WELCOME TO WAYSIDE CHURCH!
At Wayside Presbyterian Church, we believe that God saves and grows His people through the simple and historic means of grace: His Word, prayer, the sacraments, worship, service, and gospel community. By His grace, God is renewing individuals, families, cities, and cultures through the powerful gospel of Jesus Christ. We invite you to come to join us in this mission. We are an intergenerational community with a wide variety of professions and backgrounds. I'd love to meet you and hope to see you soon!
—Brian Cosby, Senior Pastor
{ COME AS YOU ARE }
We are a community of people who are in process. We have imperfect messy lives, but we are pursuing and experiencing a transforming relationship with Jesus and with each other. Everybody is welcome here whatever your story, your questions, doubts, or struggles.
We want to invite you to join us for Lord's Day worship—to engage with God's people in Word-centered, Christ-exalting, and soul-enriching praise to our God.
Sundays at Wayside
Morning Worship 9:00am & 10:45am
Meets in the main sanctuary. Overflow spaces are available in the upstairs overflow room (with audio/video feed) and in the Fellowship Hall downstairs.
Infant Nursery Available @ the 9:00am, 10:45am, and 6:00pm worship services. Next to the sanctuary for infants through 3 years. We also have a mother's nursing room and a family room with audio of the service.
Evening Worship 6:00pm
We enjoy closing the Lord's Day together in a time of singing and hearing the preaching of God's Word.
Text for this week's sermon
Week: 4/5/2026 | Luke 24:13-35
13 That very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, 14 and they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened. 15 While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. 16 But their eyes were kept from recognizing him. 17 And he said to them, “What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk?” And they stood still, looking sad. 18 Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” 19 And he said to them, “What things?” And they said to him, “Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, 20 and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him. 21 But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened. 22 Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning, 23 and when they did not find his body, they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive. 24 Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see.” 25 And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” 27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.
28 So they drew near to the village to which they were going. He acted as if he were going farther, 29 but they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent.” So he went in to stay with them. 30 When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. 31 And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight. 32 They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?” 33 And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem. And they found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, 34 saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!” 35 Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread.
What We Believe
We are a "confessional" church, which means that we enjoy a rich heritage of Reformed theology, ministry, and worship—stemming from the Protestant Reformation of the 16th and 17th centuries. In particular, we affirm the Westminster Confession of Faith (WCF) and the Larger and Shorter Catechisms of the 1640s. Below is a summary of what we believe:
The Bible: We believe the Bible is the written word of God, inspired by the Holy Spirit and without error in the original manuscripts. The Bible is the revelation of God’s truth and is infallible and authoritative in all matters of faith and practice.
God: We believe in the Holy Trinity. There is one God, who exists eternally in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. In himself, he is perfectly holy and powerful, altogether just and wise, and utterly good and loving.
Humanity: We believe that all people are created in the image of God with dignity as they were made to reflect God’s character in all of life. Yet, we believe that all people are born as sinners, totally depraved and totally unable to save themselves from God’s displeasure, except by his mercy.
Salvation: We believe that salvation is by God alone as he sovereignly chooses those he will save. We believe his choice is based on his grace, not on any human individual merit, or foreseen faith. We believe that salvation is through Christ alone by grace alone through faith alone.
Jesus Christ: We believe that Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God, who through his perfect life and sacrificial death atoned for the sins of all who will trust in him, alone, for salvation. We believe that Jesus, our Redeemer, was raised again for our justification, and ascended into the heavens, where he sits at the right hand of the Father Almighty, continually making intercession for his people, and governing the whole world as head over all things for his church. We believe that Jesus will return, bodily and visibly, to judge all mankind, to receive his people to himself, and to renew all things.
Holy Spirit: We believe that the Holy Spirit indwells God’s people and gives them the strength and wisdom to trust Christ and follow him. We believe that the Holy Spirit refreshes, remakes, restores, reforms, and revives. We are never alone because he is in us and with us.
Church and Kingdom: We believe that as the living God renews all things, he has been gathering a people, called the church, from every nation, race, class, and culture. He instructs us as his people to become actively invested in the world’s people and problems in productive ways by bringing his truth and values to bear on all of life. Jesus has power and authority to right what is wrong with the world and he chooses the church as his primary instrument for making disciples of all nations. Thus, the church's mission is to make disciples of Jesus Christ through the means of grace that God has provided; ordinarily, God's Word, the sacraments, and prayer.
(With thanks to Lookout Mountain PCA for parts of this summary)