Sunday (The Lord's Day)
Worship Times
11 AM | Morning |
6 PM | Prayer |
Classes
9:45 AM (Sept.-June)
We invite you to investigate the Christian faith at First Reformed Presbyterian Church. Our church is made up of people of all ages, from many places and backgrounds, who share a common living faith and seek to live faithful lives. Come and listen, ask questions, and participate in bible studies.
Join our morning worship live stream on Facebook each Sunday at 11 AM Eastern.
Looking to give tithes and offerings? Or make a one-time gift? Use our online giving option.
We are a congregation of the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America.
We follow a historic Reformation liturgy which includes prayer, the singing of Psalms, the reading of Scripture, preaching, an offering, and in the morning service, the Lord's Supper.
Our praise of God follows a 3000 year old biblical tradition. We sing the Psalms of the Bible with the accompaniment of our hearts and voices (a cappella = chapel style). We sing in four-part harmony but generally sing the first verse in unison. This way if you are not familiar with the tune your ear can pick it up.
We believe that the children of believers are part of the church. We teach our children about worship and they are welcome to stay with you through the entire service. If, however, a young child is not comfortable, there is a nursery available.
We celebrate the Lord's Supper on the first Lord's day each month. If you visit us and would like to partake of the Lord's Supper during the morning service, please come by 10:45 AM so that you can briefly meet with one of our elders to confirm that you are a baptized Christian and a member in good standing of a Bible-believing church. Members in good standing of other RPCNA congregations are always welcome to partake with us.
| And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. | Acts 2:42
As members of Christ's body, we talk, eat, share and fellowship with one another. After worship is a time of great encouragement as many weeks we become the "church that won't go home." When we do leave, many times it is to another member's house to share a meal.
As a larger community, we join together for a fellowship meal on the third Sunday of the month following the morning service.
Our congregation was officially established in July, 1895. We have been worshipping and serving in Cambridge ever since. Learn more about the history and make-up of our church in this article written by one of our elders.
The Reformed Presbyterian Church in Cambridge
By Tom Fisher, Elder
In May, 1894, a few members of the First Boston Reformed Presbyterian Church, along with some members of First United Presbyterian Church, Cambridge, petitioned the New York Presbytery of the RPCNA to organize a mission church in Cambridge. Instead of granting the petition, the presbytery formed a commission of elders to urge the group to unite with one of the Boston congregations. But the group insisted that a congregation was needed in Cambridge itself, and they convinced the commission to provide them with preaching, commencing with a worship service on July 15th in the hall of the YWCA in Central Square.
The group slowly grew, and at each of the next two meetings of the New York presbytery, a petition was presented for the organization of a congregation. The presbytery twice declined to do this, so the group appealed to the Synod. On June 12, 1895, the Synod granted the appeal by a nearly unanimous vote.
On July 9th, 1895, the commission met and Rev. S. R. Wallace of Brooklyn, N.Y. preached a sermon on Psalm 48:2 entitled "The Incomparable Beauty of the Church." Following the sermon, seventeen communicants were enrolled and officers were elected, examined and ordained. The new congregation continued to meet in the YWCA hall, and on December 10th, they unanimously called Rev. Samuel Gormley Shaw, then pastor at Walton, N.Y., to be their first pastor at a salary of $100 per month. He was installed in February, 1896. The congregation continued to grow, and in May of the same year, land for a building was donated on Antrim Street. On September 24th, the congregation met for the first time in its present location.
In addition to its local ministry, the congregation has supported various denominational ministries throughout its history. These have included overseas missions in Syria, China, Cyprus, Japan, and Sudan, and home missions across the U.S. and Canada, as well as the Reformed Presbyterian Home for aged persons, the R.P. Seminary (both in Pittsburgh, PA), and Geneva College (Beaver Falls, PA). Over the years, the congregation has also supported the ministries of The Center for Urban Theological Studies in Philadelphia, PA, White Lake Covenanter Camp in the Catskill Mountains, and the Daybreak Crisis Pregnancy Center of Boston.
The present congregation maintains Sabbath School classes for all ages and several midweek fellowship groups, in addition to regular worship on the Lord's Day. The congregation has a long history of active involvement in annual presbytery summer camps held at White Lake, NY.
In recent years, our members and adherents have included persons born on all of the six inhabited continents of the earth, making us a visible witness that the grace of God in Jesus Christ has been extended to people of "every nation and kindred and tongue." Our desire is that God will be pleased to continue to use this congregation to proclaim the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ until He returns.
Other congregations in the Atlantic Presbytery:
We believe that the Bible is the Word of God and that it is "profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness" (2 Timothy 3:16). We subscribe to the Westminster Confession of Faith and the Reformed Presbyterian Testimony, which, we believe, provide an accurate summary of the teachings of the Bible. These documents can be found in our denomination's Constitution. The following are our most basic beliefs.
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Worship
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Give to the work of FRPCC via our online giving service provided by Subsplash.
Directions
The closest T-stop to our building is Central on the Redline. When you exit the station, turn onto Prospect Street and walk several blocks until you reach Broadway. Turn left. Walk until you reach the Broadway Bicycle Shop and then turn right onto Antrim St. The church is about halfway down the street on your left.
Take I-93 South to exit 30 (MA-38/Mystic Ave). Exit and at the stop light, turn left onto Mystic Ave. After .7 miles, bear right onto MA-28 S/McGrath Hwy. Stay on MA-28 for .8 miles and after crossing the bridge, take the exit on the right for Washington St. At the stoplight, turn right onto Washington St. After a few blocks, bear left onto Prospect St. and then immediately turn right onto Somerville Ave. In one block, turn left onto Webster Ave. Take the first right onto Newton St. which then becomes Concord Ave. Follow Concord Ave to a stop sign. Turn left onto Beacon St. Right before the next stop light, turn right and Cross Cambridge St. onto Antrim St. The church is on your right.
Take the Massachusetts Turnpike (I-90) West to exit 20 (Brighton/Cambridge). Exit and after the tollbooth, bear right towards Cambridge. Go through the light, over the Charles River and continue on River Street. After you cross Massachusetts Avenue, at Central Square, the street becomes Prospect Street. Continue on Prospect Street to the third traffic light after Central Square. At this light, turn left onto Broadway. Go through one more light and look for a parking spot. Antrim Street will be the next street on your right but it is a one way street in the opposite direction. To park on Antrim St., turn right onto Fayette St., right onto Cambridge St. and then immediately right onto Antrim St. The church is on your right.
Take I-93 North to exit 20 (Worcester) for the Massachusetts Turnpike (I-90) West. Follow the Turnpike to exit 20 (Brighton/Cambridge). Exit and after the tollbooth, bear right towards Cambridge. Go through the light, over the Charles River and continue on River Street. After you cross Massachusetts Avenue, at Central Square, the street becomes Prospect Street. Continue on Prospect Street to the third traffic light after Central Square. At this light, turn left onto Broadway. Go through one more light and look for a parking spot. Antrim Street will be the next street on your right but it is a one way street in the opposite direction. You could turn right at the following street (Fayette St.) and then right and right again to get onto Antrim, but it's easier to park on Broadway and then walk up Antrim St. to the church. The church is on your right.
Take the Massachusetts Turnpike (I-90) East to exit 18 (Alston/Cambridge). Exit and after the tollbooth, bear right towards Cambridge. Go through the light, over the Charles River and continue on River Street. After you cross Massachusetts Avenue, at Central Square, the street becomes Prospect Street. Continue on Prospect Street to the third traffic light after Central Square. At this light, turn left onto Broadway. Go through one more light and look for a parking spot. Antrim Street will be the next street on your right but it is a one way street in the opposite direction. To park on Antrim St., turn right onto Fayette St., right onto Cambridge St. and then immediately right onto Antrim St. The church is on your right.