Westminster Presbyterian Church | |
---|---|
Location | 2701 Cameron Mills Road Alexandria, VA 22302 |
Country | United States |
Denomination | Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) |
Website | http://www.wpc-alex.org |
History | |
Founded | 1939 |
Architecture | |
Style | Colonial Revival |
Clergy | |
Minister(s) | Larry R. Hayward, Pastor Patrick A. Hunnicutt, Associate Pastor G. Jacob Bolton, Associate Pastor Olivia Patterson, Associate Pastor |
Westminster Presbyterian Church of Alexandria, Virginia, U.S. located at the corner of Cameron Mills Road and Monticello Boulevard in the city's North Ridge section. Westminster Presbyterian Church is a member of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), the Mid-Atlantic Synod and the National Capital Presbytery.
The congregation was founded in 1939. Its initial colonial-style edifice was built in 1942. The current sanctuary was constructed in 1952 to accommodate the rapidly growing congregation; the old sanctuary became the chapel. The cornerstone of the new building was laid by then President Harry S. Truman. [1]
In 1961, a large education building was added to accommodate Sunday school classes, music facilities, additional office spaces, and meeting areas for numerous church programs. The church's current organ is a three-manual M. P. Moller, installed by the firm in 1965; the dedicatory recital was played by Virgil Fox, the prominent American concert organist. [1]
In 2006–07, the church underwent major renovations, during which the sanctuary was again rebuilt to accommodate the changing liturgical needs.
During the renovations on the church, Agudas Achim Congregation served as the temporary home of the church. [2]
Senior Pastors at Westminster Presbyterian Church
The order of service follows the structure of The Service for the Lord's Day as outlined in The Book of Common Worship of 1993, a directory of worship that has restored a liturgical tradition that is both Reformed and catholic (pre-denominational). While the centrality of Scripture is upheld through the Word read and proclaimed, the church recognizes that the true unity begins with the sacraments of Baptism and Communion. The Eucharist is recognized as central to the liturgy, which at Westminster Presbyterian Church is exemplified by the central position of the communion table. The unity of the communion table, the baptismal font, and the pulpit signify "the true road to healing the brokenness of Christ's church." [3]
Under the direction of Dr. R. Benjamin Hutchens, II, the music ministry at Westminster Presbyterian Church is firmly based in the traditions of classical music. Its music ministry offers the members opportunities to lead worship services as choristers, handbell players, vocal and instrumental soloists, and cantors. [4] The 50 voice (auditioned) adult choir sings a great variety of music in worship, from Renaissance Motets to complex choral-orchestral works such as Durufle's Requiem, Ralph Vaughan Williams' "Dona nobis pacem," or Honneger's King David. In addition to leading in worship on Sunday mornings, the adult choir offers services of Choral Evensong regularly and tours internationally in even numbered years.
The Westminster Music Academy offers music education in the Christian Tradition for children pre-K through Grade 12. Our advanced middle and high school ensemble, Choristers, frequently joins the Adult Choir in choral-orchestral works and on international tours.
Presbyterianism is a Reformed (Calvinist) Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders. Though there are other Reformed churches that are structurally similar, the word Presbyterian is applied to churches that trace their roots to the Church of Scotland or to English Dissenter groups that formed during the English Civil War.
A church service is a formalized period of Christian communal worship, often held in a church building. Most Christian denominations hold church services on the Lord's Day ; a number of traditions have mid-week services, while some traditions worship on a Saturday. In some Christian denominations, church services are held daily, with these including those in which the seven canonical hours are prayed, as well as the offering of the Mass, among other forms of worship. In addition to this, many Christians attend services on holy days such as Christmas, Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, Ascension Thursday, among others depending on the Christian denomination.
Anglican church music is music that is written for Christian worship in Anglican religious services, forming part of the liturgy. It mostly consists of pieces written to be sung by a church choir, which may sing a cappella or accompanied by an organ.
In Christianity, worship is the act of attributing reverent honour and homage to God. In the New Testament, various words are used to refer to the term worship. One is proskuneo which means to bow down to God or kings.
Saint Thomas Choir School is a boarding school located in Manhattan, New York, one of three world-wide that exclusively educate boy treble choristers, while requiring them to board at the school.
The Directory for Public Worship is a liturgical manual produced by the Westminster Assembly in 1644 to replace the Book of Common Prayer. Approved by the Parliament of England in 1644 and the Parliament of Scotland in 1645, the Directory is part of the Westminster Standards, together with the Westminster Confession of Faith, the Westminster Shorter Catechism, the Westminster Larger Catechism, and the Form of Church Government.
Presbyterian worship documents worship practices in Presbyterian churches; in this case, the practices of the many churches descended from the Scottish Presbyterian church at the time of the Reformation.
The National Presbyterian Church is a Christian congregation of approximately 1,500 members of all ages from the greater metropolitan Washington, D.C. area. The mission statement of the church is "Leading People to Become Faithful Followers of Jesus Christ Together in God's World"
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The First Presbyterian Church in Buffalo, New York was the first organized religious body formed in what was then the western frontier of New York State. The town of Buffalo was sparsely populated when the church was organized on February 2, 1812. However, having survived the War of 1812, the town of Buffalo was rebuilt and rapidly grew with the completion of the Erie Canal in 1825. The first two buildings were located on the same downtown lot. However, the congregation relocated between 1889 and 1891 to its present location approximately one and-a-half miles to the north in a more residential area.
Pinnacle Presbyterian Church is a Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) congregation of more than 1,200 members located in north Scottsdale, Arizona.
The Presbyterian Church of Brazil is an Evangelical Protestant Christian denomination in Brazil. It is the largest Presbyterian denomination in the country, having an estimate 702,949 members, 4,915 ordained ministers and 5,420 churches and parishes. It is also the only Presbyterian denomination in Brazil present in all 26 States and the Federal District.
The Old Presbyterian Meeting House is a Christian church located at 321 South Fairfax Street in the Old Town neighborhood of Alexandria, Virginia. It is part of the National Capital Presbytery and the Synod of the Mid-Atlantic of the Presbyterian Church (USA).
Agudas Achim Congregation is an egalitarian Conservative synagogue located at 2908 Valley Drive, Alexandria, Virginia, in the United States. The synagogue was founded in 1914, and its cemetery was founded in 1933.
Knox-Metropolitan United Church stands on Lorne Street at Victoria Avenue across from Victoria Park in downtown Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. It is the current manifestation of Presbyterian and Methodist congregations that date back to "worship services in both traditions…in 1882."
Reformed worship is religious devotion to God as conducted by Reformed or Calvinistic Christians, including Presbyterians. Despite considerable local and national variation, public worship in most Reformed and Presbyterian churches is governed by the Regulative principle of worship.
Church music in Scotland includes all musical composition and performance of music in the context of Christian worship in Scotland, from the beginnings of Christianisation in the fifth century, to the present day. The sources for Scottish Medieval music are extremely limited due to factors including a turbulent political history, the destructive practices of the Scottish Reformation, the climate and the relatively late arrival of music printing. In the early Middle Ages, ecclesiastical music was dominated by monophonic plainchant, which led to the development of a distinct form of liturgical Celtic chant. It was superseded from the eleventh century by more complex Gregorian chant. In the High Middle Ages, the need for large numbers of singing priests to fulfill the obligations of church services led to the foundation of a system of song schools, to train boys as choristers and priests. From the thirteenth century, Scottish church music was increasingly influenced by continental developments. Monophony was replaced from the fourteenth century by the Ars Nova consisting of complex polyphony. Survivals of works from the first half of the sixteenth century indicate the quality and scope of music that was undertaken at the end of the Medieval period. The outstanding Scottish composer of the first half of the sixteenth century was Robert Carver, who produced complex polyphonic music.
Evensong is a church service traditionally held near sunset focused on singing psalms and other biblical canticles. It is loosely based on the canonical hours of vespers and compline. Old English speakers translated the Latin word vesperas as æfensang, which became 'evensong' in modern English. Typically used in reference to the Anglican daily office's evening liturgy, it can also refer to the pre-Reformation form of vespers or services of evening prayer from other denominations, particularly within the Anglican Use of the Catholic Church.
Martha L. Moore-Keish is an American theologian ordained in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Her work is primarily focused on Reformed theology, liturgical theology and ecumenical theology, including engagement with interfaith issues around the world. She currently engages this work as the J.B. Green Associate Professor of Theology at Columbia Theological Seminary.
Grace Episcopal Church is an active and historic Episcopal church in Madison, New Jersey, United States. Established in 1854, Grace has the largest membership of any parish in the Episcopal Diocese of Newark, with traditional "high church" Christian worship and a strong choral music program.