“Learning, Loving, Giving—Christ Alive in the Believer”

We are a family of believers, joined in one body by the redeeming sacrifice of Christ Jesus.  We have been transformed through His resurrection for a life of service on earth and the Glory of God.

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new Creation;  the old is gone, the new has come!".  All that is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation"   --2 Corinthians 5:17, 18.

God has graciously warned us in Revelation 2-3, about dangers ahead for the Church absence of love for Christ, compromise, tolerance of sin, good works without love, and complacency ("neither cold nor hot"). Against these we must always be on guard.

Life in Christ is constant, perpetual growth, actively at work both in the individual and in the church through the power of the Holy Spirit.  Our mission statement, “Learning, Loving, Giving” is chosen to reflect three interactive aspects of that growth essential to a Spirit-filled church.

LEARNING

A life of study helps to produce discipline and focus in Christ's believers, helping us to understand our purpose and calling under God. It calls for studying the Word of God (the Bible), as well as the instructions and examples of God's saints and servants. We learn also through prayer, seeking God's will and gaining clarity about how God is already at work around us in ways we may have missed. We also learn through community. All of us have an experience and knowledge of God because of where life has taken us. So when we come together as the church, we bring that small piece of knowledge into worship and fellowship. It is a mosaic we all partner in to build, which brings out a bigger picture of God than what we can make on our own. 

LOVING

We are encouraged to "life a life of love" as believers in imitation of Christ (Ephesians 5:2). Love for our siblings in Christ, but also love for the world around us. That means we must care about all the issues in our society, and understand their impact on people's lives and well-being. It also means having a love for God's creation, understanding that it has been given to us to reflect his loving and holy character. So everything that we have, we must ensure that all people have the ability to access and benefit from it. Love also means being willing to self (and societally) sacrifice to that others might be able to live the lives God has created them to have.

GIVING

It is important to give of ourselves in order that the world might be made better. Traditionally, this has meant in terms of our finances to support people and efforts that strive to accomplish this. So we donate to the church, and its ministries, so it might continue in its purpose in reaching out to the world. But we also give in terms of time, of what we are willing to put our thoughts and energies toward. All of us have, or are, working for something in our lives. So we must ensure that work and effort is going toward something eternal, and long-lasting in someone's life, and not just for our immediate want or comfort. All so we might give the most important thing we have to God: our lives. To give our lives to Christ is to say "yes" to what he values and desires, to allow his example to dictate how we operate. The church is made up of people who have responded to that vision, and desire the outcome only Christ can produce. In being willing to give, we receive something so much greater.