Our Beliefs and Vision at King’s Cross
If you’d like to know more about our church . . . the following questions and answers can help you get started!
Much of what is said here is more about who we want to be than who we are right now. We humbly confess that our church life does not always match the vision we have down on paper. But we hope that, by God’s grace, we will more and more fulfill (and refine) our vision in the years to come.
What We Believe
We wholeheartedly embrace the good news of Christianity: that, in the life, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus of Nazareth, God has acted to redeem and renew the entire cosmos he has created. We believe this good news is true, compelling and transformative for our daily lives!
King’s Cross is also committed to the historic Christian faith as expressed in the Apostles’ Creed, Nicene Creed, and Athanasian Creed. If you spend enough time with us, you will most likely find us saying one of these creeds together in our service!
We find our theological heritage in the Protestant Reformation. We are members of the Presbyterian Church in America, a group of churches whose unifying beliefs are summarized in the Westminster Confession of Faith and Catechisms. While we actively partner with churches of many denominations or no denomination, we believe working within a denomination brings us a healthier level of structure, accountability, and support.
Feel free to contact us if you have any questions about our beliefs. Often beliefs are best expressed face to face!
Our Vision
We envision a church centered on the life of Jesus that makes disciples who overflow his redeeming grace for the life and renewal of the city. Simply stated, we believe the Gospel is big enough for all of life!
Our mission is to seek the renewal of Edmonton through faithfully and joyfully proclaiming the good news of our triune God in weekly worship, through audacious gospel witness with humility, through discipling men, women and children in their God-given vocations, through generous and skillful engagement and outreach within our communities, and through a willingness to give, support and train new church planters to see the multiplication of the gospel in Alberta.
We do all of this humbly recognizing that all we have, is first a gift from God.
1 CORINTHINANS 4:7
Our Community
In such an isolated age as ours, we are seeking to cultivate a church community that embodies both discipleship and mission. As we are formed in worship each week, God sends us to live sacrificially on behalf of the world.
Worship is held each week at 10:30 a.m. and Sunday School will begin at 9:15 a.m. except in the summer months. On the last Sunday of each month we enjoy a feast together and would love for you to join us.
Flowing out of Sunday worship we provide several opportunities for discipleship, community and mission. Neighbourhood Groups meet twice a month in different parts of the city. On Wednesdays, we have our midweek Soup and Psalms gathering.
We also believe the family is a basic building block in God’s created order, and thus we seek to strengthen the family. This includes discipling each member of the family.
Why King’s Cross?
Our church is named “King’s Cross” for several reasons. Consider each part of the name, beginning at the end.
“Church” comes from the Greek term ekklesia, meaning “the called out ones.” As a community of God’s people, we have been called out of the world in order to serve the world. Biblically, the church is defined as God’s temple and kingdom, as well as Christ’s body and bride.
The name “King’s Cross” reflects the centrality of God in our worship and life. The story of Christianity is about a God who made this world and created us for himself. To know him and trust him as Lord over every area of our lives. This is the same God who came to die for his enemies (us) so that we might be restored to himself in Jesus Christ and experience his work of grace in our lives. Thus we are to reflect the very nature of God by giving ourselves to one another in humble service and sacrifice. Our church desires to be a place where the Gospel is not just a doctrine, but a way of life.
Sunday Worship
When you come to King’s Cross, you can expect to be welcomed into a friendly environment. You can pick up a liturgy booklet from the welcome table which contains instructions, lyrics and prayers - everything you need to participate in worship.
Our worship at King’s Cross Church follows a pattern that has deep historical roots, and is intimately connected with the story of the gospel. As you participate in our worship, you will notice a five-part shape:
1. Call to Worship
Our service begins with a call to worship, as our Pastor invites us to lift our voices to praise the Living God. This reflects the fact that it is God who takes the initiative to save us – he chose us from before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight, he gave himself in Christ to die for our sins on the Cross, and he works in us by his Spirit to draw us to him by faith. Salvation comes from the LORD!
2. Confession of Sin
We respond to the grace of God’s call by humbling ourselves to confess our sins before him, and to seek his forgiveness. We approach God with reverent fear, and yet with joyful confidence, for Scripture teaches that if we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. We receive the assurance of God’s forgiveness, for he freely bestows the riches of his grace upon all who call on his name!
3. Consecration by God’s Word
Having welcomed us into his presence, God speaks to us through his word, the Bible, as well as a sermon normally preached by one of our Pastors. Our gracious God welcomes us as we are, but he doesn’t leave us as we are – instead, he speaks to us to reveal more of his grace and glory, to guide us through our daily lives, and to make us more like Christ.
4. Communion at the Lord’s Table
We enjoy communion with our Lord Jesus Christ at the meal to which he invites all his disciples – the Lord’s Supper. As we eat bread and drink wine, we experience fellowship with one another, we feed on Christ by faith in our hearts, we proclaim his death and resurrection, and we look forward to his return in glory on the Last Day.
5. Commissioning and Blessing
Our service concludes with a final blessing, as God sends us out into the world to serve sacrificially and live joyfully, seeking by the power of his Spirit to serve the King of all kings and the Lord of all lords. From beginning to end, our worship is filled with songs of praise and thanksgiving, declarations of our faith, and corporate prayers.
Children at King’s Cross
At King’s Cross, we believe that children are an important part of the church. The grace of God’s covenant and the promise of God’s Spirit extend not just to us, but also to our children (Genesis 17:7-8; Acts 2:38-39). We want to follow the example of Jesus, who said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them” (Matthew 19:14).
We therefore welcome children at all our services, and we encourage them to participate in our worship. Of course, we realize that babies and young children sometimes need a break for feeding and so on. We therefore have a separate space near the sanctuary where parents can take children when necessary. Our goal is to encourage our children to participate in worship as they are able from their earliest days, so that as they grow they always know the joy of meeting with God and his people.
Leadership
Pastor Chris Pignatiello
Pastor Chris Pignatiello began planting King’s Cross Church in the Fall of 2023. Before that he served at Crestwood Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Edmonton, AB and as a Pastoral resident at Christ Church Toronto. He and his wife, Kaila, have three kids – Luca, Gianna and Ezra.
In his spare time, you’ll normally find him smoking a brisket, convincing himself that he enjoys golf for a few short months of Edmonton summers or out on a trail with his family.