Our Purpose
Nurturing and building relationships with Jesus, each other, our communities, and our world.
Our Vision
We are called to nurture and build the physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual wellbeing of ourselves, our communities, and our world through:
- following Jesus’ ministry of peace, healing, and hope
- joining the Holy Spirit’s creative work in our communities and environment
- leading initiatives in our communities and world
- listening, loving, and being present with one another as we journey together
- inspiring and empowering each other to become the individuals God created us to be
Our Core Values
Community
We value our relationships as a church family. We are a welcoming, caring group of people, promoting honesty, vulnerability, and acceptance/unity despite differences as we walk through life together. We enjoy being together, whether it is in worship or outside of worship, on a hike, picnic, camping, or celebrating a milestone together!
Worship
We value worshiping together, appreciating the Lord’s gifts: salvation through Jesus, claiming His promise of eternal life, creation and the beauty of nature, Love in abundance. We receive spiritual nourishment as we gather in God’s house to sing, to listen to His word, to pray for our fellow believers and for those we meet who have various needs. We hear Christ’s Spirit as we study His word and confess our daily need for forgiveness and desire to be like Him!
Anabaptist Theology
We value Anabaptist expressions of Christian faith, especially a knowledge of scripture, reading the scriptures together in light of Christ’s life and teachings, expecting the Holy Spirit living in each of us to illuminate the scripture and its authority and guidance for our daily living. As a community of Jesus-followers, we give our time, money, and strength to support each other in tangible ways as well as through mutual listening and prayer. We want to live like Jesus lived; many of us have occupations focused on service to people who are struggling or ill, and many volunteer our time and skills. Our willingness to listen to different perspectives and choose vulnerable love in times of conflict reflects the Anabaptist value of peacemaking and reconciliation.
Generosity
We value generosity, giving willingly and thoughtfully from the resources we have been blessed with. Not only are we generous with our finances, as a large portion of our yearly budget is given to those in need, and material goods in donation during our special offerings and giving throughout the year, but also with our time as we volunteer and meet together. We value service as an extension of God’s generosity to us.
Being Open to Change
We value our willingness to take risks and be flexible. Over the years, we have changed our name to be more welcoming to people in our area who have other than Mennonite heritage, called a pastor who did not have a Mennonite background, called the first female pastor in Franconia Conference; we are willing to try new things in worship and welcome people to try out new roles in the congregation as part of exploring their gifts.