Our Mission

 God is leading us to be like Jesus as individuals and as a body of believers.  Through a real relationship with God, His love, power, and truth transform us into people whose natural inclination is to meet the real and vital needs of others (Luke 10:27; Matthew 22:37; Mark 12:30; John 13:34; John 15:12, 17; 1 John 4:7-8; 1 John 3:23; 1 John 4:11-12).

 Therefore we seek to always be anchored in prayer and prepared to join God in sharing Jesus and letting others see Jesus through us (Philemon 6).  If we can help others receive God’s love and lead changed lives, or even come alongside one another and encourage each other to realize a personal call to serve Christ and His church, then our own hearts are made glad.                  

Our Conviction

 Friends (Quakers) have a few distinctives that make us stand out among other Christian denominations.  However, not all those distinctives are core tenants of the faith we hold most dear.  You can read about Friends distinctives by grabbing a brochure in our foyer.  Outlined below, however, are beliefs we hold as central to our faith – beliefs shared by most other Christian denominations: 

 WE BELIEVE IN ONE GOD, Creator and Sustainer of the universe.  A God who reveals Himself as a loving Father, Who comes to us in the person of Jesus Christ, and who lives within the hearts of those who trust in Him through His Holy Spirit.  He is one Lord, who reveals Himself to us in three persons –  Father, Son, and Spirit.

 WE ARE CREATED in the image of God.  This is not a biological, genetic, or physical image, but a spiritual one.  Though we bear within us the divine attributes and characteristics of God, these are broken and marred by sin; we are a fallen people and the earth is a fallen place.  Wrong thoughts and actions that disgrace ourselves, harm others, or offend God have ruined our relationship with Him.  We are in need of a gracious God who is willing to save us from ourselves.

 WE BELIEVE IN JESUS CHRIST, THE SON OF GOD, Who is the full physical revelation of God, God in flesh.  In the Son, God gives Himself to us through a miraculous birth and life, attested to by signs and fulfilled prophecy.  Being fully human, Jesus was able to die for our sin on our behalf.  He was crucified in a place called Calvary.  Being fully God, Jesus was able to take upon Himself the sin of an entire world – past, present, and future – and pay an infinite price.  Having lived a life of sinless purity, death had no power over Him, and He rose from the dead.

 WE BELIEVE IN SALVATION, by the grace of God alone.  God’s grace is given in Jesus Christ.  Those who trust in Jesus, and accept His death as their own, receive forgiveness of sins and a peace that passes all understanding.  Accepting Jesus’ life as our own brings us into a relationship with the Living God, Who begins transforming our mind and our heart.

 WE BELIEVE IN THE HOLY SPIRIT.  The Spirit of God; Spirit of Christ; Spirit of the Lord; the very presence of God revealed in power.  His Spirit empowers us to make a free decision for Christ, and then leads those who trust in Him into an intimate and transformational relationship with Him.  With the Spirit in us, changing us, empowering us to live holy lives and gifting us to serve others, we begin a new life – we are born again.

 WE BELIEVE IN THE BIBLE, the Old Testament and New Testament, as the proven Word of God.  The Bible is inspired by God, authoritative, and completely trustworthy.  The Holy Spirit illuminates our understanding of the Bible and empowers us to apply God’s principles to our lives.  The teachings of the Bible, in complete harmony with the testimony of the Spirit, are the basis for all our teaching and practice.

 GOD’S PEOPLE or Church, are united through repentance and faith (trust) in Jesus.  Those who receive Him into their heart are given new life (born again) in Him by the power and presence of the Holy Spirit.  God’s people show their love for Him by obeying His commandments, living lives of worship, and inviting others into a relationship with Him.  Believers are commanded to band together in fellowship (a congregation), organized to do things better together like serving, praying for, encouraging, and equipping each other.

 OUR FAITH, HOPE, AND LOVE are found in Jesus Christ, and no amount of “wordsmithing” can communicate all that we know, experience, and feel about our God.  We look forward to a resurrection and a new earth.  We seek those who do not have a hope in Christ, and yearn for them to open up their heart to God, ask for His forgiveness, and invite Jesus Christ in.  If we as Christians seem to speak endlessly of this “Jesus,” it is because our faith, hope, and love seem to defy words, yet we still glory in the attempt to communicate our joy.  Most of all, we desire that this same joy be found also in you; that you too might know the faith, hope, and love of Jesus Christ.

 Sometimes the best we can do is to quote God, who invites us all to “…taste and see that the LORD is good” (Psalm 34:8a) “Come and see” (John 1:46c).

Revised:  March 17, 2010