STATEMENT OF IDENTITY

We come together as a community of followers of Jesus Christ in order to experience and celebrate the healing love of God in our lives and relationships. We place our hope in the supreme desire of God to bring health into all of life, that is, our relationship with God, our relationship with self, our relationship with others and our relationship with the entire creation. The Kingdom of God, described in the stories, letters, and instructions of Jesus and the New Testament, is created by God’s Spirit. The Love of God and the qualities of joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness and self-control were demonstrated in Jesus and become part of the lives of all who grow into the Kingdom of God as followers of Jesus. We desire to live together as citizens of the Kingdom of God, cooperating with the Spirit of Jesus to transform ourselves and our world. This statement is a description of how we intend to carry this out in our life together.

We believe the Bible is a faithful witness to the character and purpose of God. We believe it is the written narrative that describes the Event of God’s love in Jesus Christ in His life, death and resurrection and the ongoing presence of His Spirit in our lives. We believe the Bible is the record of how God, in the past, has related to others directly and through human beings similar to ourselves. Therefore, we study it, seek to understand it and live out the priorities and values of the Bible in our community, our culture and the world. We do so in faith and commitment to Jesus Christ, the one to whom the Bible bears witness.

We recognize and respect that, as individuals, God’s love has broken through into our lives in a variety of ways. Consistent with this awareness is the realization that each of us, to one degree or another, come from different backgrounds. We, therefore, respect each other’s histories, theological perspectives and traditions, understanding that our different interpretations of the Bible and life experiences will tend to separate us. Nevertheless, the center of our faith is Jesus Christ. He is the only Truth sufficient to unite us in Love, breaking down all the walls of race, creed, gender, politics, greed, power, addiction or any other issue that separates and causes conflict between people. Therefore, we are intent on being an inclusive community of faith, a fellowship where authentic self-expression is welcomed and respected and where difficult issues are addressed in an atmosphere of grace, forgiveness, mutual understanding and love.

We also understand that the primary witness to the loving character of God is the love relationship we have with Jesus Christ and each other. Thus, we are committed to the maintaining of the bonds of love that hold us together and to extending out beyond ourselves as we act out the love of God in the world. In keeping with this basic and primary understanding, we will appropriately address in loving correction any situation, group, or individual who may be motivated to separate us from one another for the sake of their own personal issues, political desires, doctrinal preferences and/or specialized theological interpretations. We desire to exhibit the love of God we have found in Jesus Christ, the ministry of His Spirit and carry out the mission He gave His followers to Love everyone, even our enemies, and invite all people to become His followers. We intend to do so meaningfully, thoughtfully, skillfully, relevantly, and appropriately. We may choose to partner with any group or resource that will aid us in doing so.

We come together to love even as we have been loved, to forgive even as we have been forgiven; committed to Jesus Christ and to one another, participating in each other’s lives even as He participates in ours, united together as the family of God for the purpose of stirring one another up to love and good works.