CORE VALUES OF FIRST CHRISTIAN CHURCH

HEAD FOCUS: Faith Examined

Love of Scripture:

The Bible is a living, breathing document that invites us to grow in our relationship with God as we listen to the stories, poetry and wisdom passed down from generation to generation. It has the power to nourish our souls and enrich our lives when we prayerfully study together. We understand and respect that Christians often have areas of disagreement regarding interpretation; we believe that open dialogue creates room for the Holy Spirit to guide our reading in fresh ways.

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
Psalm 119:105

Hunger for Learning:

When we open our minds to learning more, we grow into a deeper relationship with God and a deeper commitment to following Christ. Education is practiced at all levels of our life together, from the smallest child to the oldest adult, everyone continues to learn and explore their faith. You won’t be asked to check your mind at the door—your questions, your doubts, your struggles are welcomed in this place, and welcomed by God.

Give instruction to the wise, and they will become wiser still; teach the righteous and they will gain in learning.
Proverbs 9:9

HEART FOCUS: Faith Experienced

Community:

We become more and more of who God created us to be when we are supported and stretched by our community of faith. Being in community offers gifts of support, comfort and friendship; but it also requires us to uphold one another, to challenge each other to grow, and to put the good of the community ahead of our own personal desires. These relationships are seen most clearly and strengthened by the Spirit in the regular practice of the Lord’s Supper, where all are welcome.

The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a sharing in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a sharing in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread.
1 Corinthians 10:16-17

Grace:

The death and resurrection of Jesus tells us that God is always reaching out to us with grace, forgiveness, and newness of life. This church is a place where we can bring all our flaws and failures and still find the love of Christ and others. Only God is ultimately capable of accepting each person as they are, but we try our best to create ever-widening circles of grace.

For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:38-39

HAND FOCUS: Faith Practiced

Kingdom-Driven Service:

God is working among us to create a coming kingdom of peace. We are the hands of Christ in the world today, called to be partners in the ongoing activity of God. We desire to address issues that plague our local and global communities as well as to help and comfort people in need. We practice service in both intentional and spontaneous ways, responding to the world around us to the best of our ability.

Those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it.
Mark 8.35

Spiritual Growth:

The Spirit of God surrounds us and animates our lives, gifting us with joy and peace that we spread to all we encounter. Spiritual growth is the practice of connecting and tuning in to this life giving presence of God in an intentional, frequent way. We seek to continually strengthen our sense of closeness to God, our commitment to following Christ, our ability to listen to the Spirit, and our desire to share a life of faith with others.

Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ
2 Peter 3:18