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PENTECOSTAL    CHURCHES
UNITARIAN   UNIVERSALIST   CHURCHES

Religious Program Specialist 3 & 2, Module 01-Personnel Support
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Presbyterians   have   always   been   interested   in   education,   have   built hospitals  and  opened  settlement  houses  for  the  underprivileged. REFORMED  CHURCHES  IN  AMERICA.—Reformed  churches  were already thriving in America at the time the English seized New Amsterdam from the Dutch in 1664. As early as 1614, an unorganized membership had developed in New York, along the Hudson River, in the area of Fort Orange (Albany).  The  American  Revolution  had  little  effect  upon  the  Reformed church  in  America  except  to  offer  the  Dutchmen  a  chance  to  settle  matters with  the  English.  Government  of  the  Church  stands  midway  between  the episcopal  and  presbyterian  forms.  Worship  tends  to  lean  toward  liturgical forms,  and  an  optional  liturgy  maybe  used.  Baptism  and  the  Lord’s  Supper are  the  two  recognized  sacraments  of  the  Reformed  church  in  America. Reformed  churches  tend  to  adhere  to  a  conservative  Calvinist  theology. THE  ROMAN  CATHOLIC  CHURCH.—The  first  Roman  Catholic parish   in   America   was   established   in   St.   Augustine,   FL,   in   1565.   The first  Roman  Catholic  diocese  in  the  United  States  was  established  in Baltimore,  Maryland,  in  1789.  By  1977,  nearly  50  million  people,  or  23%  of the  American  population,  identified  themselves  as  Roman  Catholic. The  governing  body  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church  is  headed  by  the sovereign  pontiff,  or  pope.  The  Sacred  College,  also  called  the  College  of Cardinals,  is  the  supreme  council  of  the  church.  Its  members  are  cardinal bishops, cardinal priests, and cardinal deacons. Its most important duty is to elect  a  new  pope  when  a  pope  dies.  About  20  lower  congregations  carry  on the  central  administration  of  the  church.  The  diocese  is  the  district  over which  a  bishop  has  ecclesiastical  authority.  The  dioceses  are  made  up  of parishes. A parish is the ecclesiastical unit or area committed to one priest. The  Roman  Catholic  Church  believes  in  a  body  of  priests  who  link  God and  man  in  a  special  way.  The  priests  perform  the  function  of  offering  a sacrifice for the living and for the dead. They also administer the sacraments. These priests are set aside by the bishops, who are believed to be the direct successors  of  the  apostles.  The  church  demands  celibacy  of  the  priesthood. The Roman Catholic Church is that body of Christians which accepts the pope as its head on earth. It looks upon him as the representative of Christ and  as  the  successor  of  Saint  Peter  in  a  direct  line.  It  believes  that  special powers given by Christ to Peter have descended to the pope. It also believes that the pope is infallible in all matters of faith and morals by virtue of his office. The  Apostles’  Creed,  the  Nicene  Creed,  the  Athanasian  Creed,  and  the Creed  of  Constantinople,  set  forth  the  basic  doctrines  and  beliefs  of  the Roman  Catholic  Church.  The  Roman  Catholic  Church  accepts  the  Bible, both the Old and New Testaments, as the word of God. It accepts as its rule of  faith  the  entire  body  of  truths  delivered  by  Jesus  Christ  to  the  apostles and their successors, The  sacraments  of  the  church  are  of  utmost  importance  to  Roman Catholics. The church teaches that Jesus Christ directly instituted the seven sacraments:  Baptism,  Confirmation,  Holy  Eucharist,  Penance,  Extreme Unction,  Holy  Orders,  and  Marriage.  (The  sacraments  are  described  in  the section pertaining to church services and liturgies.) An individual can receive three  of  the  sacraments—Baptism,  Confirmation,  and  Holy  Orders—only 2-21







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