“What oxygen is to the human body, mission is to the church…”

The above quote by one of the 20th century’s greatest theologians speaks of the importance we place on both local and global mission at Albemarle Road Presbyterian Church. We believe that as the church we exist for others and that any church experiences life to the degree it turns away from self-maintenance to the needs of a hurting world.

On any given Sunday you will most likely hear appeals during our worship services to give of oneself and ones resources to meet the needs of the least, the last, and the lost in our world. At ARPC we are not hesitant to ask for such involvement and many of our congregation always respond. At ARPC we strive to promote the involvement of everyone in our congregation in mission in the community and in the world.

There are formal and informal ways that each person can find to serve others and promote the love of Christ Jesus. We believe that mission is critical to a healthy, growing church and important in our lives of glorifying God and carrying out His commandments. The Mission Committee serves the central role of coordinating our named mission projects and is always seeking new ways to support missions and our missionaries. In addition to monetary gifts to numerous organizations, the commitment of time and talent is integral to “risk-taking mission” as we see it at ARPC.

We support the following ministries through our work:

Below is a closer look at just a few of the above ministries:

Room In The Inn – This ministry to the homeless of the greater Charlotte area has been a blessing to ARPC. Each week twelve homeless persons (often children are present) come to our church home for a hot meal, bath, and warm place to sleep. Our members make special effort to serve meals “fit for a king and queen.” It is not uncommon to see church members sitting with Charlotte’s homeless over a meal getting to know each other one to one.

Feed My Lambs – This is a tutoring and lunch buddy ministry to a school in our literal backyard. The school is classified as inner city and high poverty and stands in need of all the help they can get. We respond through tutoring, friendship and purchasing of school uniforms. In the future, we desire to see much greater involvement as we strive to show greater support to the staff and beautiful children of the school.

Walking By Faith Community Church and Abundant Life Lutheran Church are two congregations we offer space to for worship and service. Together with these churches we seek to meet the specific needs of our local community. Through the Walking By Faith congregation we seek to reach the African American community while the Abundant Life Church reaches out to the blind and physically disabled. These churches are colleagues in ministry with us and we are grateful for their presence.

Global Mission – We at ARPC take with joyful seriousness the great commission of our Lord Jesus Christ “to go into all the world and preach the gospel.” Our congregation continually ranks in the top churches of our Presbytery in support of the global and local mission of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). For many years we have supported missionaries serving in Moscow, Russia and missionaries most recently serving in Istanbul.