Dear Friends,
Greetings! We hope that, as you “check out” our website, you are able to find what you are looking for. Messiah is a lively community of faith, with much to offer those who seek a deeper relationship with God in Christ, including many opportunities to serve others in Jesus’ name. We hope you would consider participating, as you are able, in our life and ministry.
Who are we?
We are, above all, a community of grace. That means we believe we are children of God because God is good and not because we are. We are not members of the body of Christ because we’ve gotten it together, but because we’ve been drawn to the love of God. We are both saints and sinners, at the same time and all the time. We are saints because we are forgiven and loved by God. We are sinners because we fall short of the commandments and often, of our own expectations. Simply put, we do not love with our whole heart. We seek to be a welcoming community, recognizing that “the ground is level at the foot of the cross.”
We are an inclusive community. We recognize that the body of Christ is diverse. It includes men and women, people with varied skin colors, young and old, gay and straight. It will include people who identify themselves as conservative and those who call themselves liberal. It will include people who like to clap their hands, dance, and sing new songs and people who prefer to sit and sing traditional hymns. It is not that one is good and the other is bad. The Church is a place for all who have been claimed by Jesus Christ as children of God. We may disagree on lots of things, and still agree on one thing: Jesus Christ – crucified and risen – is central to what we believe, and to life itself.
We are a missionary community. We recognize that the Church is not an end in itself. Indeed, the Church exists most of all for those who have never set foot in it. We are not a religious club, but a community hoping to make a difference. We seek to welcome the homeless into our space, help the poor of the third world make a fair living, visit the sick, comfort the grieving, and tell the old story of Jesus’ love—a story that becomes new with each telling. It is not the role of the pastors to do such things for the community, but the community’s calling as disciples of Christ. We are all missionaries.
We are a growing community. As disciples, we have much to learn. We seek to grow by listening to the voice of Christ speaking to us through Word and Sacrament and also through the observations of other people, both within and outside the church. We haven’t arrived; we are on the way. We seek to enjoy the journey, long before we arrive at our destination.
We are a people in mission for the sake of the world. Now that you know a little about who we are, we invite you to join us in worship, in various ministry opportunities –both local and global. Feel free to contact us telling us a little bit about yourself so that we can get to know each other better, or if you want more information. We welcome you in Christ’s name.
We are an inclusive community. We recognize that the body of Christ is diverse. It includes men and women, people with varied skin colors, young and old, gay and straight. It will include people who identify themselves as conservative and those who call themselves liberal. It will include people who like to clap their hands, dance, and sing new songs and people who prefer to sit and sing traditional hymns. It is not that one is good and the other is bad. The Church is a place for all who have been claimed by Jesus Christ as children of God. We may disagree on lots of things, and still agree on one thing: Jesus Christ – crucified and risen – is central to what we believe, and to life itself.
We are a missionary community. We recognize that the Church is not an end in itself. Indeed, the Church exists most of all for those who have never set foot in it. We are not a religious club, but a community hoping to make a difference. We seek to welcome the homeless into our space, help the poor of the third world make a fair living, visit the sick, comfort the grieving, and tell the old story of Jesus’ love—a story that becomes new with each telling. It is not the role of the pastors to do such things for the community, but the community’s calling as disciples of Christ. We are all missionaries.
We are a growing community. As disciples, we have much to learn. We seek to grow by listening to the voice of Christ speaking to us through Word and Sacrament and also through the observations of other people, both within and outside the church. We haven’t arrived; we are on the way. We seek to enjoy the journey, long before we arrive at our destination.
We are a people in mission for the sake of the world. Now that you know a little about who we are, we invite you to join us in worship, in various ministry opportunities –both local and global. Feel free to contact us telling us a little bit about yourself so that we can get to know each other better, or if you want more information. We welcome you in Christ’s name.
Sincerely,
David Van Kley, Senior Pastor
Building Map
