About Us

Getting to Know Us Better

As the people of God, we are united by what God has done through Jesus Christ’s death on the cross and bound together by it. We share a passion for the Truth of God’s Word, a heart to live in unity built on it, and a desire to impact our world with it. We are not the perfect church… we are imperfect people finding our brokenness mended by Jesus.

Who We Are

Okanogan Evangelical Presbyterian Church (OEPC) is the first Protestant church in Alma, Washington, having been organized in May, 1904. It was renamed and incorporated as a church under the state of Washington laws on March 23, 1907. It joined the Evangelical Presbyterian Church (EPC) on July 13, 2013. OEPC is a community of believers that have been a presence in the Okanogan Valley, bringing its history and witness to Jesus Christ over the years. 

What We Believe

As a congregation of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, OEPC embraces the Reformed and Evangelical tenets of the Christian Faith. As a Reformed and Presbyterian Church, we adopt the Westminster Confession of Faith as a document that better expresses our theological stand. As an Evangelical Church, we hold the Essentials of Our Faith, a document that identifies the church with the Evangelical churches that share the same essentials of the Christian Faith around the world. The Essentials of Our Faith are here presented as set by our denomination:

 

All Scripture is self-attesting and being Truth, requires our unreserved submission in all areas of life. The infallible Word of God, the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments, is a complete and unified witness to God’s redemptive acts culminating in the incarnation of the Living Word, the Lord Jesus Christ. The Bible, uniquely and fully inspired by the Holy Spirit, is the supreme and final authority on all matters on which it speaks. On this sure foundation we affirm these Essentials:

 

  1. We believe in one God, the sovereign Creator and Sustainer of all things, infinitely perfect and eternally existing in three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. To Him be all honor, glory and praise forever!

 

  1. Jesus Christ, the living Word, became flesh through His miraculous conception by the Holy Spirit and His virgin birth. He who is true God became true man united in one Person forever. He died on the cross a sacrifice for our sins according to the Scriptures. On the third day He arose bodily from the dead, ascended into heaven, where, at the right hand of the Majesty on High, He now is our High Priest and Mediator.

 

  1. The Holy Spirit has come to glorify Christ and to apply the saving work of Christ to our hearts. He convicts us of sin and draws us to the Savior. Indwelling our hearts, He gives new life to us, empowers and imparts gifts to us for service. He instructs and guides us into all truth, and seals us for the day of redemption.

 

  1. Being estranged from God and condemned by our sinfulness, our salvation is wholly dependent upon the work of God’s free grace. God credits His righteousness to those who put their faith in Christ alone for their salvation, thereby justifies them in His sight. Only such as are born of the Holy Spirit and receive Jesus Christ become children of God and heirs of eternal life.

 

  1. The true Church is composed of all persons who through saving faith in Jesus Christ and the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit are united together in the body of Christ. The Church finds her visible, yet imperfect, expression in local congregations where the Word of God is preached in its purity and the sacraments are administered in their integrity; where scriptural discipline is practiced, and where loving fellowship is maintained. For her perfecting, she awaits the return of her Lord.

 

  1. Jesus Christ will come again to the earth—personally, visibly, and bodily—to judge the living and the dead, and to consummate history and the eternal plan of God. “Even so, come, Lord Jesus” (Revelation 22:20).

 

  1. The Lord Jesus Christ commands all believers to proclaim the Gospel throughout the world and to make disciples of all nations. Obedience to the Great Commission requires total commitment to “Him who loved us and gave Himself for us.” He calls us to a life of self-denying love and service. “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10).

Our Vision

The vision of Okanogan Evangelical Presbyterian Church is to enlarge its Evangelical presence in the Okanogan Valley and beyond in faithful obedience to Jesus Christ’s Great Commission.

Our Mission

The mission of Okanogan Evangelical Presbyterian Church is to glorify the Triune God through the preaching of the Gospel of the Kingdom of God by serving those who are called into Eternal Life by God through the redemptive work of Jesus Christ and the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit.

Our Core Values

We join other Evangelical brothers and sisters in sharing our vision and mission for the sake of the Gospel. From them, we present our core values:

 

·         We are committed to a clear biblical teaching and preaching. We believe that the Bible is the primary way our Lord reveals himself to us; it only makes sense to us that we would pursue a deeper and clearer understanding of it. It is by truthfully ministering from a Bible centered commitment to the Truth of the Gospel that we will grow as followers of Jesus Christ.

·         We are committed to living in community. We believe that the Gospel has drawn us to be a living expression of God’s family. This leads us to the understanding that we are in fact one in Christ and that we are called to love and serve one another. It is only in Jesus Christ that we have our equality before God as brothers and sisters, redeemed by the same precious blood and call to life.

·         We are committed to a purposeful care for our community. We believe that God has placed us in Okanogan for his own purpose. Because of this, we feel called to care for our neighbors. As God’s people, we are called to be a blessing to others. Our commitment to our community comes from the understanding that we are blessed to be a blessing. This brings us to believe that our faith is active; this is Love in Action.