About Us

 

"To know Christ intimately and to follow Him into the world to make disciples."
Just as a tree needs strong, deep, healthy roots, so must any movement of believers trying to live out their values. Our Biblical Mission represents our roots. We want to be firmly planted in Truth of God’s Word, watered by The Spirit of God and given sun by the tradition of the Saints. Our Biblical Mission represents who we must be.

It is unseen and yet it represents all that we are to be and yet it is a statement of words composed by fallible humans. We aspire to live into them and to anchor ourselves and our actions deeply to them. Our Biblical Mission is who we are becoming.

Our Vision

"Find the Lost, Disciple the Found, Equip for Service, Transform the World."
At some point, life comes up from the soil. A tree’s trunk bursts up in proportion to the strength of its roots and its capacity for sustained growth. Our Vision is what others first see. It is how we live out our mission. It is that which faces the elements of life directly and it also becomes the backbone or the strength of its various exposed parts. Our Vision is how we pattern our lives and our ministries. It is what we are about.

Our Strategic Initiative

"Reach...deeper into God, further out in love."

Our Beliefs

WHAT WE BELIEVE
We identify ourselves with the global movement of followers called The United Methodist Church. As such, we live under the statement of faith found in John Wesley’s 25 Articles of Religion and embody these core beliefs as stated here:
ABOUT GOD... God is the Creator and Ruler of the universe. God exists eternally in three personalities: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. God is both holy and loving.
ABOUT JESUS CHRIST... Jesus Christ is the unique Son of God. He lived a sinless human life and died on the cross to atone for our sins. He rose from the dead and ascended to heaven and will return again to earth.
ABOUT THE HOLY SPIRIT... The Holy Spirit is present in the world to make people aware of their need for Jesus Christ. When we receive Jesus as the leader of our lives and the forgiver of our sins, the Holy Spirit comes to live within us. The Spirit provides us with power for living, enables us to understand spiritual truth, and guides us in doing what pleases God. As Christians we seek to live under the Spirit’s control daily.

ABOUT THE BIBLE... The Bible is God’s word given without error through human authors under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. It is the final authority for determining our Christian beliefs and how we are to live.

ABOUT HUMAN BEINGS... People are made in the spiritual image of God - we are rational and moral beings. Because we are God’s creation made in God’s image, each person possesses great self-worth. Although every person has tremendous potential for good, all of us are marred by an attitude of self-centeredness which the Bible calls “sin”. This attitude and its resultant actions separate us from God, others, and ourselves.

ABOUT BEING MADE RIGHT WITH GOD... Becoming right with God and having our relationship with God restored is what the Bible calls salvation. Salvation is God’s free gift to us. We can never earn it or achieve it by self-improvement or good works. We accept God’s gift of a new life when we turn from our self-ruled life and accept Jesus as our Savior. The new life that God gives us is an abundant life in this world and eternal life in the world to come.

ABOUT THE KIND OF LIFE WE ARE CALLED TO LIVE... Though we are not made right with God by our own goodness, “good works” are not optional for the Christian life. When we give our lives to Christ, it is expected that we will grow towards loving God with all our being and our neighbors as ourselves.

ABOUT BAPTISM... Baptism is our initiation into the church and our identification as children of God. God initiates this relationship and chooses us as daughters and sons, beginning our life-long journey of faith. God’s choice happens regardless of our age or our response. Those that are baptized as children must make the choice to confirm their belief in Christ to continue as members of the church.

ABOUT HOLY COMMUNION... Communion is an opportunity for us to renew our relationship with Jesus Christ. On His last night before his death, Jesus ate a special meal with His disciples. He charged His church with repeating this meal to remember His sacrifice and celebrate our new life through His death and resurrection. God offers this relationship to everyone, so all who desire to receive are welcome to participate.

ABOUT THE CHURCH... We believe the Church (also known as the Body or Bride of Christ in scripture) is a spiritual organism made up of all those in a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ, who are called to live in fellowship and worship together. We believe that all members, being in relationship with Christ are gifted, empowered and called to serve within God’s mission to reach the world. The Church is God’s vehicle on earth to bring about God’s justice, mercy and the good news of hope for all people.

OUR CORE VALUES

LOVE... All relationships, both inside and outside the church walls, should be steeped in love. Love changes everything in terms of how we interact with one another. (Matthew 22:37-39; 18:14, Luke 5:30-32, 15, John 13:34-35)

SERVICE... Jesus came to earth not to be served but to serve. We honor and follow Him by serving others, expecting nothing in return. (Matthew 6:21; 10:39, Mark 10:42-45)

REACHING OUT... The church should inspire all members to reach the world. Whether the world is our next door neighbor, a co-worker, or a complete stranger continents away, the church helps us discover and live out God’s personal calling for us to reach others. (Colossians 1:16, Matthew 9:12-13, 2 Corinthians 9:6)

RELEVANT... We will be doctrinally pure (see our Belief Statement) but culturally relevant in all environments and ways with the purpose to impact the ever-changing world in which we live. (Acts 17:16-34, John 1:1, 2 Cor 2:17; 4:2, Heb 4:12)

REDEMPTION... God is a redemptive God who works through grace. His grace has an eternal impact on our lives. Though we often may never know the end result, the grace we extend to others can touch them in ways that has an eternal impact on them as well. We are to always choose the redemptive option. (Isaiah 58, Matthew 18:14, 1 Peter 4:8)

EMPOWERING... Through ongoing discipling, training, support, and encouragement, we raise up new servant leaders who will carry God’s voice to the world as each live into their own personal God-call. (Romans 11:29; 12:3-8, 1 Cor 12, Ephesians 4)

EXCELLENCE... We strive to do all things in a quality and strategic manner which honors God, inspires people, and accomplishes His work. (Colossians 3:23)

COMMUNITY... In order to more wholistically understand God, God’s Word, ourselves and the world, we intentionally engage in authentic relationships including small groups. We value the deepening of these authentic relationships in the church while understanding that our greatest calling is to carry that to the world. (John 13:34-35, Romans 12:10, Acts 2, Acts 4, 1 John 3)

TEAMWORK... Team-led ministries are the most healthy way to serve and build the Kingdom of God. Our visions can only be so big when working alone. Effective teams are self-aware, empowered in giftedness, loving in community and servants of God’s love. (Neh 3, Luke 10:1, Matt 18:20)

LIFE-LONG JOURNEY... Our spiritual journeys do not have an ending point. We are called to ongoing growth and ever-increasing intimacy with God through prayer, study of the Bible, community and other spiritual disciplines. (Heb 12:1, Phil 1:6)