ABOUT GOD
We believe that there is one true, holy God, eternally existing and expressing Himself in three persons – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – each of whom possesses equally all the attributes of deity and characteristics of personality. In the beginning God created out of nothing the world and everything in it, and from that beginning He has been relentlessly desiring and pursuing a personal, intimate, and eternal relationship with us, His children. (Genesis 1; Deuteronomy 6:4; Matthew 3:16, 17)
ABOUT BEING SEPARATED FROM GOD (This Part’s Not So Good)
We believe, even though God created humans to live in relationship with Him, that sin entered the world through the first man and woman, and our relationship with God was broken and distorted. That initial rebellion by humans resulted in a severing of our relationship with God, and there was and is nothing we can do on our own to reestablish that union with our Father…BUT we also believe that God did not abandon His creation to destruction and decay; rather He promised to restore this broken world and bring His family back together. (Romans 1 – 3)
ABOUT JESUS (Here’s the Best Part)
We believe that our longings to be reunited with our Father found their fulfillment in Jesus, born of a virgin, mysteriously God in the flesh. Jesus came to preach good news to the poor, to bind up the broken-hearted and set captives free. He lived a perfect life, proclaiming the arrival of the Kingdom. He was rejected by many, crucified, buried and rose again. His death and resurrection bring hope to all creation. Through Jesus we have been forgiven, and through Jesus, God reconciles us to Himself. Through Jesus, God puts His family back together. Jesus is the only way for this to happen, the only mediator between God and humans. For all who accept His sacrifice, He gives the Holy Spirit who leads us into all truth through a communal life of worship and a missional expression of our faith. (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John; Romans 5: 1-11; Hebrews 4:14-16, 7:24-25)
ABOUT THE HOLY SPIRIT
The third person of God (Father and Son being the two others) is the Holy Spirit. We believe the Holy Spirit lives in every Christ follower. He lives and moves and is a source of assurance, strength, and wisdom and He equips and empowers each with talents and abilities for the purpose of building up God’s kingdom. (John 14 and 16; Acts 2; Romans 8)
ABOUT THE BIBLE
We believe the Bible to be the voices of many who have come before us, inspired entirely by God to continue to speak to us today. We believe the Bible is entirely accurate, complete, and reliable. God calls us to immerse ourselves in this authoritative narrative and to continue to faithfully live out that story today as we are led by the Spirit. (2 Timothy 3: 16, 17; 2 Peter 1: 19 -21)
ABOUT THE CHURCH
We believe there is one true church, universal, comprised of all those who acknowledge Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. We believe the church is called to engage the culture and to put the resurrected Christ who lives in and through us on display to a broken and hurting world. We believe that God works through the church to bring His family back together through Jesus Christ. (Acts 1 – 12; Matthew 5: 13- 16)