Who We Are
We are the Oak Harbor Christian Reformed Church, a small-town, family-sized congregation in the Oak Harbor community on beautiful Whidbey Island, Washington.
Going way back, the church was established in 1902 and has been faithfully serving the Oak Harbor community ever since! From founding the local Christian school in 1938, to serving the homeless community through partnering with the work of the Whidbey Homeless Coalition over the past few years; OHCRC has been faithful in living out the message of Jesus. We’re committed to keeping that legacy into our future.
Our heart as a church for our community is to live out the love of Jesus towards one another and most importantly in how we serve others. To know more about where we stand on faith, keep reading. For more on OHCRC’s history check out our story.
Denominationally, we are a Christian Reformed Church (CRC), part of the CRCNA. As a denomination, our joint mission is as follows:
We gather to praise God, listen to him, and respond. We nurture each other in faith and obedience to Christ. We love and care for one another as God's people. We commit ourselves to serve and to tell others about Jesus. We pursue God's justice and peace in every area of life.
Learn more about our denominational background and confessions here.
Kingdom Priorities
At Oak Harbor Christian Reformed Church, our local mission and identity-driven values are rooted in the Bible's teachings about the Kingdom of God. We are called to take action that reveals God to the world and demonstrates the love, work, and sacrifice of Jesus, our High Priest. We aim to love and serve creation by following His example of self-denial and taking up our cross. We believe that the Church is called to these actions as redeemed people, created in God's image, for the sake of spreading the good news of the Kingdom! This mission helps us and others to know Jesus better, and in knowing Him, we continually learn how to be the church in the right way.
The Bible teaches us that the growth and expansion of God's kingdom depend on how its people share the good news of its light to the world. We grow as a body, as individual believers, and as a church when we ourselves walk in the light of the gospel. Therefore, we value:
Recognizing every human being as made in the image of God
Embracing community as a reflection of the unity of the triune God, and valuing the diversity of God's family as an expression of this divine image in people
Upholding Scripture as a faithful revelation of God and God’s heart for the world
Interpreting Scripture in a way that is consistent with the message of the good news of God's Kingdom
Being faithful to our call as priests (see 1 Peter 2:9), shining the sacrificial light of God's love through our actions and decisions
Caring for the hungry, thirsty, homeless, prisoners, and helpless; advocating for them; and leading through service
Demonstrating the fruit of the Spirit as evidence of the Holy Spirit's sanctifying work in the lives of believers
Embracing the love of God as His hope for the world and living out this love in sacrificial service to one another without conditions or restrictions
Acknowledging the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit both in individual believers and in the Church; recognizing that the church is and should always be reforming (ecclesia semper reformanda est).
For more on our telos as a church community, check out “cruciformity”!