purpose and core values

Our Purpose--what we do--and our Core Values--how we do it

give definition to all our work, worship, and witness.


Our Purpose is TO KNOW JESUS and BLESS OUR COMMUNITY.


This means many things, but most importantly it means this:  Knowing about Jesus is good; knowing Jesus is far better.  The first is head knowledge, which results in more information; the second is heart knowledge, and results in transformation.  It also results in action.  Action is important because we believe that growth in a relationship with Jesus should always be in service to something bigger than ourselves.

 

Which brings us to blessing our community.  Too often, it seems, Christianity focuses on the individual -- individual salvation, individual growth -- or on the church -- increasing membership, building bigger buildings.  Those are (or can be) important.  But we believe more important still is putting our faith to work to make our community a better place for everyone.


Our Core Values:

          Shalom...we work for wholeness, peace, and justice for all people

          Compassion...we extend mercy and understanding to all people

          Grace...we forgive as God forgives us

          Integrity...we live what we profess to believe

          Community...we're responsible for more than our own lives

earth care congregation

We are proud to be a PCUSA-certified Earth Care Congregation working to protect and restore God's creation and reduce actions that damage the Earth and harm vulnerable communities.  Earth Care Congregations are congregations that have committed to the “Earth Care Pledge” and accomplished a specific number of actions toward caring for God’s earth.

our presbyterian affiliation

We are a congregation of the Presbyterian Church (USA), the largest Presbyterian denomination in the United States.  Our roots are in the so-called Reformed Tradition which means that we believe in a sovereign God…a God with the power to change lives, to give and love freely…a God Who has authority over the whole world.


  • We believe that, in Jesus Christ, we see both the perfect love of God and what perfect humanity looks like. 
  • We believe God wants to be in relationship with us, that Jesus is the way to that relationship, and that we receive it by grace through faith.
  • We believe the Holy Spirit is at work in us and in the world, calling us to and sustaining us for the work of the Kingdom. 
  • We believe that the church belongs to Jesus Christ, and that one person should not make decisions for the whole church. So the authority in the church is not held by the pastor—most of it is in the hands of the congregation, working together.

We believe many of life’s questions don’t have easy answers. God gave us minds and expects us to use them.  So, we engage with Scripture as God’s word and guide for life, always reading one part of Scripture in conversation with Scripture as a whole.