WELCOME!

GENEVA VISION STATEMENT

We are a welcoming community of all ages who celebrate Christ’s love through vibrant worship and active service.

Welcome to Geneva Presbyterian Church of St. Johns, Florida! I’m Joe Albright, the pastor of our church. Thank you so much for your interest in our faith community.

We understand ourselves to be a family; people of all ages and backgrounds, seeking to follow Jesus together through the ups and downs of the journey of life.

We also believe that God has called us into this family for a purpose; to be a blessing to our community and world. As we share our lives together, we become part of a movement, a compelling force for God’s love that is so much bigger than our individual lives. We care passionately about people, because we believe God cares passionately about people. And we believe that God cares passionately about you.

Wherever you are in your journey of faith – my prayer is that you would know the depths of God’s love for you – at the very core of who you are. And may God surround you with a family of faith who will encourage you, challenge you and walk with you.

If you don’t currently have a family of faith, we invite you to be a part of ours. Come worship with us. Come experience God’s grace with us. And may the fullness of God’s peace be with you.

Peace,
Joe

  • What is a Presbyterian?

    The sovereignty of God

    The authority of Scripture

    Justification by grace through faith

    The priesthood of all believers

    In short, we believe God is the ultimate authority throughout the universe. Our knowledge of God and God's purpose for humanity comes from the Bible, particularly what is revealed in the New Testament through the life of Jesus Christ. Our salvation (justification) is God's generous gift to us and not the result of our own accomplishments or efforts. We all do have a role to play in sharing in God’s healing redeeming work in Christ (priesthood of all believers).

    Geneva Presbyterian Church is a member of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), with worldwide headquarters located in Louisville, Kentucky.

    Here are some links of interest:

    Beliefs

    History

    What Makes Us Unique

    staugpres.org

    pcusa.org

    We are a member of Saint Augustine Presbytery.

  • Our Denomination: The PC (USA)

    What is in a denomination? Geneva is an active participant in the Presbyterian Church (USA). Our pastor is the current Moderator of the Presbytery of St. Augustine.

  • History of Presbyterianism

    Presbyterianism has its roots in the European Reformation but found its distinction through the Scottish Reformation. The Protestant Reformation was a theological movement intended to reform the Church. As the Catholic Church resisted the reformers, the Church split and different theological movements bore different denominations. In 1517, the noted German monk and professor Martin Luther took issue, as did many, with the way the Roman Catholic churches of the times were interpreting the Bible and trying to run lives both secular and sacred. He famously posted his grievances on a church door in Wittenberg, Germany, and it is this moment that is said to have marked the beginning of the Protestant Reformation.

    Emboldened by Luther, in 1522, Ulricht Zwingli began to lead a protest in Zurich, Switzerland. His reforms emphasized simplicity and intelligibility in worship. He objected to the lenten fast, developed a communion liturgy that was in everyday language, and encouraged the reading and hearing of scripture. In 1529, he and Luther met in Marburg to see if they could combine their efforts- but the two could not come to agreement regarding the presence of Christ in communion. Zwingli was killed in 1531 in a battle between Catholic and Protestant cantons in Switzerland. But his ideas greatly influenced other reformers, especially a young French law student named John Calvin.

    In 1536, persuaded by his friend William Farrel, Calvin began his first ministry in the town of Geneva, Switzerland. Calvin would be forced out of Geneva but would later be invited back. In addition to preaching and teaching, Calvin was a prolific scholar, writing catechisms, translating scriptures, and producing a commentary on every book of the Bible except Revelation. Over his lifetime wrote and rewrote one of the most significant works of theology ever published: the Institutes of the Christian Religion, which still serves as the foundation for Reformed (Presbyterian) theology. Presbyterianism applies Reformed principles to church government. John Knox, a Scotsman who studied with Calvin in Geneva brought his teachings back to Scotland. In August of 1560 the Scottish Parliament adopted the Protestant Confession of Faith as the creed of the Scottish Kingdom.

    In December of that year, the First Book of Discipline was published, outlining important doctrinal issues but also establishing regulations for church government, including the creation of ten ecclesiastical districts with pointed superintendents which later became known as presbyteries.