These are the core markers of our church. If you spend any amount of time with us, these things should be clearly evident in all we do. And, as in life, our DNA will not change.
Our DNA
Joy - Joy comes in knowing
that we are loved unconditionally by the God of the universe. That
simple fact can change a time of hurt and struggle into a promise
of hope and joy everlasting. Therefore, in this world we
laugh often, and often at ourselves, recognizing that God's grace
and love covers our mistakes, our hurts, and our sins.
Honesty - Hope is meant to be
a place without masks and without walls. Hope is a place
lived in the real world, not removed from it. And so we
commit to being honest with one another about our joys and our
sorrows, our successes and our failures. Recognizing the
sensitivity of our work, we choose to be raving fans of one another
publicly and honest critics privately.
Simplicity - We choose to
live and act as Jesus did, which was surprisingly simple.
Jesus emphasized a few key ideas: Grace, Hope, Forgiveness,
Repentance. We choose to do the same in our work. Our
church will be structured simply, regardless of size. We will
choose a simple worship format. We will advocate for simple
living from all involved with Hope.
Generosity - God has blessed
us extravagantly with 100% of all that we have. And He
blesses us further by asking us to give back to Him so that we too
can experience the joy of being a blessing to others. We know
we can't out-give God, but we are humbled by the opportunity to be
His hands and feet in a world that is desperate for Him.
Compassion - We are broken
people living in a broken world. Although there is hope in
Jesus Christ, there is also compassion for the pain caused by our
brokenness. We choose to share that compassion through our
words, actions, and finances with all who need to hear the word of
hope and promise found in Christ alone.
In all this we are reminded of the great challenge:
Don't go to church, Be the Church!