About Us

Page updated 27 August 2023; Burlington Presbyterian Church

Who Are We?

We are the Presbyterian Church in Burlington, MA
We also go by “Burlington Presbyterian Church” or just “BPC”

At BPC our beloved community embraces children, youth, women, and men from many places and backgrounds. Those in our church family have come from Cameroon, Canada, Denmark, Ghana, Indonesia, Lebanon, Liberia, the Philippines, the United Kingdom, Pennsylvania, Maine, and, yes, Massachusetts. We live in Burlington, Massachusetts and in other suburban communities north of Boston, including Andover, Arlington, Bedford, Billerica, Haverhill, Lexington, Lowell, North Andover, North Reading, Salem, Saugus, Stoneham, Tewksbury, and Woburn. We are all made in the image of God, and are on a shared journey to “Do Justice, Love Mercy, and Walk Humbly with our God.” You’re welcome to join us on our journey. Our congregation is a member of the Presbyterian Church (USA) and the Presbytery of Boston.

Sunday worship is at 10:30 am. Services are streamed online using Zoom.

Inclusivity symbol with stylized people in a circle.

Inclusivity

The Presbyterian Church (USA) declares that the Church “strives everywhere to testify to Christ’s embrace of men, women, and children of all times, places, races, nations, ages, conditions, and stations in life” (the Book of Order F-1.0302). The Presbyterian Church in Burlington welcomes all to participate fully in the life of our congregation. We embrace diversity and affirm the dignity and worth of all people. We welcome persons of every race, ethnicity, national origin, age, gender-identity / expression and sexual orientation (including LGBTQ+), physical or mental condition, socioeconomic standing, marital status and faith background. At the Presbyterian Church in Burlington, all may share in the life, leadership, ministry, fellowship, worship, sacraments, responsibilities and blessings of participation in Christ’s Body, the Church.

So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. In him the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you also are built together spiritually into a dwelling place for God.
Ephesians 2:19-22

Burlington Equity Coalition

Burlington Equity Coalition logo. Link to their website.
Rainbow flag with text "Everyone is Welcome Here I n Burlington

We support the Burlington Equity Coalition, a group of local organizations committed to building an inclusive, equitable and welcoming town community that benefits from the diverse knowledge, cultures, talents and contributions of all its residents.

Leadership

Leadership in the Presbyterian Church is a shared power, exercised by Ministers and Elders gathered in councils.


Learn More About Us:

What makes Presbyterians unique? What’s special about Burlington Presbyterian? In this 22-minute episode of Spiritually Speaking, host Rabbi Susan Abramson explores our church community and faith tradition with Pastor Trina Portillo, Pastor Emeritus Rod MacDonald, and members of our church. Produced by Burlington Cable Access TV (BCAT).

Colored tags spelling "vision." Link to our Vision Statement.

Our Vision

Do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with God (Micah 6:8)

The word "Ministry" in colorful block letters. Links to our Membership & Ministry page.

Membership & Ministry

Membership in the Church of Jesus Christ is a joy and a privilege. It is also a commitment to participate in Christ’s mission. Faithful members bear witness to God’s love and grace and promise to be involved in the ministry of Christ’s Church.

Banner with symbols of the Second Helvetic Confession and text "Reformed always reforming" Link to Brief Statement of Faith.

What We Believe

The Presbyterian Church (USA) is a “confessional” church. Our confessions of faith (also called creeds) define what we, as a community, believe. We have confessions because we are a community of believers, not a random collection of individuals. The Confessions form and reflect our community by describing our shared story and common values. They affirm our beliefs about God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, humanity, the church and the world. The confessions of faith adopted by the PCUSA are collected in our Book of Confessions.

Our beliefs are summarized in “A Brief Statement of Faith,” adopted in 1983.

Seal of the Presbyterian Church (USA) Link to explanation of the symbols in the PCUSA seal.

Seal of the Presbyterian Church (USA)

Click on the seal to explore the symbols incorporated in the PCUSA logo.

The Great Ends of the Church logo. Link to page on the Great Ends of the Church.

The Great Ends of the Church

The Presbyterian Book of Order (F-1.0304) defines six Great Ends of the Church as:

  • the proclamation of the gospel for the salvation of humankind;
  • the shelter, nurture, and spiritual fellowship of the children of God;
  • the maintenance of divine worship;
  • the preservation of the truth;
  • the promotion of social righteousness; and
  • the exhibition of the Kingdom of Heaven to the world.
Grocery bag full of food. Link to our Food Justice page

Food Justice

Commitment to food justice is an important, long-standing ministry of our congregation.

Contact US

Click on the image above for our contact information.

Image of our Fellowship Hall with people seated at tables and food buffet in the foreground. Link to information about renting our facility.

Facility Rental

As a service to the Burlington community, we offer rental of our Fellowship Hall (28 x 48 feet) at a reasonable cost for private or public events.

Cartoon of cars in a parking lot

Our Parking Lot

Picture of our church parking lot from above

Yes, our large parking lot is a distinct asset. Commuters are welcome to park here. The 350 bus, connecting to Alewife Station, stops near the church. There is no fee to park in our lot; twice a year we ask commuters for donations to defray the costs of maintenance, such as snow plowing. We also have a bike rack for cyclers.

A little free library in front of our church building
Our Little Free Library

Little Free Library

Burlington Community Access Television (BCAT) just did a feature spot on the Little Free Libraries around Burlington including our own in front of the church. Here’s the News Feature: