churches of the Calvinist tradition.

In , the first presbytery was organized in 1706, the first synod in 1717; the first General Assembly was held in 1789. Today's Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) was created by the 1983 reunion of the two main branches of Presbyterians in , separated since the Civil War: the Presbyterian Church in the and the United Presbyterian Church in the The latter had been created by the union of the Presbyterian Church in the and the United Presbyterian Church of North America in 1958. [more at www.pcusa.org]