The garden is a church of communities, following Jesus, partnering in the renewal of all things.
These are our rhythms and directions. Along with our vision, these values are the framework for what we want to become and how we go about living together as a community.
journey
In the narrative story of Jesus, we discover a Rabbi wandering through the Gospels revealing the Kingdom of God and venturing with others along the way. Our journey with Him in life is called discipleship. As our lives and worldview become intimately transformed by God, we become more fully ourselves to the world, we discover that our stories have been written with uniqueness and purpose, and we are commissioned to invite others along the way with us. Discipleship is about a shared journey with God, ourselves, and others.
worship
We have been created to live in communion with God. Worship reorients our lives towards a reality in which the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are at the center. When this orientation becomes first in our lives, we begin to live out of wholeness, purpose and meaning. This worship is the expression of God’s new creation on earth. Our lives are continually postured as living sacrifices both individually and in corporate gatherings to ‘ascribe worth’ through various expressions and deliberate action. We are continually renewed through the transforming of our minds and hearts through the power of the Holy Spirit. Worship becomes a practice, a rhythm, and a direction that we live out in our lives here and now.
mission
We believe the Church, filled with the Holy Spirit, is the redemptive presence of God in the world. Through acts of service – showing mercy, relieving suffering, seeking justice – we live out something larger than ourselves: the Gospel to the world. God’s mission for the world is the work of restoring and renewing all things to himself, and we are invited into this work as participants. Whether at a community garden, a homeless shelter, or behind the desk at an office, we live out our faith for the sake of the world.
belong
All people are created in the image of God and were created to live in community. In this community, we are to live generously – serving one another, caring for each other’s needs, sharing our possessions, walking together in suffering and celebration, and inviting all into honest, loving relationships. Through these relationships we are transformed by God to be salt and light in the world around us. Learning to belong is a process and takes time. The beginning is the journey inward as we learn to love one another. By this the world will know that we belong to Him.
word & spirit
We desire to be people that continue to grow and expand our knowledge of Christ through the study of the Word and through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. Working towards the “radical middle,” a church functioning and operating out of an understanding of Scripture and of the Spirit.
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