Our Vision Statement: A place set apart to encounter Jesus Christ through preaching, sacrament, and people
1. Preaching: We want to know the story of salvation history – Preaching will a bit different than normal Purpose: To know the story of God’s love for you Goal: to find out where we fit in to this story and how to go forward
Method: We will work through the narrative Year 1: - The Story of the OT Year 2 – The Story of Jesus Year 3 – The Story of the Church Year 4 – Tying It All Together
2. Sacraments: We want a Chance to encounter God in a way not possible in day to day life. This is accomplished through the sacraments.
A Sacrament is a sure and certain means by which God conveys grace.
This will be mostly evident in the Mass.
We are purposely setting ourselves apart from what we normally encounter every day.
The service will be totally different than normal life, as soon as you walk through the doors, you are transported into God’s house and all your senses should bear witness to this.
Hearing: We pray in a language that is not like you encounter every day—on purpose to set it apart from what we hear every day.
A different type of music – not contemporary - to encourage the sense of other.
Sight: This look different here than they do out there Smell: incense Touch: we do things differently kneel, cross, etc. Taste: Body and Blood of Christ, nowhere outside can you consume Christ.
3. People: We want to see Christ in each person here and for them to see the same in us.
We are called to act different – better. We are held to a higher standard – the standard set by Christ himself: "Be perfect, as your heavenly father is perfect" (Matthew 5:47)
But we approach this with the knowledge that: "All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23) So we must: "Bear one another’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ," (Galatians 6:2) that we may: "Walk in love as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God." (Ephesians 5:2).
Our Mission Statement: Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being changed into his likeness from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. (2 Corinthians 3:17-18)
Through the work of the Holy Spirit we are being changed into the person God has called us to be by slowly being formed over a lifetime.