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What We Believe

Foundational Beliefs

We believe grace is at the heart of the Christian faith. Grace is God’s
unconditional love for us, freely given to all. It does not have to be earned and cannot be forfeited by anything we do.

We believe Jesus is the expression of God’s unconditional love for us. As Savior, he sets us free from guilt and the failures of our past. As Lord, he is the example of how we are to live.

We believe God is always with us. He provides us comfort, strength, and
guidance for the task of living and hope for the future. God’s presence with us is the Holy Spirit.

We believe Jesus saves us from the hopelessness of death. He creates in us
new life; not just an extension of life beyond death but a transformed quality of living that begins now.

We believe the church is the community of faith where we connect with God
and one another. In this community, we put beliefs into action -- supporting and
caring for one another and our neighbors, growing in our personal relationship
with Jesus Christ, and leading others to become disciples.

Key Information


 

Historic Faith

The Apostles’ Creed, Ecumenical Version

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, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven, is seated at the right hand of the Father, and will come again 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.

Passionate, not rigid in our beliefs.

We are open to new experiences, new insights, new people. We’re not afraid to ask questions about our faith or to face our doubts. We believe Christ died to take away our sins, not our minds! Often life is not black and white, so we’re willing to wrestle with difficult issues.

The Bible and Science:

We don’t believe you have to choose between the Bible and modern science. Science answers how questions. The Bible answers why questions. We take the Bible very seriously as the authority for deciding what are true Christian beliefs and right moral actions. But we do not apply the Bible legalistically. We believe it is best understood when we take into account historical context, tradition, reason, and experience.

Other People and Views:

We respect other points of view and other churches, and work for cooperation among all the churches. We are committed to radical hospitality, welcoming all persons, regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, language, sexual orientation, social class, or economic status.