We are followers of Jesus. We believe in one God as revealed most fully in the life, teaching, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Christ is our Lord and Leader, the foundation of our faith, and the basis of our new birth and of our life together as a family of God. We base our faith on the Bible. We do not claim to understand or to live it perfectly, but we embrace the Bible as the trustworthy and inspired Word of God.
We are members of God's worldwide family. Our spiritual roots, like those of all Christians, go back to the story of God's people in the Old Testament. Likewise, we are a part of the universal Christian church, the story of which begins in the New Testament--when the power of God's Spirit was poured out on the first century followers of Jesus.
In our faith, we affirm the ancient creeds of the early Christian church. We are also spiritual heirs of the sixteenth century Reformation, which emphasizes salvation by faith, and of the Anabaptist wing of that Reformation, which stresses voluntary adult baptism as a pledge of covenant with Christ and the church.
We are a part of the Mennonite Church. While we see ourselves first of all as members of God's worldwide family, we are linked with the Mennonite family of churches in our concern for Christ's example of a life of simplicity and peace, and in our support of that denomination's mission, relief, education and publishing efforts.
We are a living, growing and serving local family of faith:
LIVING: Together we are experiencing a new life in Christ. By saying No to a life of sin and self-centeredness and saying Yes to a life of faithfulness to Christ, we receive God's gift of forgiveness and God's power to live a new and joy-filled life. Our desire is to be a community of people who love God above every other love or loyalty and who love our neighbors and even our enemies as Christ taught us.
GROWING: Together we want to experience more and more of the spirit of Jesus in our lives. To help us in this, we urge the practice of spiritual disciplines of prayer and the study of scripture, accountable relationships with others, and regular attendance at house church meetings for worship, study and fellowship. We also want to be a caring church family, using our God-given gifts to encourage each other to grow as Christians and to welcome others into our "family of hope".
SERVING: Together we want to respond to God's call to continue the kinds of proclaiming and healing ministries Jesus began when he was here on earth. We are committed to being the servants of Christ for the world, calling people to faith and caring deeply about their hurts and needs. We urge Christians to give at least a tithe (10%) of their working hours and of their incomes for direct service to others through the church.
Above all, we want to live a celebrative and joyful life together as children of God. We eagerly look forward to the time when Jesus, our Lord and King, will return to earth to establish God's rule of peace and justice over all creation. This is our hope and confidence.
revised 6/14
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