History
What We Believe About the Church
We believe there is one holy, universal Church which has existed from the beginning of the world and will exist to the end of times. It is gathered and upheld by the Lord God, through His Son, Jesus Christ.
We further believe that the marks by which the Church is known are these:
1. The pure preaching of the gospel
2. The pure administration of the sacraments (Baptism and Lord’s Supper)
3. The practice of church discipline, which includes preserving and promoting harmony and unity within the Church as well as keeping all members obedient to God.
In short, all things must be managed according to the Word of God and all things contrary must be rejected.
Historically, we trace our roots to the time of the Reformation in the 16th century. In addition to following the three ecumenical creeds, we adhere to the following confessions:
1. The Belgic Confession of Faith
2. The Heidelberg Catechism
3. The Canons of Dort
Why is “Reformed” Included in Our Name?
The word “Reformed” is indeed essential for today. It simply means “back to the original form,” that is, the form which God Himself intended and revealed in His Word, the Bible. The word “Reformed” points to the Word of God as the solid foundation of the Church with Jesus Christ as its only head. These truths were again discovered during the years of the Reformation by men such as John Calvin.
With the Church of all ages, we confess with heart and mouth one of the great and well known creeds of Christendom, “The 12 Articles of Faith,” commonly called the Apostles’ Creed.
The Canadian Reformed Churches are rooted in the Protestant Reformation especially as it developed in the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands and came to Canada via post Second World War Dutch immigrants. Follow this link to read the full history.
Our own local congregation first started meeting at Port Kells community hall and were instituted as a congregation on January 21, 1990. By July 1996 we had purchased our own property and began constructing the church building. On March 2, 1997 we opened and dedicated the church building to God’s kingdom as it currently stands, the Willoughby Heights Canadian Reformed Church.