An essential key to winning a battle is to have a strategic plan. Our Lord, when describing the necessity of counting the cost of being a disciple, explained that a wise king considers his enemy before engaging in battle (Luke 14:31). As disciples of Christ, the rules of combat for spiritual warfare are much the same. We are soldiers enlisted in the cause of Christ (2 Timothy 2:3-4). As those who put on the whole armor of God, the weapons […]

As Maranatha wraps up another summer of mission trips, I wanted to pass along this thank you letter written by one of the teen team members: Thank you for supporting our mission trip with Maranatha this summer. Whether it was financially, or through prayers, your support was appreciated and so vital in making the week at Kirkbride a success! Let me give you a small recap.  I feel blessed to have been able to serve another year with Kirkbride in […]

Since arriving in Philadelphia two weeks ago, I have heard incredible testimonies of how God has used Tenth Presbyterian Church in so many lives. It is a joy for me to be here and join in the important work of this church. I grew up in a small town in Michigan, the daughter and granddaughter of pastors. From childhood, the Lord impressed on me the brevity of time. Scriptural admonitions like that of 1 Peter 1:13 to be “sober-minded” and […]

I remember the moment I fell in love with Maranatha as an adult. It was a Sunday night in June 2007. I had just graduated from college and was sitting with my dad in the evening service. It was Rev. Aaron Messner’s last Sunday at Tenth. Maranatha teens suddenly emerged from the 18th street stairs and flooded into the sanctuary to join the congregation for the night. By the time they were seated, my dad and I were on opposite ends […]

“Finally, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored, as happened among you.” 2 Thessalonians 3:1 As we pray for the word of God to go forward, we see his hand in our prayers. Some time ago, a group of brothers and sisters from Tenth gathered together weekly to pray for opportunities to share the gospel with our neighbors. One of their prayers was that God would enable Tenth to reach out […]

The Colombia short-term missions team returned to Philadelphia on June 29. Thank you for your prayers and support! It was an excellent time of service and fellowship with our Colombian brothers and sisters. In short, we had a plan and accomplished it well. We completed our goals and more and returned to the States knowing that our labor in the Lord was not in vain (1 Corinthians 15:58). There is so much that could be written but let me summarize […]

Son Van is originally from Vietnam but moved to the United States for high school in 2008. While studying Applied Mathematics at Carnegie Mellon University Son started wrestling with questions about the existence of God and how a scientist could be religious. By God’s grace, and through a faithful Christian friend, he ended up at City Reformed Presbyterian church, where he heard the gospel and came to saving faith in Christ. He would go on to attend the same church […]

“Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.” Isaiah 55:1b Tenth Presbyterian is re-introducing wine in communion along with the choice of grape juice. The article below attempts to set out the Bible’s view of wine as a good gift, the reason wine in the sacrament of communion is appropriate, and to provide some responses to questions that members and attenders of Tenth may have about this change in practice. The author and Session of Tenth Presbyterian would […]

“Wholeness of the individual inspires and is nourished by wholeness in the community. The church is not perfect, far from it, but we are called to co-labor lovingly and supportively, and when we fail…” — Dr. Redd So writes Dr. Scott Redd in his book The Wholeness Imperative: How Christ Unifies our Desires, Identity, and Impact in the World (p. 34). Never does a week goes by without these three objectives bubbling up in my mind with the longing to […]