Beliefs

We believe in one holy and living God, the Creator of all things, who is infinite in power, wisdom, justice, holiness, goodness, beauty, and, love. God is the source of all life and the sustainer of all that exists.

We believe that God reveals himself as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; three persons, yet one in being, working together in perfect unity for the creation, redemption, and restoration of the world.

We believe that God created human beings in his image and graciously seeks a relationship with us. Through his love, God invites us into a life of trust, obedience, and fellowship. While we are free to accept or reject this relationship, God continually reaches out to us with patience, mercy, and grace.

We believe that apart from God, we cannot flourish as we were created to. We are made to know God, to love God, and to walk in God’s ways.

We believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the Word of the Father, and is both fully divine and fully human. He is the eternal Son who took on our nature, born into the world to reveal God’s love and to accomplish our salvation.

We believe that Jesus is the Messiah who suffered, was crucified, died, and was buried, in order to reconcile us to the Father, providing forgiveness for the original and actual sins of humanity. Through his life, death, and resurrection, he restores us to right relationship with God.

We believe that Jesus Christ rose from the dead and ascended into heaven, where he reigns with the Father and intercedes for us.

We believe that he will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and that his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, who is sent by the Father and the Son and is fully divine, of one being with the Father and the Son. The Holy Spirit is not an impersonal force, but a personal presence; God with us and at work within us.

We believe that the Holy Spirit draws us to God, working in our hearts even before we are aware of it, awakening in us a desire to turn toward him and enabling us to respond to his love.

We believe that through the Holy Spirit we are given new life in Christ, assured of God’s love, and empowered to grow in faith. The Spirit works within us to transform our hearts and lives, leading us into a life of holiness and shaping us into the likeness of Christ.

We believe that the Holy Spirit equips and guides the Church, giving gifts for ministry and uniting believers in love, truth, and mission.

We believe that the Bible is Holy Scripture and contains all things necessary for our salvation. It is the inspired, trustworthy, and fully reliable witness to God’s work in the world, and the final authority for the beliefs and practice of the Christian faith.

We believe that both the Old and New Testaments are essential to the life of faith. They are not in conflict, but together tell one unified story of God’s saving work. Jesus Christ is both the central figure of the Bible and its ultimate message, from beginning to end, the Scriptures point to him, and we read the whole of Scripture through the lens of his life, death, and resurrection.

We encourage every Christian to read the Bible for themselves. At the same time, we do not believe the Bible is best read in isolation. Our reading of Scripture is shaped by the wisdom of the church throughout the ages; including the Ecumenical Creeds such as the Apostles’ and Nicene Creeds, the great teachers of the early church, the theologians of the Reformation and Wesleyan Revivals, and the hymns, prayers, and liturgy of the Anglican tradition. We also draw on the best resources of reason and experience as tools to help us understand and apply what Scripture teaches. We read the Bible not as isolated individuals, but as members of a community of faith that stretches across time and around the world.

We hold in common with all Christians a faith in the mystery of salvation in and through Jesus Christ.

We believe that the Church is the body of Christ; called into being by God and empowered by the Holy Spirit as an extension of Christ’s life and ministry in the world today. Through the Church, God continues his work of redemption, drawing people into new life and sending them out in mission.

We believe that the Church is the communion of saints; a community made up of all past, present, and future disciples of Jesus Christ, united across time and place as one people of God.

We believe that the Church is where the Word of God is faithfully proclaimed and the sacraments of Baptism and Holy Communion are administered. Through these means of grace, God forms us in faith, strengthens us in love, and draws us deeper into life with him.

We believe that the Church is called to worship God, to nurture believers in their growth in faith, and to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.

In the sacrament of Holy Communion, we affirm the real presence of Jesus Christ. This is not merely a symbolic act or a simple memorial meal. By the power of the Holy Spirit, Christ truly offers himself to us in this meal, his body and blood genuinely present under the outward signs of bread and juice. This presence is not dependent on our understanding or worthiness, but on his promise and the Spirit’s work.

Holy Communion is a means of grace through which God nourishes us, strengthens our faith, and deepens our relationship with him. As we receive the bread and the cup, we participate in the life of Christ and are drawn more fully into his body, the Church.

Because Christ is truly present in this sacrament, we believe that Holy Communion is not only for those who already know him fully. It is also a place where people can come to know him. Just as the disciples on the road to Emmaus recognized Jesus in the breaking of the bread (Luke 24:30 31), we trust that Christ can reveal himself to people through this meal. We invite all who desire a closer relationship with Jesus Christ to come by faith, and we trust that he is able to meet them, and make himself known to them, right here at this table.

For this reason, we practice an open table. And because we believe it is Christ himself who is present and who acts in this sacrament, we welcome small children and adults with cognitive or intellectual disabilities to receive communion. The grace offered in this meal is not limited by one’s capacity to comprehend it theologically. Christ is more than able to meet every person, regardless of age, understanding, or ability, through the simple act of receiving bread and juice in his name.

Please visit our page on Baptism

Please visit our page on Salvation

We believe that Jesus Christ will return in glory, just as he promised. We do not speculate about the timing of his return. Jesus himself told us that no one knows the day or the hour (Matthew 24:36). But we hold with confidence that he will come, and that sin and death will not be permitted to rule forever.

We believe in the resurrection of the body. God’s final work of salvation will be the restoration of all things; our physical bodies, the created world, and all living things renewed and made whole. Our hope is not merely hope beyond this world, but hope for this world. We look forward not to an escape from creation, but to its redemption and renewal; a new heaven and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells.

In the meantime, we take our guidance from Matthew 25. How we wait for Christ’s return is not passive. We are called to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, welcome the stranger, and care for the vulnerable. To do so is not merely good works. It is to participate now in the work of restoration that God will one day complete. Our are for the poor, the broken, and the forgotten is itself an act of hope.