God’s kingdom is made up of many different branches. Humble Christians have always acknowledged that though we might perch on one branch, other branches that preach the true gospel of grace are just as important as ours. We should pray and partner so that our branches are strong. This is where a tool like theological triage is helpful. We have doctrines of first degree importance that we all must believe in order to be Christians (the deity of Christ, salvation by grace through faith, the reality of the resurrection, etc.). If we go down another degree, we have doctrines of second importance. These are doctrines where good Christians can disagree, like church governance or the proper mode of baptism. Yet, due to our convictions about these doctrines we wouldn’t be able to function together as a church in good conscience. Third degree doctrines are beliefs that faithful Christians can disagree about and still function together as a church.
We are excited to partner in helping our brothers and sisters at Christ Reformed Presbyterian Church as they secure funds for a building in Riverside. We’re thrilled that a gospel preaching church that robustly affirms doctrines of first importance will have a location they can continue to do ministry for years to come. Although there are some important convictions we don’t hold in common, we rejoice in the gospel we do have in common!
As we see in the book of Acts, churches care for other churches. We have an opportunity to care for this faithful church with a tangible need. This Sunday we’re asking you to consider giving a financial gift as we collect donations to help our friends at CRPC. After 16 years meeting in a rented facility in East Providence their congregation has grown and now is able to have a place they can call home. This new building will provide additional classrooms, office space, ample parking, and most importantly an outpost for God’s kingdom.
With a goal of $250,000 to raise, we’re asking members and friends of MHC to prayerfully consider donating toward this building fund. Every size gift is encouraged and welcome. “All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God” (2 Cor. 4:15).
Ways to give:
1.) Online. You can give online. Just go to our giving page and click on the drop-down tab entitled “Christ Reformed Presbyterian Church Building Fund.”
2.) Cash. If you’d like to give cash you can put it in an envelope with a note that it’s for CRPC Building Fund.
3.) Check. If you’d like to write a check you can make it out to Mount Hope Church and write CRPC Building Fund in the memo line.
