Our Mission

Love God. According to Jesus, the most important command is to "love the LORDyour God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength" (Mark 12:30). This encompasses all of one's behavior. Everything we do is to demonstrate our love for God. When we gather together to worship God and encourage one another, it is a demonstration of our love toward him. When we practice any of the spiritual disciplines such as prayer, corporate worship, solitude, or even service to others we are demonstrating our love for God.

Love Others. Jesus also explains the second most important command in the same passage: "love your neighbor as yourself" (Mark 12:31). According to Jesus, "there are no greater commandments than these two." When we demonstrate practical love for others we are, in essence, demonstrating our love for God. Jesus describes a judgement scene where those who claimed to be his followers were condemned because they showed no concern for him when he was naked, hungry, in need, or in prison. Their surprised response was: "When did we see you in these conditions and not help you?" He replies to them, "When you did not help the least of these brothers of mine, you did not help me!" (see Matthew 25:31-46). The writers of the New Testament all agree "to love your neighbor as yourself" is the fulfillment of God's law (Romans 13:8-10; Galatians 5:14; James 2:8-17; 1 John 2:11-20).

Make Disciples. After Jesus' resurrection he gave his followers this mission: "All authority in heaven and on earth have been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age" (Matthew 28:18-20). A "disciple" is simply an apprentice. We are called to encourage people from all races and walks of life to become followers or apprentices of Jesus: people who will pattern their lives after Jesus--who will love God and love others!