Our Values
As a fellowship of Christians,
we will strive daily to be:
Jesus Focused
Jesus entered this world with all of its challenges, wonders and failures. One translation of the bible says he "moved into the neighbourhood." He announced that God's kingdom had arrived and entry was available to everyone willing to follow him. The Bible says that he created all things and holds them all together. Further, it says that anyone who claims to be intimate with God must live as Jesus lived. Therefore, we try to obey God by relying on the power of the Holy Spirit as he works in us so that we can do things that Jesus wants to do with us, in us and through us. Using Jesus' model of moving into the neighbourhood, we attempt to enter the world around us to live and speak his message that people can enter God's kingdom now by choosing to obey him.
Real and Truthful
In a world of "spin", where the truth is considered to be relative, if necessary at all, we emphasize truth before tradition. We seek to understand and live God's truth in this culture at this time. We are who we are and none of us are perfect. We are moving toward that ideal which Jesus established for us. We believe that living in God's kingdom is a daily way of life and not something reserved for special moments and Sunday gatherings. Our faith and what we believe guides and informs the way that we live as members of families, employer/employees, students, friends and so forth. We want to be people whose lives reflect integrity; that is, we integrate the truth we believe with how we relate to God, others and our world.
We are commanded by God to speak the truth in loving ways. We seek to do that as we address matters of injustice that exist locally, nationally and internationally. Truth matters to God. Justice and mercy matter to God. We can't claim to follow God and turn a blind eye to injustice of any sort. At the same time, we work to avoid the relativism of our culture because we believe that such relativism is responsible for people "losing their way". People are designed to live with purpose, to have whole lived. That is impossible without living in the light of what is true. Denial of truth is unbecoming to Christians and it us helpful to people and to societies. Jesus always sought to lovingly tell the truth so that people could grasp reality. As we follow him, we try to do the same thing.
Active, Missional & Partnering
We have no mission of our own. It is God's mission that we seek to discern and get in step with. His passion is to restore his kingdom and rule on earth, among all people. Therefore, we challenge people to Christian living, reaching out to others in God's name, and to demonstrating life in God's kingdom. We seek to be involved in what God is doing wherever and whenever God gives us both opportunity and resources to do so.
On a personal level, we call people to wholeness according to God's design. We accept people where they are and love them as best we can in order to help them move beyond that place to greater freedom and maturity in God's kingdom. We partner locally and internationally with others who embrace God's mission and share this passion for the development of God's kingdom.
Caring In Community
While we recognize that community has become a "buzz word" of sorts, we still feel that is is what should be the trademark of a gathering of Christians. Christian faith is not a "solo pursuit." According to Jesus, our love for one another should be our distinguishing characteristic. We seek to share our lives with one another and we honestly and openly welcome newcomers.
Community means more than being in the same place at the same time. It means being involved, life upon life. We share life together in formal events and informal ways. We worship together and we engage in work projects together. We care for each other and we care about each other. We try to care for those outside our local fellowship as we have opportunity and resource to do so. We believe, deeply, that all people matter because they bear God's image. We do whatever we can to ensure that the image of God in each person is made more evident, more complete.
Worshiping And Thankful
God designed the world and placed rhythms of work and rest within it. We gather together to worship our Creator and Saviour, to be renewed by the work of the Holy Spirit and to encourage one another with the evidence of God's activity in our lives and in all of creation. In addition to our worship gatherings, we strongly encourage people to worship on their own and in various ways during the rest of the week.
We also try to be thankful, recognizing the gifts and grace of God to us each day. Being genuinely thankful is a wonderful antidote to pride. Our goal is to have all who gather be involved in worship and not simply an audience. We believe that worship pleases God and restores our perspective on life in his kingdom. It is renewing, encouraging and invigoration. It is also the product of a person who obeys God. The bible says that obedience is a greater act of worship than sacrifice. We emphasize that worship flows from thankful, obedient living.