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What We Believe
Community United Presbyterian Church is a diverse congregation that draws together people from many walks of life. While we simply "agree to disagree" out of love and respect for one another, here are a few things that unite us together in ministry and service:
We believe the Bible to be a reliable witness to God's work in the world. The scriptures of the Old and New Testament are our guiding light and the foundation of our community life together. At CUPC you will hear the Word proclaimed in worship, in bible study and Christian fellowship.
We believe that the Scripture teaches the Triune nature of God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. This God, our all-sufficient Sustainer, Redeemer and Friend, is revealed to us through the Bible, through the world around us and through the love we share with one another.
We believe that Jesus Christ is the unique Son of God. In his obedience to death on the cross, he reconciled us to a merciful God. Through his resurrection, he conquered the power of sin and death for all time. Those who believe in Christ and willingly confess him with their lives will have salvation through the gift of unconditional grace. This is the hope we share with the world!
We believe that the gifts of the Spirit are spread generously throughout the Church. In the Presbyterian tradition, we recognize that the Holy Spirit is actively calling God's people to salvation and into service of the Kingdom. We seek to affirm the gifts of the Spirit anywhere they can be found and seek to use them to build up the community of faith.
We believe baptism to be a visible sign and seal of God's covenant with us. In baptism we are buried with Christ in death as one day we will be raised with Christ into new life. We offer baptism to infants as well as adults with the understanding that that each one of us will spend the rest of our lives confirming our faith together. We recognize any baptism done in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit to be sufficient for membership in the church.
We believe the Lord's Supper to be a proclamation of the Great Mystery of Faith: "Christ has died, Christ has risen, Christ will come again." Whenever God's people gather together to celebrate the communion meal, we boldly proclaim our Lord's death until he comes again. CUPC practices 'open communion' meaning that all are welcome to participate in the Lord's Supper if they "believe in their hearts and confess with their mouths that Jesus Christ is Lord." The Lord's Supper is a special time in our worship and we celebrate it regularly with joy and solemnity.
CUPC follows a Presbyterian form of government. While each member of our congregation is called into ministry, some members are recognized as having exceptional gifts for leadership, Christian nurture and hospitality. Each year, we select gifted men and women from our congregation to serve as elders. Our elders are called by God, elected by the people, and serve at the behest of the community who has affirmed their calling to ministry.
CUPC is a member congregation of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and a congregation partner in the Presbytery of Des Moines. We affirm the value of our relationship with the larger church, but maintain our unique identity and witness to our community as we have been called through the Holy Spirit.
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