Blog articles

Learning from Philip Melanchthon

Dear Church Family,

Have you ever heard of Philip Melanchthon? Born in 1497, he became one of the most influential figures in the Protestant Reformation and Martin Luther’s closest theological colleague. However, Melanchthon was very different from Luther. Luther was bold, confrontational, and fearless, while Melanchthon was measured, timid, and gentle. Luther was like a bull in a China-shop. Melanchthon was a butterfly in a showroom full of glass. God used both men, with their different gifts, to advance the truth of the Gospel and reform the church.

What Does It Mean that God Is Our Comforter?

Click on the link below to view a recent article by Pastor Clif featured by Ligonier Ministries. In it he discusses what it means that God is our comforter.

Officer Nomination & Election

Dear CPC Flock,

1 Timothy was written by Paul to his young protégé, who was laboring in Ephesus. One of the things he wanted Timothy to do was to have elders and deacons elected, trained, and installed into the church. Elders were to lead and teach the church. Deacons were to serve and care for the church. Without them, the health and continuance of the church in Ephesus would suffer. However, Paul didn’t want Timothy to just pick anyone. Hence why he gave officer qualifications in chapter 3, which related to the character and giftedness required for each office. Paul knew that having bad elders and bad deacons would ruin the church in Ephesus. Timothy and the congregation needed to be wise and follow his instructions.

Mark 10:14

Mark 10:14—Let the children come to me; do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God.

The Blessing of Singing the Psalms

The Blessing of Singing the Psalms

Like many children, when my kids were little, they used to love to sing in the bathtub. They would sing their Veggie Tale favorites, “The Hairbrush Song” or “The Belly Button Song.” But some of my most precious memories were when they would sing Ps. 117 “From all that dwell below the skies, O let Jehovah’s praise arise! Alleluia! Alleluia!”

Counting Our Blessings

Counting Our Blessings

I mentioned a couple of weeks ago in an evening sermon about counting our blessings. The Lord has been good to us in many ways. Surely, we can’t number them all. However, it is a good thing to name some of the blessings we have kindly received from God. We have been blessed with family members and friends and jobs and provision. And our chief blessings are found in Christ through his life, death, resurrection, and intercession (Eph. 1:3-14). The Lord is the giver of every good and perfect gift (James 1:17)—the greatest being Jesus our Savior.

Church Services Cancelled- Sunday, January 25th

Due to declining weather conditions, the Session has decided to cancel all services at CPC tomorrow, January 25th. Please stay safe in your home. In lieu of our usual in-person worship services, here is a list of churches, with their live stream links, that you can watch online for morning & evening services.

Thanksgiving 2025

Dear CPC Flock,

The Scriptures are full of reasons for why we are to give thanks. Ps. 9:1—I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds. We are to give thanks for everything from creation to Christ. Ps. 107:1—Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever! We are to give thanks for his unending affection and commitment that never changes. 2 Cor. 9:15—give thanks for his inexpressible gift. We give thanks to the Father for blessing us with his Son. 1 Cor. 15:57—But thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. We give thanks for Christ’s work to rescue us from Satan, sin, and death.

The Need for Doctrine

Not everyone is gung-ho about church history. And yet, there is much to learn from it.  Hebrews 12:1 tells us we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses. Rom. 15:4 and 1 Cor. 10:6 teach us how these witnesses from Scripture, and by extension outside of Scripture, are given for our instruction. Therefore, we can gain much from history, especially periods like Reformation. What do we learn?

Haggai 1:1

Haggai 1:1—In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, on the first day of the month, the word of the Lord came by the hand of Haggai the prophet to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest: