Our Core Values

Our Core Values

Our Core Values says so much about why we exist as the Church of God. However, at the heart of who we are and why we exist, is Jesus. We believe that God loves each of us and offers every person a full and abundant life, for now and for eternity. However, the only way to know God is through his son Jesus. He is the way, the truth and the life. Therefore all of our values as a Church family catapult us to a deeper understanding of God’s love and what each person’s response will be to that.

The values that underpin everything we are centre around our Parish logo – the cross with a series of coloured bands around them.

The Cross

The cross of Jesus must be at the centre of all we are as a Church family. The cross demonstrates God’s love towards all humanity, and therefore as we proclaim the victory that Christ brought by defeating the power of the cross, God provides people within our community with an everlasting hope. This is our story to tell. God reveals his incredible love through the cross. He reveals his power over darkness, his amazing unmerited grace to bring salvation to all people, and his loving mercy to everyone. This is the Good News that we are able to share, through God’s Word, and through the outworking of his Holy Spirit in his followers – the Church.

God’s Word

We believe there must be a high value of importance placed on God’s Word, and we encourage people to explore ways in which His Word can ‘soak’ into our daily lives through personal devotion, bible studies and small group discussion. But we also declare that the life of the church will only grow when we call on the enabling work of the Holy Spirit to breathe life into the words we hear each Sunday. And through the Spirit-filled Word, we cannot stand idle to the mission that God would have us do in our community.

A community church with a pastoral heart

We desire to provide care for the pastoral needs of those who consider themselves part of the church family, and those within the wider community who need to know how much God loves them. We recognise the importance of prayer, and demonstrating the power of the Holy Spirit through restoration & healing.

James 5:13-15a
Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. Is anyone among you ill? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up.

A deeper relationship with God

We desire for a longing in our church family, that as we meet together in worship that we may seek to grow more deeply through the power of the Holy Spirit. We desire a deeper understanding of God’s Word through discipleship (whatever age or stage), prayer (accessible to everyone), and service, to prevent today’s culture or society around us from shaping our behaviour and values.

Ephesians 1:18
I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you

Speaking into and shaping a new generation

We desire to invest in family life, mentoring and supporting a new generation of parents, young people and children, as they face a 21st Century culture, through spiritual engagement, support and relationships. We desire to equip young adults for future roles of leadership within Church life.

Psalm 78:5-7
He decreed statutes for Jacob and established the law in Israel, which he commanded our ancestors to teach their children, so that the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children. Then they would put their trust in God and would not forget his deeds but would keep his commands.

Reaching out in love and welcoming in

We seek to offer hospitality to both those in the church and those outside, reaching out into the community to help those in need, sharing the Gospel message through different forms of evangelism. This will not be constrained to the location of the church buildings, but should extend into our ‘frontlines’ – the places where we live and work daily, bridging the gap between Church and Society.

Matthew 25:34-36
‘Then the King will say to those on his right, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was ill and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.”

Partnering with others in the Gospel

We seek to establish partnerships with organisations, that will help us grow in our service to God’s mission, and also offer support to organisations as they serve God and our community. It will be important to work closely with organisations in our town, so that our community sees God’s people united in His purpose and will.

Philippians 1:3-7
In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart and, whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me.