American Reformed Church
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WELCOME HOME
Weve been waiting for you! Its true, because we believe that every person who comes into the circle of this special fellowship was sent by God Himself. Its not by accident that we have the Joy of meeting you. So, above all else we want to express Christs love to you with genuine, heartfelt warmth. Were eager to know you, and were excited to share with you the marvelous ways God is working in our church. It wont take you long to discover that this is truly a family, rich in the relationships that matter most. Growing together, we worship, we serve, we laugh, we cry, we learn, and we reach out to our world with life-transforming truth. We reach out to you, as well. Our doors are open. Our hearts are open, too. If youve been thinking, praying, searching and hopeing for a place to belong, we say again - Welcome Home.
ABOUT A.R.C
American Reformed Church is a part of the Reformed Church in America, which has been in existence in America since 1628 when it became indepe ndent from the church in the Netherlands. We trace our heritage back through John Calvin (a 16th century reformer) who picked up where Martin Luther left off during the Protestant Reformation.
When ARC was established in 1937, its founders wanted people of all ethnicities, not just those with a Dutch heritage, to feel welcome. Though the church could trace its roots back to the Netherlands, the congregation did not desire to be exclusively Dutch. Thus, the name American Reformed Church was selected.
Our present sanctuary was built in 1971 shortly after our education wing which was built.
WHAT WE BELIEVE
At ARC we believe God created humans perfect and free to make choices. They chose to disobey their creator. Turning away from God, humanity fell into sin. All of the suffering and evil in the world is because of this sin.
Even though we have turned away from God, God still loves all people and wants our lives to be full of joy and peace. Right from the beginning, God had a plan to make this happen.
God¡¦s plan was to send Jesus, who lived a life of perfect obedience to God and who died to pay the price for all people¡¦s sins. God raised Jesus back to life. He is in heaven now, but he has promised to return to earth someday. When he comes again, he will resurrect all believers and take them to be with him in heaven.
Believers are people who accept that Jesus Christ is God¡¦s Son, who believe that Jesus died for their sins and rose from the dead, and who do their best to follow his teachings and example. Together they form the church, which is called Christ¡¦s body on earth, and which has a responsibility to continue Christ¡¦s work.
Living the Christian life is not always easy, but believers receive guidance from the Bible and from the teachings and example of Christ; and they receive encouragement and power from God¡¦s Holy Spirit.
The Reformed Church in America accepts three confessional statements as expressions of its basic beliefs: The Heidelberg Catechism, The Belgic Confession, and The Canons of Dort. The Reformed Church also affirms three creeds that arose in the early church: The Apostles¡¦ Creed, The Nicene Creed, and The Athanasian Creed.
OUR MISSION
True to its biblical foundations, historical confessions, and reading of the ¡§signs of the times,¡¨ the Reformed Church understands mission as the following:
In the belief that the Son of God, through his Spirit and Word, out of the entire human race, from the beginning of the world to its end, gathers, protects, and preserves for Himself a community chosen for eternal life and united in true faith, the Reformed Church in America defines mission as our personal and corporate participation in this work of God by intentionally crossing barriers from church to nonchurch, faith to nonfaith, to proclaim by word and deed the coming of the kingdom of God in Jesus Christ, in works of evangelism, witness, reconciliation, healing, and service, gathering people into the church through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ by the work of the Holy Spirit with a view to the transformation of the world as a sign of the coming kingdom of Jesus Christ.
A.R.C.¡¦s Mission Statement is:
American Reformed Church exists to glorify God and make Him known in Northwest Iowa and the world through communicating and living out God¡¦s Word. We desire to see new people won to Christ, to be believers rooted and established in Christ, and to be workers equipped and ministering to others.
WORSHIP & FELLOWSHIP
WORSHIP ¡V While we believe that a life of worship doesn¡¦t stop when you leave the doors of the church building, we do gather together to worship God. And, during that time we desire to worship in Spirit and in truth. This means that we desire to approach God with our praises and prayers, hear the word of God, and respond to God¡¦s word appropriately through the giving of our time, talents and treasures for the ushering in of the kingdom of God.
At ARC we recognize that there are a variety of worship styles that are becoming popular in the U.S. Our Praise Team leads worship at least one time a month.
FELLOWSHIP ¡V Christian life together is an experience we want all to enjoy. We believe that there is no such thing as a ¡§solitary Christian¡¨ and that being with one another to worship, learn, and share life is key to the life of any Christian. Therefore we make it a practice to join and eat together as often as possible, sharing our lives and our food with one another.
We desire to grow together as disciples of Jesus Christ and so we have active small groups in the church that meet monthly to study and pray. Our choir rehearses monthly and shares a common meal. We gather to celebrate an early Thanksgiving meal together each year as an entire church. Also we enjoy the musical gifts of those in our congregation and others by way of concerts. What¡¦s more, those who value physical wellness gather for exercise during the week.
EDUCATION
CHILDREN ¡V We firmly believe that children are loved by God and that He desires them to come to a saving knowledge of His Son, Jesus Christ. For this reason we make it our joy to reach out to and teach children about Jesus Christ, His life, ministry, death, and resurrection. We also desire that they grow up to become mature adults in the faith.
We provide many opportunities for children to grow up in the Lord and become active disciples of Christ. Children at ARC are nurtured through the following programs.
fÆWeekly Sunday School fÆChildren¡¦s Choir
fÆMidweek Family Night fÆSpecial programs
fÆVacation Bible School
HIGH SCHOOL ¡V As young Christians grow into adults and begin asking in-depth questions concerning the faith, we strive to provide them with opportunities to ask their questions, find the answers, and act appropriately as a response to those answers.
We believe that learning about and living the Christian Life can be fun and fruitful. Sunday School offers the opportunity to study the Bible and the Heidelberg Catechism. Our high school youth also have an active RCYF (Reformed Church Youth Fellowship) group that meets weekly to prepare for service, have fun, and learn about the Christian faith. Because we take our Lord¡¦s call to Christian service seriously, we look for ways to serve our neighbor, whether near or far, with the hope that they will see Christ in our lives and actions.
ADULT ¡V We recognize that being a Christian means we are always moving toward becoming more and more like Christ. Therefore, we consider adult education important to keep learning about life in Christ through studying the Bible and thinking deeply about how our lives in Christ can influence our surrounding culture. There is a monthly Bible study for women called Women For Christ (WFC). We also offer several adult Sunday school classes each Sunday following worship.
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