Membership Brochure

Bellevue Reformed Church

2000 Broadway
Schenectady, New York

(518) 393-1341
[email protected]

Membership Information

Basics

Parking
On Sunday mornings the parking lot in front of the church next door is not available to
us. (But you can park there any time during the week or on Saturdays.) We have a
small lot right next to the church. Also feel free to park at the mall across the street or
on the streets around the church.

Office
Our office is open from 8:30 AM to 3:30 PM, Tuesday through Friday. If you are
wanting to talk with the pastor, he is often available at church before and after those
hours as well, including Saturdays. (Monday is his day off.) If the matter is urgent, you
can try reaching the pastor at home (518-372-4704).

Want More Information?

Our website has lots of useful information: http://bellevuereformed.org. You can also
find recordings of sermons there.

What Is Membership?

Membership involves both professing one’s faith in Christ and making a specific
commitment to this particular community called Bellevue Reformed Church. Don’t worry: if
you’ve been attending BRC, we already consider you a part of our community. But there is
another step you can take towards further commitment and involvement. It’s called
becoming a “confessing member.” Confessing members are ready to embrace certain core
Christian doctrines and beliefs. They are also willing to be held to a higher moral standard.
Finally, they feel ready to publicly commit their time, spiritual gifts and financial resources to
BRC’s ministry and community.

Process

Steps to becoming a member of BRC include:
• Meet with the pastor to talk about your relationship with Christ and what membership

looks like at BRC
• Be able to respond positively to the Membership Questions (next page)
• Meet with our Elders to talk about your relationship with God and why you want to

become a member of BRC
• Making profession of your faith before the congregation on a Sunday morning (by

responding affirmatively to the Membership Questions)

Ways to Become a Member

• Profession of Faith (includes adult baptism for those who have not been previously
baptized*)

• Transfer of Membership (for people who have been members of another
congregation that is willing to transfer their membership)

• Reaffirmation of Faith (for people whose membership in this church or another
congregation was discontinued)

*Children who have been baptized but have not made profession of faith are called “ baptized members.”

Membership Questions

Reflecting upon the following questions will help you know if you are ready to become a
confessing member of BRC:
• Do you believe in one God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit?

• Do you accept the Bible as the basis for what you believe about God and about life
in his kingdom?

• Do you believe that Jesus Christ died for your sins and that he is Lord of all?

• Is Jesus Christ the Savior and Lord of your life? Do you trust him for your future, in
this life and the life to come?

• Are you ready to make attendance at BRC’s Sunday worship service part of your
weekly routine?

• Are you willing to regularly participate in some form of ministry in the life of the
church or its outreach?

• Are you willing to financially support BRC’s ministry through regular giving?

• Are you willing to resist engaging in slander or gossip when you have concerns
about BRC’s members and leaders, and to talk directly with the people involved?

• Will you refrain from practices at work, school or other contexts that you know to be
immoral* or unethical?

• Will you care for and respect the members of your personal family, humbly serving
each member as you would Christ himself?

*For example, while society’s views on sexuality and marriage have gone through considerable change,
the Scriptures regard the covenant of marriage as the appropriate context for a sexual relationship. The
pastor would be happy to meet with any couple that would like to explore making this commitment.

Our Mission

Our mission is to be a growing community of fully-devoted followers of Jesus Christ who
bear witness through our words and actions to the good news of God’s reconciling love and
his desire to restore all things through Christ.

By way of our own ongoing transformation, the forming of authentic relationships, and
through respectful conversations, we hope that many we meet on this journey will
experience their own life-changing encounter with Jesus, and join us in becoming his
students, servants and friends.

Our mission is conducted and sustained through four core activities: worship, discipleship,
fellowship and witness. This mission is the overarching purpose of our lives, affecting
everything we do, wherever we live, work, play and learn.

We want to play our part in Christ's mission both globally and locally, while hearing God's
specific call to be Christ's presence to the Bellevue neighborhood.

Our Core Values

– Jesus welcomes us as we are, then leads us on a journey of transformation.
– God loves this world and calls his people to be a positive influence for change.
– We want and need to be a healing place for the broken and wounded.
– We want to be like Jesus, seeking not to be served, but to serve.
– Every member is a minister, equipped by the Spirit of God with gifts for ministry.
– In Christ’s kingdom people of different genders, ages, life challenges, economic levels,
races and ethnic groups learn how to worship and share life together in Christian
community.
– Leadership is to be shared with any who are gifted and called, and who have the heart of
a servant.
– God loves kids and wants us to show them how to live in his Kingdom.
– We make it our priority to engage with Jesus daily through the Scriptures.
– Prayer, both individual and corporate, is as necessary as breathing.
– As part of one Church, we are eager to join efforts with other congregations in carrying out
Christ’s mission.
– Our interactions with each other and other Christians are guided by the principle, “In
essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity.”

Our Denomination and Government

Bellevue Reformed Church is a member congregation of the Reformed Church in America.
This particular tradition within the broader Christian church began in the 16th century when
the Protestant reformers “protested” abuses within the Roman Catholic Church of that time.
Fortunately, today many Christians within the different branches of Christianity (e.g. Roman
Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant, Episcopal, Non-denominational) are focusing on the
common ground that unites us rather than the differences that divide us.

Some theological emphases within the Reformed tradition include:

• It is God’s “grace” that rescues, reconciles, and restores us. While it is necessary for
us to cooperate with God, the process of salvation begins with God’s initiative and is
empowered by his Spirit. We cannot save ourselves or “earn” our way into God’s
present or future kingdom.

• While we are ready to learn all we can from church tradition, the Scriptures provide
the basis for what we ultimately believe about God and his work in the world.

• All Christians are God’s “ministers” or servants. While pastors play a particular role in
the life of God’s people, so does everyone who exercises their God-given spiritual
gifts in ministry to one another and to the world.

• God is “sovereign” or ultimately in control, and will be successful in fulfilling his plans
and purposes for this world.

• Christians have a responsibility to bring the principles of God’s Kingdom to bear on
every area of life (e.g. work, family, education, government, recreation)

• The church is to be constantly “reforming” its life according to the spirit and teaching
of Scripture.

Our denomination is a representative democracy (much like the United States). At the local
level, elected elders and deacons, along with the pastor, form the Consistory, which guides
and governs each congregation. At least one pastor and elder from each congregation are
members of the Classis (e.g. in our case, the Classis of Schenectady) that is the governing
body for a number of churches within a particular geographical area. This group meets three
times a year. Once a year representatives (on a rotating basis) from the different Classes
meet as a Regional Synod (e.g. the Regional Synod of Albany). Finally, selected
representatives from Classes in the entire denomination gather annually for the meeting of
the General Synod, which oversees the entire denomination.

Resources for You

• Pastor – is available for
• pastoral care
• counseling
• prayer
• assisting you in discerning your gifts and calling

• Facilities – you can use them for personal events
• meetings
• parties

• Services
• weddings
• funerals

• Library – feel free to check out a book or enjoy the comfortable space any time the
office or church are open

• Spiritual Gift Assessment – an online assessment tool that you can take on your
own computer or on the computer at church to help you discern your unique gifts and
calling

• Childcare – supervision is provided in our nursery for many of our church activities.
All of our members who work with children are required to receive child abuse
prevention training.

Pastor ............................Rich Scheenstra Worship Committee .............Lynn Barnes
Minister of Congregational Care Christian Ed Committee...........Patty Gentile
.................................................Tim Hugget Mission Committee ...............Pat Obrecht
Youth Ministry Directors Fellowship Committee ..........Laura Brown
.................................Rob and Kim Hileman Property Committee ..............Dave Barnes
Secretary ...........................Laurie Oldorff Prayer Team .............Sharon Scheenstra
Kids Hope USA Director ......Patty Gentile Women’s Guild ..................Louise James
Children’s Choir Director Youth Basketball ...............Tony Williams
.................................... ......Susan Weisman Celebrate Recovery
S.S. Superintendent ..............Patty Gentile ................................... Rosanne Magagnos
Sexton .................................Janet Kolner Life Beyond Codependency
Sexton .......................Rosanne Magagnos ....................................... Sharon Hughes