Mission, Vision & Beliefs
Our Mission:
To be the heart and hands of Christ in the Neighborhood.
Our Vision:
Encountering God • Following Christ • Serving Others
We Believe:
GOD – God is the Creator and Ruler of the universe. He has eternally existed in three persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. These three are co-equal and are one God. (Genesis 1:1,26,27; 3:22; Psalm 90:2; Matthew 28:19; 1 Peter 1:2; 2 Corinthians 13:14)
MAN – Man is made in the spiritual image of God, to be like Him in character. He is the supreme object of God’s creation. Although man has tremendous potential for good, he is marred by an attitude of disobedience toward God called “sin”. This attitude separates man from God. (Genesis 1:27; Psalm 8:3-6; Isaiah 53:6a; Romans 3:23; Isaiah 59:1,2)
ETERNITY – Man was created to exist forever. He will either exist eternally separated from God by sin, or in union with God through forgiveness and salvation. To be eternally separated from God is Hell. To be eternally in union with Him is eternal life. Heaven and Hell are places of eternal existence. (John 3:16; John 2:25; John 5:11-13; Romans 6:23; Revelation 20:15; 1 John 5:11-12; Matthew 25:31-46)
JESUS – Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He is co-equal with the Father. Jesus lived a sinless human life and offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all men by dying on a cross. He arose from the dead after three days to demonstrate His power over sin and death. He ascended to Heaven’s glory and will return again to earth to reign as King of kings, and Lord of lords. (Matthew 1:22,23; Isaiah 9:6; John 1:1-5, 14:10-30; Hebrews 4:14,15; 1 Corinthians 15:3,4; Romans 1:3,4; Acts 1:9-11; 1 Timothy 6:14,15; Titus 2:13)
SALVATION – Salvation is a gift from God to man. Man can never make up for his sin by self-improvement or good works. Only by trusting in Jesus Christ as God’s offer of forgiveness can man be saved from sin’s penalty. Eternal life begins the moment one receives Jesus Christ into his life by faith. (Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:8,9; John 14:6, 1:12; Titus 3:5; Galatians 3:26; Romans 5:1)
HOLY SPIRIT – The Holy Spirit is equal with the Father and the Son as God. He is present in the world to make men aware of their need for Jesus Christ. He also lives in every Christian from the moment of salvation. He provides the Christian with power for living, understanding of spiritual truth, and guidance in doing what is right. The Christian seeks to live under His control daily. (2 Corinthians 3:17; John 16:7-13, 14:16,17; Acts 1:8; 1 Corinthians 2:12, 3:16; Ephesians 1:13; Galatians 5:25; Ephesians 5:1)
THE BIBLE – The Bible is God’s word to all men. It was written by human authors, under the supernatural guidance of the Holy Spirit. It is the supreme source of truth for Christian beliefs and living. Because it is inspired by God, it is truth without any mixture of error. (2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20,21; 2 Timothy 1:13; Psalm 119:105,160, 12:6; Proverbs 30:5)
WHY WE ALL NEED SALVATION – The Bible also clearly tells us that man fell from his perfect state in the Garden of Eden. God partially restored His relationship with man through the Old Testament system of atonement, but we are now able to come into a complete relationship with God the Father by faith through Jesus Christ. Through the “New Birth” (John 3:3-7; II Corinthians 5:17), we don’t just have eternal life, but a new life! (Romans 5)
We Also Believe:
- that God loves each of us, unconditionally, no matter what we’ve done.
- that God invites each of us to enter into relationship with our Creator.
- that God changes us, transforms us into our best selves, when we allow God to work in our lives.
- in the power of prayer, the study of scripture, the importance of worship, and the usefulness of all the spiritual disciplines in drawing us closer to God.
- our faith must be lived out in our everyday lives.
- that everyone has gifts, talents, skills, abilities, and experiences that can help others.