The meeting place of Garst Mill Presbyterian Church

Who are we?
Roanoke is a city with a long history. The first settlement began in the 1740’s with farmers who took advantage of “blue mountains and a snug flat valley beside the upper Roanoke River.” The area soon became a major hub for various railroads, and today the city is spread along the valley at the foot of the Blue Ridge Parkway. The Garst Mill community, the area of Roanoke in which our church building is located, took its name from the grain mill built by John Garst, Sr. in 1845. (That mill was located on the land just across the street from our present building.) In turn, the Garst Mill Presbyterian Church took its name from this community in which we built. We gather to worship and serve, seeking to provide the Garst Mill area and surrounding communities with Biblical, Christ centered preaching and teaching since1976.

We are a Bible-believing Church, regarding the Bible as the infallible, inerrant Word of God. We hold to the truths that God’s Word teaches us: that God created man, that man fell into sin, that Jesus Christ came to save those whom God has called His own, and that one day Christ will return again.

We are a Reformed Church. Our heritage traces back to the practice and teaching of the churches of the Sixteenth Century Protestant Reformation. Being reformed means making every effort to turn again to the form of the church and belief that is based on the Bible’s inspiration, authority, and sufficiency – to be reshaped by the Word of God revealed in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments.

We are a confessional Church. We hold to the system of doctrine contained in the Westminster Confession of Faith and the Larger and Shorter Catechisms.

We are an Orthodox Presbyterian Church. “Ortho” comes from the Greek language and means “straight.” “Dox” is also a Greek term and means “thinking.” “Presbyterian” is derived from another Greek word, “Presbuteros,” meaning elder. Garst Mill Presbyterian Church is governed by a Session of Elders, whose primary task is to care for the spiritual well-being of her members. For more information about our beliefs, please visit the denominational website at http://www.opc.org/standards.html.