About New Life
Our Vision and Values
As a church in the Reformation tradition, New Life exists to glorify and enjoy God by being and making faithful disciples who worship, learn, fellowship, serve, and evangelize, by His grace and according to His word, the Bible.
The Bible
Worship
Our worship will be God-centered, not man-centered, focusing on the one Mediator and Savior of mankind, the Lord Jesus Christ, whom the Father in heaven has commanded us to listen to and trust whole-heartedly. Our worship will be biblical, joyful, thoughtful, striving to inform the mind and move the heart to love and obey Christ.
Teaching
Our teaching will focus on the Bible, proclaiming, explaining, and applying God’s word for salvation, faith, and life, and will be informed by the profound biblical understanding that flows historically from the Reformation. Accordingly, we uphold the Westminster Confession of Faith and Catechisms as a faithful summary of what the Bible teaches.
Fellowship
We will foster love and unity in the body of Christ, recognizing that we who are many are one in Christ because his Spirit indwells us, and living in mutual dependence on one another.
Service
We will demonstrate the mercy of God in practical ways—watching over, praying for, and serving one another, as well as ministering to the needy outside the church.
Evangelism
In word and deed, we will communicate God’s free offer of salvation to all people through faith in Christ, both in greater Williamsport and around the world.
What does the Orthodox Presbyterian Church believe?
The OPC traces its roots to the sixteenth-century Reformation and its doctrinal statements, especially the Westminster Confession of Faith. At that time the true way of salvation by faith alone in Jesus Christ alone was rediscovered in the Bible and championed, as over against the errors that had crept into the Roman Catholic Church. The OPC was founded in 1936 to maintain the absolute truth and sufficiency of God’s word, which was being denied in many existing denominations. The great challenge will always remain for churches to hold fast to biblical truth despite all pressures and temptations.
Why “presbyterian”?
From the times of Abraham and Moses, God’s people have been led by wise elders, called and gifted by God to oversee the church. The word “presbyterian” means “ruled by elders.” It comes from the New Testament Greek word “presbeuteros” (1 Timothy 5:17, Titus 1:5). In the OPC, local church elders, along with one or more pastors, form a council, or “session”, to care for God’s family. Matters of common concern for churches in a given area are overseen by a body of pastors and elders called a “presbytery.”
Why “orthodox”?
“Orthodoxy” comes from a Greek word meaning “right thinking” or “right opinion” based on the Bible, as opposed to heresy. At a time when many churches have sadly departed from the revealed truth of Christianity, we adhere firmly to the ancient faith delivered once for all by Jesus Christ to his apostles.
Visit the Orthodox Presbyterian Church (our denomination) web site.
Our History
New Life Orthodox Presbyterian Church was started in 1985 by the Presbytery of Philadelphia of the OPC, and first worshiped together on Easter Sunday of that year. A presbytery is a regional group of churches, within our larger denomination, that work together on matters of common concern, such as planting new churches in their area. Rev. Bob Marsh was the church-planter they sent to begin the work.
After several years Pastor Marsh was called to serve elsewhere and the still infant church was not yet thriving. A retired OPC pastor in Rochester, Rev. Ted Georgian, was called to serve the struggling congregation in 1989. Under his experienced guidance the congregation was formally organized into a church with her own elders. He retired in 1995 when Rev. Paul Browne was called to service and ordained directly out of seminary. The congregation had worshiped at many rented locations over the years, but built and then moved into their current location on Hidden Valley Drive in 1999.
New Life has planted two other churches over the years: Redeemer OPC in Danville (2007) and Omega OPC (2011) in Williamsport. Because of church growth, a new presbytery was divided from the old in 2011, becoming the Presbytery of Central Pennsylvania. In 2017, the congregation called Rev. Bulut Yasar, a former intern at the church, to serve alongside Rev. Browne, with a special focus on the children and youth of the church. In 2021, Rev. Yasar was called to a new pastorship at Covenant OPC in St. Augustine, Florida. On Friday, October 8, 2021, Rev. Josh Valdix was ordained and installed as New Life’s associate pastor, with his particular responsibility being to care for the young people of the church.