We believe that God wants to bring about a new humanity by redeeming every part of us. We embrace the salvation Jesus offers as the only hope for a relationship with God. We believe that brokenness can be restored and failures do not define who are. We believe that those seeking to become a Christ follower should seek the Kingdom of God that Jesus offers and desire baptism. Scripture passages such as Acts 2:38; 8:26-40; 22:16, Matt. 28:19, Romans 6:1-6, 1 Peter 3:21, Col. 2:12, Gal. 3:26-27 and Mark 16:15-16 indicate the importance, the spiritual formation and transformation that baptism brings. Baptism (submerged in water) is not a work of man but a grace of God.
We value the image of God in all people, everywhere. We believe that we were created to live deeply with one another, carrying each other’s burdens, sharing our possessions, to pray for and confess our sins to each other, to suffer and celebrate together. It’s in these honest, loving relationships that God transforms us and truth becomes a reality. The way of Jesus cannot be lived alone.
We believe that Jesus is God in human form and that the Church is God’s ongoing presence in the world. Led by the Spirit of God, we are passionate about joining the God of the oppressed in living out the transforming message of the resurrected Jesus. Jesus calls his Church to be a compelling force for good in the world, and we believe that the Church is at its best when it serves, sacrifices, and loves, caring about the things God cares about. We were created to live for something larger than ourselves.
We take great joy in partnering with God to change the world, embracing the truth that all of life is sacred, hope is real, and tomorrow can be better than today. We celebrate the divine in daily pursuing lives of hope, gratitude, and worship. God invites everyone everywhere into this way of life, and we believe it is the best possible way to live.
We affirm the central truths of historic orthodox Christian faith, seeing ourselves in a long line of generations taking part in the endless conversation between God and people. We believe the Bible is God’s Word about God and his grand plan to restore, renew, save and establish a real relationship with his creation. The Bible is full of voices that are inspired by God to pass along their poems, stories, accounts, and letters of response and relationship with each other and the living God. To know where we’re going, we have to know where we’ve been.
