Grace

(Acts 2:38)  At the heart of our values is God’s move toward us in and through Jesus. By his life, death, and resurrection, God has demonstrated his love for us. Grace is being loved precisely at the moment we least deserve it (see Romans 5:8). As followers of Jesus, we also are committed to embodying and living in grace toward others.

Faith

(Hebrews 11:1)  The Holy Spirit works within us to respond to God’s grace by trusting Him.  Sometimes this trust is whole-hearted; at other times, it is constrained by doubts and difficulties. Yet faith even in small measure helps bring the power of God to the world (see Luke 17:5-6).

Gratitude

(Philippians 1:3-5)  By God’s initiative, we have been given life now and forever. When we feel the fullness of this gift, we thank God. We also take nothing for granted in our interactions with each other, and freely offer thanks to one another.

 

Passion

(Acts 4:1-4, 18-22) Just as nothing stands between Jesus and his love for us, nothing may legitimately stand in the way of our telling others about him, of our ministering in his name, of our taking chances for the sake of the kingdom of God.

 

Integrity

(Acts 5:40-42) As God’s forgiven people, we are free to tell the truth about ourselves, even when the truth is not what we’d like it to be. At the same time, integrity drives us to be who God calls us to be and who we profess to be, even when, or especially when, it is costly or inconvenient.

 

Generosity

(Acts 2:45)  We want to be generous. God’s generosity sparks shifts in our own lives from “what do I have” to “what is needed,” from “how much do I give” to “how much do I keep,” from “what should I do” to “how can I help?”

 

Community

(Acts 2:44-47)  The ultimate expression of community is God, in the three persons of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  We, too, are inextricably bound to one another through Jesus Christ.  Our celebrations are greater, and our losses less burdensome, for sharing them together. “What will serve the whole?” takes priority over “what do I want?”

 

Joy

(Philippians 4:4-7)  We gather around the greatest news the world has ever known, that Jesus Christ has defeated the powers of sin, evil, and death, and invited us into eternal relationship with Him. What then is to keep us from being the most visibly joy-filled and celebratory people around?