Our core values are forged from the teaching of Jesus Christ…to ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ (Mark 12:31) These core values guide our behaviors, judgments and how we accomplish our mission:
Integrity
We assure and maintain transparency in our relationships with each other and with our various constituencies. Our actions and decisions should be able to withstand public scrutiny without dishonoring the God we serve.
Humility
We acknowledge that none of us is perfect. We are sinful, fallen people living in a fallen world. We are no better than another. We are just imperfect Christians trying to make a difference for God, for His kingdom and for His glory.
Mutual Respect
We affirm that every person has been made in God’s image and is a valuable child of God. We will treat others with mutual respect, even in the face of disagreements and interpersonal conflicts.
Generosity
We will live and work with a generous spirit towards others.
Compassion/Grace
We will extend compassion and grace to others, taking people where they are without judgment or condemnation, showing them the love of Jesus Christ.
I have been living without Christ for about 10 years and he bent me so far but did not break me. God has called me to serve him, he has been for many years but I kept ignoring him and his blessings. I always wondered how do I know if he is calling me well when you have that feeling that someone is watching over you every day and every second telling you that is not the way and to come to me you know. I find this website incredibly amazing and good advise. He has lifted all my pain, and suffering and I no longer feel guilty, sad, instead I feel full of life.
The thing is the understanding of how much God loves you. The Parable of the Prodigal Son is a perfect demonstration of God’s love – its not so much how the father illustrated that love when the son returned home to the father but by how the father never changed or stopped loving the son when he left home knowing the reality of how his son would live life away from home – that is God’s love for us! Constant and eternal!
Amen! How do you feel God wants you to serve him? Any specific direction? If not, God’s general command is to love Him and love and serve other people. So find ways to love and serve other people!
You said, “Core Values Our core values are forged from the teaching of Jesus Christ” Jesus did not teach that homosexuality is a sin. In fact in Matthew 19:10-12 Jesus teaches that gay people are born that way.
David, you are in error. A “Eunich” is not a “gay” person, but a man who has been castrated. Read the Bible within context. It says ““For there are eunuchs who were born that way, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by others—and there are those who choose to live like eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it.”” Matthew 19:12 NIV http://bible.com/111/mat.19.12.niv” the same word “eunich” is used throughout this verse. Dont change its meaning in one part to suit your beliefs. If you replace “eunich” with “gay people” the passage is nonsense. Can a person be made guy by someone else? Would someone choose to BE gay (you imply it is not a choice to begin with) FOR the sake of the kingdom??? The Word of God disagrees with you.
Ajiva jive Terry Yes Brad, I am loving your sense in your understanding and bringing light to David’s misconception. God bless you for not withholding such truth. For David I release the spirit of repentance upon your heart now in Jesus name. Also David read the book of Romans 1:26-27 and God will bless your heart immensely.
I buy in totally to your core values. Here’s my story: I had a crisis of faith starting in 2016 related to the hypocrisy in the head office of a charity I supported. I was a volunteer, donor and a member of the local board of a project serving homeless people. I promoted stewardship in the form of basic business fundamentals (accounting, communication, record keeping) knowing that stewardship honors God. It is essential for integrity, transparency, accountability but really is secondary to the love we showed the people we met on the street. I was first shunned by the head office then asked to resign. I encouraged them to address the problems but they insisted I was the problem. I resigned and went to war. When the dust cleared, the financial manager, Chairman of the Board and National Director had resigned. They also sent $10,000 to another Christian charity in the city serving homeless people. The kicker was that I was required to sign a non-disclosure agreement. (Where is that in the Bible?) The whole thing sucks. Everyone, me included, behaved in a fashion that was unedifying. After 45 years of living my life for Christ in the community, I am in the desert. The impact has been devastating. I don’t feel safe at Church. I have lost confidence in Christian Leadership. Brothers and sisters are inviting me back but they weren’t there when I needed them. I’m lost. The love, joy and peace that I felt in my community for the previous 18 years disappeared. The wonder and growth I experienced on my journey since 1973 when I gave my life to Jesus evaporated. I am struggling to reassess and rebuild my life. Finding your web site and exploring the various expressions of Christianity in North America gives me hope. None of us have all the answers. There is a balance between being non-judgmental and giving up our responsibility for discernment. Some things are just not right. While there are certain Christian essentials, we each have to build our personal relationship with God parallel to our place in the world. I try to home in on Jesus instructions on how to live (Matthew 25:31 – 46) rather than argue about how many angels can dance on the head of a pin. Here endith my epistle. (that’s a joke. I hope I don’t sound arrogant, preachy or self righteous.) David