Core Values

We travel this journey by faith in the grace of God alone. God brings us into this journey through the promise of our baptism and the gift of his Holy Spirit. We are not here merely by choice, but by our hope to share in the eternal covenant in which God who made us and all things. We desire most of all to fully trust and live in the grace of God at all times.

We confess that we are not perfect, nor will we ever be. We are honest about our brokenness and we seek to live humbly and wisely for the sake of our own wellness, for the sake of others around us and the creation that God has given us. We try not to judge others, but strive to share together a common mission to live better lives and make a better world.

This is a spiritual journey, and we walk in this world as spiritual people. We know that we need to pray in daily devotion to God and at all times, for ourselves and for others. We seek to participate fully in the worship life of the community and come to the Lord’s table often. We commend ourselves to the life of the Holy Spirit and all of its gifts.

We are equipped for this journey with the living Word of God who is Jesus Christ. We strive to be diligent in reading and studying the witness of the Scriptures and the history and tradition of the community of faith. We listen for God speaking through his prophets and saints today. We are called to move beyond a simplistic, literal reading of ancient texts to a deep and transformative personal encounter with Jesus. We do not claim to know the truth perfectly, rather we seek humbly to be known by God. We are responsible to test our views and interpretations within the whole community of faith.

This journey takes place in the reality of the world and our daily lives. We are grateful for all of God’s gifts: home and family, daily work and all that we need from day to day. We seek to be faithful in the stations of everyday life: at home and at work, as neighbors and citizens. We participate in the God’s Kingdom of Justice in the world. We stand on the side of the least of God’s children. We want to be people of peace. As best we can, we will turn away from vengeance and violence to pray for our enemies and for those who persecute us.

We share of ourselves as we go. At our best, we are generous in giving our time, talents and treasures for the sake of our neighbors near and far. We try to live simple lives in harmony with the goodness of God’s creation. We know that we can move away from selfishness, greed, materialism and corruption through the tithing of our financial gifts.

We will make this journey together. We are active in the life of the community of faith. We share one another’s burdens, we rejoice in one another’s triumphs. We encourage one another in times of struggle, and we speak the truth in love when we must. We hope that our lives publicly testify to God in word and deed. We seek to invite and welcome our friends and neighbors to share this journey with us.

We do all this in great hope. We trust in the promise of God’s gracious love, we do not grieve the Holy Spirit. We are at all times Easter people, eagerly awaiting the coming dawn of the Kingdom that never ends.