ABOUT US

What kind of church is this?
WHAT OUR CHURCH BELIEVES

What kind of church is this?

Our church is a non-denominational church which is made up of people from various church backgrounds. We celebrate the diversity of thought and practice that comes from our various church traditions and seek to create an environment that is rooted in historic church practice while simultaneously speaking a fresh word to the contemporary searcher and disciple. With attention to both diversity of thought and ancient wisdom, we are a church that is rooted in God’s sacramental grace, shaped by God’s story in Christ found in Scripture, and open to and interruptible by God’s work in the Holy Spirit. What does this mean? First, the structure of our worship is true to the liturgical rhythm that has been there for a very, very long time. Second, we are a place that welcomes the fresh Wind of the Spirit, along with all the gifts and life that the Spirit brings to the church. Third, we have a high regard for Scripture and a passion to co-labor with God in seeking the peace of our own city, as well as the peaceable reign of God throughout the world.

WHAT OUR CHURCH BELIEVES

We affirm the Nicene and Apostles’ Creeds as the centering beliefs of the Christian faith. We like to think of the Creeds as the boards surrounding a sandbox. There’s a lot of room for a diversity of play in the sand, but the boards hold the box, the space for play, together. Just like we welcome people from various church backgrounds, we also welcome a diversity of beliefs theologically. The Creeds center our belief as a church and connect us to the church world-wide (which is what we mean when we say “catholic” in the creed). We recite a creed each week as a part of our worship.

The Nicene Creed

We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven:
by the power of the Holy Spirit
he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary,
and was made man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son.
With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified.
He has spoken through the Prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.

The Apostles’ Creed

I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit
and born of the virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to hell.
The third day he rose again from the dead.
He ascended to heaven
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty.
From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.

Our Values

STUDY

We affirm our desire to be a school for Christ, a learning community, where, through the study of the church’s teachings, we fall in love with God and with one another and therefore with our neighbor as well. We affirm that God’s Word is fresh and alive and speaking dynamically today. We affirm the intrinsic authority and trustworthiness of the Bible, given by God as the ultimate rule for Christian faith and conduct. We affirm the contribution of the historic church to biblical interpretation, the positive fruit of contemporary biblical scholarship, and the insights provided from the worldwide church. We affirm the role of scripture, reason, and tradition in biblical interpretation, with scripture being the supreme authority by which the church should judge itself, its thinking, and its traditions. We affirm the Apostles Creed and the Nicene Creed as the sufficient statement of the Christian faith.

We affirm that the God of Israel is righteous and just and is in the process even now of putting the world to rights. We affirm justice as a matter of healing, reconciliation, and wholeness. We affirm that Christ is reconciling all things to himself through the cross. We affirm the proclamation of the gospel as the means by which sinners hear and respond to the good news of God’s reconciliation in Christ and respond in faith, therefore becoming members of God’s covenant family. We affirm the critical importance of listening to our city, paying attention to her wounds and aspirations. We affirm the works of justice that emerge from this patient listening: hospitality towards the stranger, care for the earth, service with the poor, and working for the transformation of the structures of our city so that our city might better reflect God’s shalom.

We affirm our dependence upon the God revealed to us in the scriptures and affirm that we are powerless to live fully the life we were created to live without His guidance and empowering Spirit. We affirm that we, as individuals and as a congregation, are in a covenant relationship with a God who speaks. We affirm that God gives all the gifts of the Spirit to His people today. We affirm the practices of individual and congregational discernment. We affirm healing prayer for the sick and receiving and testing prophetic words. We affirm the ancient practice of the daily office, praying morning and evening for our city.

We affirm that all beauty reflects the beauty of our creator God. We affirm the role of the artist both in the world and in the church. We affirm the role of the arts as a means of encountering God. We affirm that through art, it is possible to experience “revelations the like of which cannot be achieved by rational thought” (Solzhenitsyn). We affirm that beauty within the built environment recognizes an interdependent relationship with the natural environment. We affirm the efforts of all who seek the beauty of the built and natural environment, because in doing so they render the city of man more like the City of God.

We affirm that work is a primary way we glorify God on earth. We affirm that work was given to human beings before the fall and is therefore, part of God’s plan for humanity. Work is our daily activity. It is our talent and purpose in action. We affirm the role of the body in discerning vocation. We affirm the importance of public discipleship: equipping our members to live out their calling in the workplace and in the city.