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Our Mission Statement

 

We are a collection of broken people who have been saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.  We are empowered by the Holy Spirit to share the good news that our Heavenly Father loves each person with an everlasting love.  In so doing, we seek to bring the gospel of Jesus Christ to others and minister to their needs in love. 

 

ONE HEART, ONE HOPE, JESUS CHRIST


Who We Are

Pastor Al Platt

Pastor Al Platt

The Athabasca Reformed Congregation was formed March 10, 1991 joining the Reformed Church in America (RCA) with Reverend Don Crowhurst as its pastor. Reverend Crowhurst retired a year later (1992) and suggested we consider a bright and energetic young man to be our next Pastor.

And so the newly ordained Pastor Ron Opmeer was called from British Columia, and was installed as Minister of Word and Sacrament on March 11, 1993. Pastor Ron grew the congregation from its beginnings, meeting in the Nancy Appleby Performing Arts Theatre until 2011, when we moved to our newly purchased permanent facility (which was a former senior’s residence).  Pastor Ron and his wife Melanie saw their family grow with the addition of four energic boys born to them during their time here. Then, after 20 years of dedicated ministry to the Reformed Congregation and the community of Athabasca, Pastor Ron accepted a call to pastor the Bethel Reformed Church of Abbottsford, B.C.; making the move at the end of June 2012.

A seminarian from Ontario, Al Plat, arrived on July 2nd of that year to fill in as our student minister for the summer of 2012. Nine weeks later, in early September when Al returned to school, our congregation offered him a contract to pastor our church, even while he was completing his schooling online; with the promise of a call upon his completion of seminary. And so it was that in July, 2013, the Plat’s moved to Athabasca and we welcomed Pastor Al, his wife Jeannette and their children Leah and Ryan to our congregation.  Al graduated from Western Theological Seminary (Holland, Michigan) in May of 2015, and was installed as our ordained Minister of Word and Sacrament on September 19th, 2015.

 

Our Beliefs

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About God: God is love. We are drawn to God by overwhelming, unconditional, irresistible love. God is one and three, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

About Jesus: Jesus is the Son of God, fully God and fully human. Jesus is Lord of our lives. Jesus is a friend and a brother. Jesus saves. Jesus is alive.

About the Bible: The final truth about our salvation is found in the Bible, God-inspired words, preserved by the Holy Spirit, to help us know God and God’s will.

About Salvation: Because of our sin we cannot save ourselves from eternal death. We are saved by the work of Jesus on the Cross. We are saved by grace alone, through faith alone.

About the Church: We exist to worship God and to be the hands and feet of Jesus in the world. We are a covenant community accountable to God and each other.

About Discipleship: All believers are called to be transformed and transforming followers of Jesus Christ, bringing mercy and compassionate justice to children, families and communities.

About Prayer: God offers us this most important way to engage in a two-way conversation with God. Prayer is vital for our lives and our families.

About Serving Together: God calls both men and women to serve alongside each other as Teachers of God’s Word and to the Church Offices of Minister of Word and Sacrament, Elder and Deacon.


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RCA

The Reformed Church in America, is the oldest protestant denomination in America with a continuous history. It was established in New York in 1628. It is a historic denomination coming out of the Reformation when the Church was "reformed" according to the Word of God. The Church is Reformed in belief, with a Presbyterian form of government.

The Reformed Church in America (RCA) is a confessional church. This means that, as a denomination, we affirm specific statements of belief called creeds and confessions. These statements are biblically based and were written to respond to issues by explaining in detail what the church believes about those topics.

Along with most Christian churches, the RCA affirms three creeds that were written in the first few centuries after Jesus’s death: the Apostles’ Creed, the Nicene Creed, and the Athanasian Creed.

Four statements of belief, known in the RCA as Standards of Unity, express what the Reformed Church believes: the Heidelberg Catechism, the Belgic Confession, the Canons of Dort, and the Confession of Belhar.


The Town of Athabasca

The Town of Athabasca resides alongside the beautiful Athabasca River, in the County of Athabasca in North-Central Alberta, 144 km from the city of Edmonton.  The town`s population is approximately 2,900, but we serve a much larger population in the surrounding area of about 10,000.  There are many recreational, cultural and services available in the town and surrounding area, including a Multiplex Facility (arena, curling rink, soccer pitches, gym, workout facilities), an indoor pool, walking trails, and performing arts theatre.  There are ample recreation, music, drama and sports organizations and events available to residents and visitors.

Athabasca County is part of the public school system.  There is an active French Immersion program in Athabasca up to Grade 9. There are 3 schools in Athabasca:  Whispering Hills Primary School (grades 1 – 3), Landing Trail Intermediate School (grades 4 – 6) and a brand new High School, Edwin Parr Composite (grades 8 – 12).

The Town of Athabasca is also home to a world-class, distance post-secondary educational institution – Athabasca University.

Please visit the Town of Athabasca and County of Athabasca websites to find out more about our beautiful and diverse community: