We are an orthodox, evangelical church which is committed to the Reformed tradition. By orthodox, we mean that we believe in the same faith that the church has always believed in for 2000 years. The Apostle’s Creed and Nicene Creed summarize the basics of the Christian faith, including things like the Trinity, the person and work of Christ, and the importance of the Church.
By evangelical, we mean that we hold to the full authority of Scripture (2 Timothy 3:16-17) and that we need the Holy Spirit to bring about a new birth in our hearts. (John 3:3-8)
We are a Reformed and Presbyterian church. We confess the truths contained in the Westminster Standards and are connected to a Presbyterian denomination known as the Presbyterian Church in America
The only requirement for joining Church of the Redeemer is a credible profession of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and to be (or have been) baptized in the name of the Triune God.
We don’t think those categories are always helpful in describing a church. We have traditional elements simply because we profess a faith that is 2000 years old. So, our beliefs are pretty traditional and some things we do in worship services (prayer, the Lord’s Supper, reading Scripture) are traditional.
But, we don’t ask folks to dress in formal attire. We like having noisy kids in our church. Our worship music is a blend of older and newer lyrics and tunes.
In the end, we hope to be a welcoming and open church to any who wish to be our guest.
Yes! There is nursery care available for children ages 3 and under during the Worship Service and Sabbath School
Yes! We have a children’s class during our Sabbath School hour on Sunday mornings. We also have a Children’s Lesson during the Worship Service.
However, we encourage families to remain in worship together as much as possible. God has always wanted families to worship together. (Exodus 12:3; Deut 6:4-9; Joshua 24:15; 1 Samuel 20:6; Jeremiah 31:1; Acts 16:31-32)
Sort of. We call them Community Groups. Through these groups made up of men, women, married, singles, old, and young we do ministry and mission together.
We currently have a Cortland Community Group and a Homer Community Group
Throughout the year we will have special ministry events for men and for women. Check out our Calendar for what is coming up!
We believe that baptism is a sign of God’s grace which seals his promise to our hearts. We practice water baptism as commanded by our Lord Jesus. (Matthew 28:18-20) And we practice covenant or paedobaptism where we baptize professing believers and their children. (Acts 2:38-39) We practice sprinkling or pouring of water, but we also practice immersion for those who request it.
While many churches try to involve themselves in partisan politics and endorsing political candidates, we believe that the church has a spiritual mission. We are called to be a faithful presence (Matthew 5:13-16) in our culture.
So, we have members of our church who vote for different political parties. We try to be loud where the Bible is loud and quiet where the Bible is quiet. We don’t exist to win a culture war. We exist to live out the mission of Jesus’ church.
I hope we are a welcoming church to the LGBT Community and any community or individuals who desire to sit at the feet of Jesus with us.
Does that mean we affirm any and all lifestyles? Of course not. We affirm what most Christians have affirmed for 2000 years when it comes to marriage, gender, and sexuality.
However, the welcome Jesus is extended to all who may come and see him. Yet, this welcoming Jesus will lay down a loving challenge to all who listen to him. This includes the LGBT Community or any other community.
If you want to learn more about how our denomination has handled these issues, check out this study report on Human Sexuality.
During the pandemic we have followed the official guidelines from New York State. Currently, there are no COVID guidelines to follow except for various recommendations from the CDC. We encourage all who wish to visit us to make sure they aren’t showing signs of COVID or other diseases.
Yes we do! We usually use Facebook Live to stream our services. You may visit our Facebook page to view our livestream worship services.