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Forestgate Presbyterian Church

970 North Gate Boulevard
Colorado Springs, CO, 80921
(719) 495-5672

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Forestgate Presbyterian Church

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Featured
Jun 6, 2025
'Crybaby' - A Trip Down Memory Lane
Jun 6, 2025
Jun 6, 2025
May 30, 2025
REDEEMED, RICH, AND SECURE: Our Blessings in Christ – Part 4 of TBD on Ephesians
May 30, 2025
May 30, 2025
May 23, 2025
What I’m reading, preaching, May 23, 2025 - Blogs and such
May 23, 2025
May 23, 2025
May 16, 2025
CHOSEN CHILDREN, Our Blessings in Christ – Part 3 of TBD on Ephesians
May 16, 2025
May 16, 2025
May 9, 2025
What I’m Reading, What I’m Preaching - Hebrews, Chapell, Beeke, Trueman, and more
May 9, 2025
May 9, 2025
May 2, 2025
What I Have Vowed I Will Pay
May 2, 2025
May 2, 2025
Apr 25, 2025
SAINTS - Our Identity in Christ, Part 2 of TBD on Ephesians
Apr 25, 2025
Apr 25, 2025
Apr 18, 2025
Have a Good Friday
Apr 18, 2025
Apr 18, 2025
Apr 11, 2025
Ephesians, part 1 of TBD…
Apr 11, 2025
Apr 11, 2025
Apr 4, 2025
What I’m Reading, Preaching, etc.
Apr 4, 2025
Apr 4, 2025
Jul 13, 2024
When a President gets shot...
Jul 13, 2024
Jul 13, 2024
Jun 14, 2024
PCA General Assembly Report 2024
Jun 14, 2024
Jun 14, 2024
Mar 8, 2024
What I’m Thinking, What I’m Reading
Mar 8, 2024
Mar 8, 2024
Feb 23, 2024
‘OUT-LOVE, OUT-PREACH, OUT-DIE’ – A Path to Gospel Faithfulness for Pastors Prone to Pessimism (and Addicted to Alliteration)
Feb 23, 2024
Feb 23, 2024
Feb 16, 2024
'We have an enemy'
Feb 16, 2024
Feb 16, 2024
Jan 27, 2024
A 'Humble Petition'
Jan 27, 2024
Jan 27, 2024
Jan 22, 2024
Quarterly Report
Jan 22, 2024

Forestgate Quarterly Report (Given before worship on Sunday, Jan 21, 2024)

Jan 22, 2024
Dec 1, 2023
Love Came Down at Christmas
Dec 1, 2023
Dec 1, 2023
Nov 22, 2023
Ministry in this Strange New World: 20 Quotes to whet your appetite
Nov 22, 2023
Nov 22, 2023
Nov 16, 2023
Get Angry…
Nov 16, 2023
Nov 16, 2023
Oct 31, 2023
A Reformation Day post, on the 506th Anniversary
Oct 31, 2023
Oct 31, 2023
Oct 30, 2023
If Costco cares about membership, then so should Christians.
Oct 30, 2023

If Costco cares about membership, then so should Christians.

By Matt Giesman

Costco takes membership pretty seriously. Do Christians in local churches do the same?

Why ask that question? Am I trying to imply that Christians don’t? Not necessarily, and that’s certainly not how I got started down this road. True story: A few months ago, the pastoral staff at our church were discussing something (probably our upcoming new members class), and our minds shifted to logistics and food and things like that. I’m pretty sure Costco came up. Then we mentioned membership vows (a series of lessons we teach during the new members class). And I was trying to say that membership vows were important without sounding too heavy-handed. And then it dawned on me – Even Costco has standards and expectations for its members. If they’re not ashamed of their membership standards, then we shouldn’t be, either.[1]

Does that mean I previously was ashamed of my church’s membership vows? I don’t think so. But for the past four years or more, I’ve been wondering if we don’t emphasize them enough. Perhaps I’ve been thinking this because of how much the world has changed in the past few years, or perhaps it’s because I’ve spent the past eight years and counting in a freedom-loving state known as Colorado. A loaded thought that I’ll have to unpack another day: I think there’s a distinctly right-wing version of freedom in Colorado, and there’s a left-wing version, too, but the common factor is that Coloradans love their freedom.

But true freedom is not freedom from all constraints. That’s simply not feasible, and some constraints are good things. As a case in point, I was reading a football column earlier this week from an author whose analysis I admire but whose political and social views differ significantly from my own. I filter out the latter and enjoy the football parts. But even he was making the point just this week that widespread legalized gambling (freedom!) will likely have negative effects on our society in coming years. Freedom from all constraints isn’t what’s best for us. Rather, we need the freedom to be what we were always intended to be.

Taking membership vows is a way that we affirm our intention to be what God created us to be. It also affirms our desire to have others hold us accountable to those standards, both because we declare these vows in public and because the 5th vow explicitly mentions accountability or submission to the government and discipline of the church.

With that as in introduction, let me briefly mention the vows (the same ones that any PCA Church uses, according to Book of Church Order [BCO] 57-5), in the hopes that I can say more about the individual vows in the coming weeks.

  1. Do you acknowledge yourselves to be sinners in the sight of God, justly deserving His displeasure, and without hope save [except] in His sovereign mercy?

  2. Do you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as the Son of God, and Savior of sinners, and do you receive and rest upon Him alone for salvation as He is offered in the Gospel?

  3. Do you now resolve and promise, in humble reliance upon the grace of the Holy Spirit, that you will endeavor to live as becomes the followers of Christ?

  4. Do you promise to support the church in its worship and work to the best of your ability?

  5. Do you submit yourselves to the government and discipline of the church, and promise to study its purity and peace?

 

If I can paraphrase our BCO, affirmative answers to these questions are our public profession of faith, and by affirmatively answering them we enter into a “solemn covenant with God and His Church.” Is that as moving as a profession of faith that tells a rollicking story involving drugs and jail time and eventual salvation?[2] Maybe not on the surface. But affirming publicly 1) that you know your depravity, 2) that you know that Christ is your only hope of salvation, 3) that you promise to live like a Christian with the Spirit’s help, 4) that you promise to support the church in its work of gospel proclamation and its worship of the triune God, and 5) that you promise to submit to the church’s leaders and pursue its purity and peace?

Personally, I think that’s quite profound and slightly more counter cultural than joining Costco.[3]  

[1] Dear Pastors Stephen and Josh, you have my permission to clarify how this discussion went, but I’m fairly certain Costco and church membership were mentioned, and that you gave at least some courtesy laughter after I said it.

[2] I have a friend who has one of those testimonies. He would tell you: 1) I wish I had a “boring testimony,” of never remembering a time when I didn’t know Jesus as my savior, and 2) I hope my kids have a boring testimony.  I stole line #2 and wrote on that several years ago. And to clarify, “boring” testimonies aren’t boring; they’re wonderful.

[3] It’s true that joining a church won’t cost you $60 a year like Costco, but if I have a chance to explore the vows in more depth later on, maybe we’ll tackle this question: Should a Christian’s tithe exceed their Costco membership dues?

Oct 30, 2023
Oct 27, 2023
Quarterly State of the Church Report
Oct 27, 2023

(Update given before worship on October 8, 2023)

After every joint session-diaconate meeting, I’m asked to give a report to the congregation. A few things to make you aware of:

Finances got off to a strong start this year, due to some extraordinary giving. What’s extraordinary giving? If someone tells our treasurer that they’re giving a one-time gift, or an annual gift, the treasurer makes a notation, so that we don’t plan to receive that same amount regularly. And due to strong extraordinary giving, we’re 8% above budget right now. Thank you for that, but please don’t stop being generous, especially as end-of-the-year giving approaches. In addition to our annual budget, we believe God is leading us to building expansion at some point as well as future church planting. In years past, when we have received more money than we need for the budget, we’ve allocated money for larger projects into special funds.

The Session has a retreat coming up on October 23. We have three topics we want to discuss, in this order: Better Shepherding, Building Expansion, and Church Planting. We would appreciate your prayers as we prepare for that retreat. Any communication about that retreat shouldn’t be expected until after the Session has another meeting. Presbyterians are deliberative, by our nature. Another way to say that – Nothing happens quickly in a Presbyterian church, for better or for worse. I think it’s usually for the better. But, again, please pray for us as that approaches.

We also discussed several other topics with the deacons at our meeting. They’re doing a great job, showing wonderful initiative and care for the congregation. Please pray for them.

And just so you know that we haven’t forgotten, solar panels, to help defer the cost of our utility bills – Those are still coming; we’re still waiting patiently for the install date. (Update, 10-24-23 – Panels have been installed; we’re awaiting some follow up from the electric company.)

Lastly, thanks for your patience while the pastoral staff was away at Presbytery. Keep praying for Pastor Matt since he’ll be serving as Moderator of the Presbytery Meetings next year.

-Pastor Matt, 10-08-23

Oct 27, 2023
Sep 11, 2023
GRT - The Gospel, Race, and Theology
Sep 11, 2023
Sep 11, 2023
Sep 6, 2023
Why I Didn't Preach Genesis 5
Sep 6, 2023
Sep 6, 2023

 

Church Hours:
Monday - Thursday, 8am-3:30pm
Friday, 7:30am-11:30am with limited office hours on Friday afternoons.

office@forestgate.org | facebook.com/forestgateoffice

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