Prayers for Belgium

 

For the People of Belgium: We ask God's mercy for those who died.  We share the pain of the loved ones.  We express our deepest sympathy to the injured and their families.  May the Lord give Belgium comfort and consolation amid this crisis.

Our Mission Church In India Completed

We are proud to announce our mission church is completed and held its first service in the new building on March 6, 2016.  Pastor Michael Goel and Asst. Pastor James Sinh baptized 6 new congregants during the opening service.

For the time being, the India Mission shall be under the direction of the Plymouth, USA Presbytery.  As the mission grows a Presbyter (bishop) shall be elected by the end of the year.

We pray and ask your prayers that The Lord will bless and extend our Puritan Mission in India.  Thanks be to God.

Kaylan Puritan Church - Kaylan, India

Opening service of new church March 6, 2016

Pastor Michael Goel

Mission In India

Since September of this year, we have begun a mission in Kalyan, India just outside of Mumbai (Bombay).  Since its beginning, there have been over 150 baptisms and 18 weddings.  We have just broken ground on the church building.  Pray for our mission and the minister and congregation.

New Church Building

Congregation

Pastor Michael Goel Baptizing Converts

Reaffirmation Of Christmas Directive

Why don’t Puritans celebrate Christmas?

• Jesus commanded that we commemorate his death, not his birth.—Luke 22:19, 20.
• Jesus’ apostles and early disciples did not celebrate Christmas. The New Catholic Encyclopedia says that “the Nativity feast was instituted no earlier than 243 [C.E.],” more than a century after the last of the apostles died.
• There is no proof that Jesus was born on December 25; his birth date is not recorded in the Bible.
• We believe that Christmas is not approved by God because it is rooted in pagan customs and rites.—2 Corinthians 6:17.

Many Christians still celebrate Christmas despite knowing about its pagan roots and lack of support from the Bible. Such persons could ask: Why should Christians take such an unpopular stance? Why make it an issue?

The Bible encourages Christians to think for ourselves, to use our “power of reason.” (Romans 12:1, 2) It teaches us to value the truth. (John 4:23, 24) So while we are interested in how others view us, we adhere to Bible principles even if it means that we become unpopular.

Although Puritans choose not to celebrate Christmas ourselves, we respect each person’s right to decide for himself in this matter. We do not interfere in the Christmas celebrations of others.

Millions of Christians worldwide celebrate Christmas for various reasons. Some enjoy festive times with friends and family. Others think about God or devote time to helping the poor or needy. By themselves, these are undoubtedly worthy deeds. However, they are clouded by the dark side of this holiday.

First, many celebrants believe that Christmas is a birthday celebration for Jesus. However, historians widely concur that the date of his birth is unknown. The Christian Book of Why notes that “the early Christians refused to set aside a date marking Jesus’ birth” because they wanted “to divorce themselves from all pagan practices.” Interestingly, the Bible gives no indication that Jesus ever celebrated his own birthday or anyone else’s. In contrast, he did command his followers to commemorate his death.—Luke 22:19.

Second, many scholars agree that most Christmas traditions have their roots in non-Christian and pagan customs. These include Santa Claus, as well as using mistletoe and the Christmas tree, exchanging gifts, burning candles and Yule logs, hanging decorative wreaths, and caroling. Regarding some of these customs, the book The Externals of the Catholic Church observed: “When we give or receive Christmas gifts, and hang green wreaths in our homes and churches, how many of us know that we are probably observing pagan customs?”

You, though, may wonder what is wrong with following these seemingly innocent customs. Consider this third point as an answer. God does not approve of the blending of pagan customs with pure worship. Through His prophet Amos, God said to His wayward worshippers in ancient Israel: “I hate, I despise your festivals . . . Spare me the din of your songs.”—Amos 5:21, 23.

Why such strong words? Consider what the people of the northern kingdom of ancient Israel were doing. Their first king, Jeroboam, placed golden calves in the cities of Dan and Bethel and induced the people to worship these rather than to worship God properly at the temple in Jerusalem. The king also instituted festivals and appointed priests to help the people celebrate them.—1 Kings 12:26-33.

What those Israelites did was seemingly for a good cause. After all, were they not doing all these things in the name of worshipping God and pleasing him? God’s strong words through Amos and other prophets indicate clearly just how God felt about such practices. Through the prophet Malachi, God said: “I am your God; I do not change.” (Malachi 3:6) Does that not tell us how God feels about the many Christmas celebrations today?

After considering the above facts, millions of people have decided to abstain from celebrating Christmas. Instead, they find joy and true satisfaction in spending time with their friends and family and in helping the poor and needy whenever they wish throughout the year.

US Synod President Paul Duff and Newly Consecrated Bishop Charles Winston

US Puritan Synod President, Bishop Paul Duff

We wish to congratulate Bishop Paul Duff, of the Houston Presbytery, on being elected President of the US Puritan Synod.  The results of voting: 358 Yea, 21 Nay.

Bishop Duff's term shall be from July 15, 2015 to July 31, 2018.

Giving Sermon At Installation Service

We also wish to congratulate newly consecrated Bishop of the San Francisco Presbytery, Rev. Charles Winston.  Voting results:
Rev. Winston 214
Rev. Liang 106
Rev. Saltillo 63

Bishop Winston shall begin as Bishop on July 15.  Bishop Winston shall pastor Columbia Heights Puritan Church in San Francisco, CA.

Bishop Charles Winston, Consecration Service

Puritan Church In America Response To Supreme Court Ruling

As Christians, we are committed to Biblical faith and ethics. Puritans stand on the authority of Christ and God's Truth in Scripture as central to our lives.

What the Bible says about marriage is clear, definitive and unchanging. We affirm biblical, traditional, natural marriage as the uniting of one man and one woman in covenant commitment for a lifetime. The Scriptures' teaching on marriage is not negotiable. We stake our lives upon the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus.

Consequently, we will not accept, nor adhere to, any legal redefinition of marriage issued by any political or judicial body of any secular nation or court. We will not recognize same-sex "marriages", our churches will not host same-sex ceremonies, and we will not perform such ceremonies. 

While we affirm our love for all people, including those struggling with same-sex attraction, we cannot and will not affirm the moral acceptability of homosexual behavior or any behavior that deviates from God's design for marriage. We also believe religious freedom is at stake within this critical issue – that our first duty is to love and obey God, not man.

Therefore, we strongly encourage all Christian pastors, leaders, educators, and churches to openly reject any mandated legal definition of marriage and to use their influence to affirm God's design for life and relationships. 

We join together with those all over the world who define marriage as between one man and one woman for life.

Bishop Candidates For Presbytery of San Francisco

Rev Charles Winston

Born in Souix City, Iowa and graduated from Sioux City High School.  Graduated from Hyles-Anderson College.  Graduated from Manchester Puritan Seminary (Manchester, Iowa) and ordained Puritan Minister in 1991.  STD from Cromwell Puritan Graduate Seminary, 1998.

Pastor Dubuque Bible Church, Dubuque, IA 1993-1996
Pastor Gardenview Fellowship, Kansas City, MO, 1996-2000
Pastor Kansas City Bible Church, Kansas City, MO, 2000-

Mission work performed in Mexico and The Philippines.

Rev. Jaime Saltillo

Born in Los Angeles, CA and graduated from Roosevelt High School.  Graduated from Southern California Bible Institute.  Graduated from Western Puritan Seminary and ordained Puritan Minister in 1997. 

Pastor Los Angeles Union Gospel Mission, Los Angeles, CA 1997-2007
Pastor Happy Hollow Bible Church, Orange County, CA 2007-2014
Pastor Barstow Downtown Bible Fellowship, Barstow, CA 2014-

Mission work performed in Guatemala, Peru, Puerto Rico, and Antigua.

Duan Liang

Born in Kingman, AZ.  Graduated from Wilson High School in Flagstaff, AZ.  Graduated from Christ For The Nations (Dallas, TX) and ordained a Puritan Minister in 1989.

Pastor Royal Lane Congregational Church, Dallas, TX 1989-2000
Pastor Glendale Chinese Bible Fellowship, Glendale, CA 2000-2009
Pastor Los Angeles Chinese Fellowship, Los Angeles, CA 2009-
Director of Orange County Gospel Mission, 2012-

Mission work in Taiwan, China, and Hong Kong