Ministries
Serving God, Serving PeopleTo minister means to serve. We are primarily serving God, but in doing so, we also serve people, those inside and outside our church family.
Below are links to some of the ways we serve God and others in order to carry out our mission, which is to glorify God by making disciples who love God and others.
“For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” ~Mark 10:45 (ESV)
Adult Sunday School
Our Sunday school class for adults begins at 9:15am on Sundays. We typically do a study through an entire book of the Bible or occasionally we study a theological concept.
We are presently going through the book of Hebrews.
Library
Book Club
Contact the pastor if you’d like to join us for discussion, or just read along with us.
Upcoming Schedule:
- James M. Hamilton Jr, God’s Indwelling Presence: The Holy Spirit in the Old and New Testaments
- Jonathan Edwards, Life and Diary of David Brainerd
- Samuel Renihan, The Mystery of Christ, His Covenant, and His Kingdom
- John Piper, A Peculiar Glory
Future Selections:
- Augustine, Confessions
- Thomas Watson, Doctrine of Repentance
- Dan Phillips, The World-Tilting Gospel
- Michael Horton, ed., Christ the Lord: The Reformation and Lordship Salvation
- Robert Clouse, ed., The Meaning of the Millennium: Four Views
- Andreas J. Kostenberger & Peter T. O’Brien, Salvation to the Ends of the Earth: A Biblical Theology of Mission
- Thomas Schreiner & Shawn Wright, Believer’s Baptism: Sign of the New Covenant in Christ
Past Selections:
- John Piper, Coronavirus and Christ
- Andrew Peterson, Adorning the Dark: Thoughts on Community, Calling, and the Mystery of Making
- J.C. Ryle, Holiness
- George Ladd, The Gospel and the Kingdom: Scriptural Studies in the Kingdom of God
- Francis Schaeffer, True Spirituality
- James Hamilton, God’s Glory in Salvation through Judgment
- David Platt, Radica
- John Bunyan, The Pilgrim’s Progress
- Chris Brauns, Unpacking Forgiveness
- Kevin DeYoung, Hole in Our Holiness
- Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Spiritual Depression: It’s Causes and Cure
- Richard Barcellos, Getting the Garden Right
- Matt Chandler et al, Creature of the Word
- John Piper, Future Grace
- James White, The Potter’s Freedom
- Thom Rainer, I Am a Church Member: Discovering the Attitude that Makes the Difference
- Richard Barcellos, The Lord’s Supper As a Means of Grace
- Henry Scougal, The Life of God in the Soul of Man
- J. I. Packer, Knowing God
- Jerry Bridges, Respectable Sins: Confronting the Sins We Tolerate
- Anthony Carter, Glory Road: The Journeys of 10 African-Americans into Reformed Christianity
- J.I. Packer, Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God
- Gary Thomas, Sacred Marriage
- John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, Book 4.14-20
- John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, Book 4.1-13
- John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, Book 3
- John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, Book 2
- John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, Book 1
- Erwin Lutzer, Doctrines that Divide
- Anselm, Cur Deus Homo
- Walter Chantry, Today’s Gospel: Authentic or Synthetic?
- D. A. Carson, The God Who Is There: Finding Your Place in God’s Story
- Joshua Harris, Stop Dating the Church
- John Piper, Let the Nations Be Glad
- J. I. Packer, “Introduction” to Death of Death in the Death of Christ by John Owen
- Michael Horton, Putting Amazing Back into Grace
- Will Metzger, Tell the Truth: The Whole Gospel to the Whole Person by Whole People
- D. A. Carson, The Difficult Doctrine of the Love of God (pdf)
- Jerry Bridges, Trusting God
- Thabiti Anyabwile, What Is a Healthy Church Member?
- Vern Poythress, The Shadow of Christ in the Law of Moses
- Francis Schaeffer, How Should We then Live?
- R. C. Sproul, Knowing Scripture
- Arthur W. Pink, The Sovereignty of God
- John MacArthur, Twelve Ordinary Men
- R. C. Sproul, Chosen by God
- Martin Luther, The Bondage of the Will
- John Hannah, Kregel Pictorial Guide to Church History
- John Piper, The Pleasures of God
- Ted Tripp, Shepherding a Child’s Heart
- R. C. Sproul, The Holiness of God
- Vaughan Roberts, God’s Big Picture
Children's Ministries
At Providence Church we believe parents have primary responsibility for the discipleship of their children. Thus, the church strives not to replace the spiritual influence of the parents, but to supplement parental instruction and assist parents in their holy calling of making disciples who love God and others.
With that in mind, each Sunday Providence Church serves parents and their children with the following:
- Nursery – For children from birth through age 2 there is an optional nursery during the Sunday school hour, the 10:30AM service, and during the Sunday evening activities. The nursery is centrally located near the sanctuary and Sunday school rooms.
- Sunday School – Not settling for entertainment or babysitting, our Sunday school teachers impart biblical knowledge and emphasize Scripture memory. We use curriculum from Children Desiring God and each class is taught by a husband and wife team. Our classes are assigned based on age rather than academic grade, promoting the first Sunday in August.
- Children’s Church – There is a brief children’s message during the 10:30AM service, after which the children (ages 3 through kindergarten) have the option of going to children’s church during the sermon time. There, (typically) a husband & wife team teach the children through The Jesus Storybook Bible: Every Story Whispers His Name. After the sermon, they rejoin us for the remainder of the service..
In addition to the aforementioned weekly activities, there are also various special events throughout the year for the edification of the children, including the following annual events:
- Youth Disciple Now
- Vacation Bible School
- Youth Camp
- Reformation Celebration (Last weekend in October)
Missions and Outreach
Andrew & Sophia Pitcher
Charles & Julie Woodrow
Small Groups
“Sanctification is a community project.” ~John Piper
One of the ways we encourage depth of relationships at Providence Church is through the connectivity of various small groups, which we call SIGs (special interest groups). These affinity groups meet with some measure of regularity for various reasons, but ultimately in conjunction with our mission to glorify God by making disciples who love God and others.
Some SIGs are open to all, while some are closed except to those who meet certain criteria. Some may be “members only,” while some may be open to any who may be interested, perhaps even evangelistic in nature. Some may meet indefinitely, while others may be only for a set period of time. Some may meet at the church building, while others may meet offsite.
We want our members to prioritize our regular Lord’s Day activities, but encourage them also to prayerfully consider participating in one or more of our SIGs in accordance with their schedules, interests, and phase of life. Our SIGs are voluntary and extracurricular, but an effective means of growing together in Christlikeness.
Some of our current* SIGs:
- Book Club – Meets every other month to discuss an assigned book.
- Financial Fellowship – For financial issues, particularly from the perspective of glorifying God with what He’s given us, so that we can be wise, generous, and proactive. Think financial literacy, budgeting, taxes, investing, retirement, estate planning, etc.
- Firearms Fellowship – A time of fellowship over a common interest in shooting sports which fosters camaraderie and has been a means of outreach. The group meets monthly, typically on a Friday. They often meet beforehand for coffee and afterward for lunch.
- Jubilees – To qualify a person or his/her spouse must be 50+ years of age. The group meets monthly, typically the 2nd Saturday of the month, to foster fellowship and mutual edification.
- Providence Church FBL (Fantasy Baseball) – For those with a hearty interest in baseball. This league has open enrollment each season. Participation is limited to church members.
- ProvFL (Fantasy Football) – A “keeper” league which may or may not have openings each season. Participation is limited to church members.
- Reformed Gamers – A group of young to youngish adults that meet on the 1st Sunday of the month to play tabletop games, eat, and share laughs.
- Wednesday Night Prayer Meeting – Meets Wednesday nights at 6:30PM (Presently via Zoom) to study a Psalm and bear in prayer the burdens of the church, nation, planet, and each other.
-
Dust Bunnies – Dust Bunnies is a women’s group where we exchange new or slightly used items we no longer need with other church families who might enjoy them. It’s a bit like a garage sale, but all items are free, and great fellowship is an added bonus.
-
Young Adults of Providence (YAP) – High school graduates gather multiple times per month for fellowship and instruction, often in the context of dining together.
If you don’t see a group that you’d like to be a part of and are interested in getting it started, contact one of the elders about beginning the formation process.
For more information about our SIGs, contact the pastor who can direct you to the person coordinating the SIG in question.
*As new groups may begin or complete their purpose, this list may be updated to reflect those changes.
Nursing Home Ministry
With the residents we sing, exhort & encourage from the Scriptures, and spend time in conversation and prayer, as desired.
In addition to seasonal programs and visitations, our primary manner of service is our weekly meetings. We have been unable to do so during the current pandemic, but hope to resume this ministry soon.