Our Focus

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Common Humanity

We are all made in the image of God, even though that image is marred by sin. We are created by a good God who loves us, therefore we are to recognize this image in each other and treat each other as if we are encountering God’s image in the other with love and care as though we were caring for God Himself. 

Common Cross

The sacrifice of Christ on the cross is what makes a way for us to draw near to God and each other in our messiness and struggle. It bridges the great divide and makes us right with God and equal with each other. This good news is open to all people. It removes shame and provides equal forgiveness. Because of the cross, we can become one with Christ, and be free of shame. The cross removes our judgement of each other and offers forgiveness. The cross of Christ is our mutual hope and teaches us to sacrifice our lives in love, just as Jesus did. 

Common Struggle

Life is not always easy. the struggle is real. And the struggle happens to all of us, regardless of socio-economic status, religion, race, etc. Whether it is death, sickness, financial struggles, divorce, or natural disasters, none of us are immune to the struggle. It is part of being human. It is part of living in the world as we wait for God’s Kingdom to come in it’s fullness. God doesn’t leave us alone in the struggle, he teaches us how to work through the struggle with His grace and with each other. We believe there is beauty in the struggle. Struggle is nature’s way of strengthening us, if we let it. It is often in the struggle when we feel the presence of God the most. Real beauty comes when we don’t journey in the struggle alone, but we join each other in the journey. Three cords of strand are not easily broken. 

Common Redemption

We believe in a Christ who was resurrected from the dead. Because of the resurrection of Christ, He has broken the curse of the struggle. Pain doesn’t have to have the final say. God’s Kingdom is already here! It is coming through His Spirit in you and me. He is making the struggles and pain into beauty. The book of Isaiah refers to this act of redemption: Comfort the broken-hearted, proclaim freedom for the captives, to those who mourn, he will give blessing, praise instead of despair and beauty for ashes. God takes what is devastating and can restore it to even more beauty than before, and we are to participate in this redemption story with each other by being Christ’s body on earth. Love is God’s redemption in the struggle and pain in this world.

Common Meal

It is at the Communion table, the Eucharist, where we receive the blood and body of Christ through the bread and wine. It is here where we remember our salvation. It is here we remember that we have been forgiven, all guilt and shame is gone. It is a safe place for confession. It is in this space that we receive grace and are reminded that we have been reconciled (made right) with God. Likewise it reminds us to confess to one another, to forgive and to share grace with one another. It was through eating a meal Jesus shared the first communion with His friends. It is in the physical act of eating together that we are reminded that we can cross barriers and remember we are in this life together. We can forgive, be reconciled to each other, and remember the grace that brings us together. 

Common Welcome

This is the act of hospitality. Hospitality is opening our arms and our hearts to each other. It is the act of welcoming the stranger, the vulnerable and those who are often rejected. We know that we have been welcomed and received in Christ through the cross, so we can open our hearts and our sacred spaces to those around us.