The Presbyterian Church of

Belize Belize (; bzj, Bileez) is a Caribbean and Central American country on the northeastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. It also shares a wate ...

(PCB) is a

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

church in the Reformed tradition. It has a number of locations in the country. It also operates a medical clinic, a high school, primary education schools, and preschools

History

The oldest

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

church in Belize is St Andrew's Presbyterian Church in

Belize City Belize City is the largest city in Belize and was once the capital of the former British Honduras. According to the 2010 census, Belize City has a population of 57,169 people in 16,162 households. It is at the mouth of the Haulover Creek, w ...

, which was established in 1850 by Scottish settlers with public financial support. Its reach was limited largely to the European population of Belize City; but in 1958, Presbyterian

missionary A missionary is a member of a religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thomas Hale 'On Being a Mi ...

Don Manuel Beltran was sent by the

National Presbyterian Church in Mexico The National Presbyterian Church in Mexico ( es, La Iglesia Nacional Presbiteriana de México A.R.) is the second-largest Protestant church, and the largest Reformed denomination in Mexico. It is present throughout the country, and is particularl ...

to work with

Maya Maya may refer to: Civilizations * Maya peoples, of southern Mexico and northern Central America ** Maya civilization, the historical civilization of the Maya peoples ** Maya language, the languages of the Maya peoples * Maya (Ethiopia), a popul ...

speakers in Belize. He gradually attracted congregations in Cristo Rey, San José, Patchakan, San Victor and Concepcion. St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church joined with Mayan and Spanish-speaking congregations and formed the national Presbyterian church of Belize in 1987, with support from the

Presbyterian Church in America The Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) is the second-largest Presbyterian church body, behind the Presbyterian Church (USA), and the largest conservative Calvinist denomination in the United States. The PCA is Reformed in theology and presb ...

's "Mission to the World." A ministry among Belize's

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...

population was established in 1988.

Churches

St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church

St. Andrew's was originally affiliated with the Free Church of Scotland and the first

pastor A pastor (abbreviated as "Pr" or "Ptr" , or "Ps" ) is the leader of a Christian congregation who also gives advice and counsel to people from the community or congregation. In Lutheranism, Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy and ...

served for almost 25 years. During the early years of the 20th century, the church was only open intermittently. At times it was administered by other branches of the Protestant church and at times considered merging with the

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's ...

s and Anglicans. The church maintained its Presbyterian heritage, however, in spite of the pressure to merge.

Unity Presbyterian Church

Unity Presbyterian Church was built to establish a church in a poor area of Belize City that was struck hard by a hurricane in 2000 which caused severe flooding in the area. The church received assistance from charitable organisations.

Today

There are 17 churches and church plants in the country today.

Seminary and education

''Belize Presbyterian Theological Seminary'' was founded in 2004 to train pastors. Classes are held in English, which is the official language of Belize. The students are Mayan, Chinese, and Creole who study over a period of three years. The president of the Seminary is Rev. Refael Ku, the board of directors comprises Belizean pastors, church elders, and MTW representatives. The Presbyterian Church of Belize also sponsors primary schools and high schools.

Theology

Creeds

Apostles' Creed The Apostles' Creed (Latin: ''Symbolum Apostolorum'' or ''Symbolum Apostolicum''), sometimes titled the Apostolic Creed or the Symbol of the Apostles, is a Christian creed or "symbol of faith". The creed most likely originated in 5th-century ...

* Nicene Creed * Athanasian Creed

Confessions

Canons of Dort The Canons of Dort, or Canons of Dordrecht, formally titled The Decision of the Synod of Dort on the Five Main Points of Doctrine in Dispute in the Netherlands, is the judgment of the National Synod held in the Dutch city of Dordrecht in 1618� ...

* Heidelberg Catechism *

Westminster Confession of Faith The Westminster Confession of Faith is a Reformed confession of faith. Drawn up by the 1646 Westminster Assembly as part of the Westminster Standards to be a confession of the Church of England, it became and remains the "subordinate standard" ...

Second Helvetic Confession The Helvetic Confessions are two documents expressing the common belief of the Calvinist churches of Switzerland. History The First Helvetic Confession ( la, Confessio Helvetica prior), known also as the Second Confession of Basel, was drawn up in ...

References

External links

''Mission to the World – Pages on Belize''''Reformed Protestantism in Belize''
{{coord missing, Belize Presbyterian denominations in Central America Protestantism in Belize Christian organizations established in 1987 Presbyterian denominations established in the 20th century