Who we are, and who we want to be, can be summed up with our core purpose. It explains why we are here, and where we are going as a church family. It provides clarity and direction as we navigate the ever changing needs of our community.
Our core purpose is simply this: Real People loving and honoring the Real God in Real Relationships.
We try to be a church that is real. Real to it’s attenders, real to the community, and real to all those we come in contact with. We are not perfect, we don’t pretend to be. We are simply a group of people who try and be real with where we are in our journey as Christians, real with God, and real in our relationships with others.
Our core values identify the guiding principles that shape our church’s character. They describe what we stand for and what we strive for. They are the institutional ethics which we seek to operate by, and encourage in others.
Our core values are captured in these simple phrases:- God dependent & Spirit empowered
- Growing disciples
- Value the individual
- Everyone in ministry
- Servant evangelism
Core Beliefs:
We believe in one God; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God the Father Almighty, Creator of all things visible and invisible, in Jesus Christ, God’s one and only Son, our one and only Savior both fully human and fully divine, and in the Holy Spirit, active and operative part of the triune God, who indwells every Christian.
We believe the Bible is God’s Holy Word as the final authority for all matters of faith and practice, inspired the autographs that teaches that man, created by God, willfully sinned against God and we believe forgiveness of sins is only by grace through the blood of Jesus Christ. One receives God’s grace by putting faith in Christ, repenting of sin, confessing Christ and being immersed into Christ, but that none of these is sufficient in and of itself for the assurance of salvation. We believe the Church of Jesus Christ was founded on the Day of Pentecost and consists of all Christians everywhere.
Real Relationships:
God created us for relationships. Our desire to know someone and to be known by someone in deep lasting relationships is a natural, God given desire.
He created us for intimacy with each other and with Him. For the next two months, we are going to be looking at Real Relationships. We will explore many of the different relationships that God has designed us for and how he has called us to live life with others in each of these relationships.
It is not good for man to be alone; we are called to share life together in Real Relationships!
Dave & Joanna Harrison: Associate Preaching Pastor
Dave is a graduate of Lincoln Christian University. He is currently finishing up his Master of Arts degree in General Theology from Lincoln Christian University.
Dave grew up in Hurst, IL attending the First Christian Church of Hurst. Dave’s first experience with New England occured during his college internship at Manchester Christian Church. While on his internship, Dave developed a love for the Red Sox, Fall colors, and New England clam chowder. After his internship, Dave moved to Mason City, IL where he served for 4 and a half years as the Associate/Youth Pastor at Mason City Christian Church.
In December 2007, Dave met his wife Joanna in his kitchen. She had accompanied one of her friends for a dinner party at Dave’s house. They were married on New Year’s Eve 2008. Joanna grew up in Rockford, IL. Like Dave, she grew up in the church. Joanna is a graduate of Lincoln Christian University and the University of Illinois. Joanna loves to cook, watch the Office, coffee, and Mexican food. Dave is an avid sports fan passionately cheering for the Chicago Bears, St. Louis Cardinals, Boston Red Sox, San Antonio Spurs, and the University of Illinois Fighting Illini. Together, Dave and Joanna enjoy walks, new restaurants, and Boston.
1 Timothy 4:12
“Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.”
