The grace of God has been most fully shown to us in his Son, Jesus Christ, and God’s kingdom is not advanced without focusing on Jesus, the King. This means giving glory to Jesus, proclaiming the good news of his finished work, is the goal of our corporate worship, all of our ministries, and our life in community together. Since every page of the Bible points to Jesus, every sermon, Sunday School lesson, and conversation should point us back to Jesus so that we live each day in his strength rather than our own and for his glory rather than our own. We seek to feed Jesus’ sheep – every fellow sojourner regardless of age or stage – by pointing them to the Good Shepherd. Grace is not merely an item we can get enough of or a concept we can master; grace is experienced in Jesus, with whom we always need relationship.

II Corinthians 4:6, I Corinthians 1:23, John 1:14-18, Ephesians 1:3-14, Luke 24:27, Colossians 2:6-7

We are a community constantly dependent upon God both individually and corporately. In fact, this is a large part of what it means that we must continually experience grace ourselves. Our relationship with God is one where we remain desperately needy and He remains gloriously sufficient – we repent and He forgives; we depend and He provides. Because God is committed to seeing his kingdom advance, we don’t merely pray for the work of the church; rather, prayer is the work of the church. Prayer is weak people prevailing upon a strong Father to do mighty things in, through, and in spite of us.

Matthew 6:9-13, Luke 18:1-8, I Samuel 1, Acts 2:42, Psalm 71, Ephesians 6:10-20, James 5:16

It is people who are in need of God’s grace, and it is in the hearts and lives of people that God’s kingdom is first and foremost extended. So we genuinely love people and are committed to developing life-giving relationships both inside and outside the church. These relationships with others who are created in God’s image are a reflection of the relational nature of the Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), and we share the heart of God when we put others before ourselves and are willing to share our lives with them.

Ecclesiastes 4:7-12, Genesis 2:18, I Thessalonians 2:8, Acts 2:42-47, Galatians 6:2, II Corinthians 5:17-21

Because we are aware of our own weaknesses and dependence upon God, we want to introduce fellow sinners to the Great Physician, in whom the broken and hurting find refuge and a home. This happens as we lead with grace rather than judgment in all our relationships, just as God has led with grace toward us when we deserved his judgment. We desire to express grace to the marginalized, the hurting, and our non-Christian friends and neighbors by treating people of all backgrounds and life experiences, as image-bearers of God, with dignity and charity.

Luke 6:27-36, Matthew 25:31-40, Mark 2:15-17, Proverbs 14:31, Genesis 1:26-27, John 15:12-13

Jesus brings his kingdom both in word and in deed, so we are committed to praying, working, and collaborating with others for God’s kingdom to come here as it is in heaven. We long to see Huntsville flourish and believe God has placed us in this community for this community. Our prayer is that we would be the kind of church that our city would miss if we were gone. Our workplaces, our neighborhoods, our systems, and our institutions are all valuable to God and worthy of our care. The good news of Jesus Christ is for Monday through Saturday, for us as God’s people, and for all of his creation, where the effects of the curse are pushed back and He remakes everything as He originally intended it to be.

Matthew 6:10, Jeremiah 29:4-7, Luke 7:20-23, Romans 8:18-21, Colossians 3:23, Isaiah 11:1-10