What We Do

Simply Church

We are simply church; God's people for this world.  What we do is based in who we are.  There are several stories in the Bible involving Jesus and bread.  In many of these stories, such as on the night before he was crucified, Jesus TOOK bread, He BLESSED it, BROKE it, and GAVE it. 

“Taking bread, he blessed it, broke it, and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body, given for you. Eat it in my memory’”  

Luke 22:19 (The Message) 

In the same way, when we place ourselves in the hands of Jesus, he takes us, blesses us, breaks us, so he can give us to be bread for this world.  So what we do, is based on the following four words.

We are TAKEN

We are “taken” because we know that we have been chosen and set apart by God, not to the exclusion of others, but to love and serve Him.  We know that God reached out to us and brought us into His household to become His cooperative friends.       

"You were chosen according to the purpose of God the Father and were made a holy people by his Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be purified by his blood." I Peter 1:2 (GNT)   "At one time you were not God's people, but now you are his people; at one time you did not know God's mercy, but now you have received his mercy." I Peter 2:10 (GNT)

Therefore we GATHER together for worship.  It is a reminder that we have been chosen and set apart by God, along with the rest of God’s family, for His special purposes.

We are BLESSED

We are “blessed” because we know that God, by His grace, has called us to Himself, made us right with Him through Christ, and that He is helping us to become those who love God with all that we are, and others as ourselves.  We are blessed by God's WORD.  When we hear the Word of God proclaimed, we hear words of truth that point to Jesus Christ, the Living Word.  The truth in Jesus Christ brings us the blessing of true freedom.    

"But by becoming a curse for us Christ has redeemed us from the curse that the Law brings.... Christ did this in order that the blessing which God promised to Abraham might be given to the Gentiles by means of Christ Jesus, so that through faith we might receive the Spirit promised by God."  Galatians 2:13-14 (GNT)

Therefore we study the WORD to be formed in the likeness of Christ.

We are BROKEN

We know that we are each uniquely “broken” by the effects of sin.  We then allow God to redeem our brokenness by humbly surrendering our lives to the work of the Holy Spirit.  We know this work is accomplished most powerfully in fellowship with other broken believers who are also being healed and restored.  We help one another to see what the Holy Spirit is doing to bring about new life in each of us.   As we come to the Lord's Table each week, we remember how Christ was broken for our healing and wholeness.  As we break the bread so that we can share it during Holy Communion, we are reminded of the unity and oneness we enjoy in the fellowship of the Holy Spirit.

"Because there is the one loaf of bread, all of us, though many, are one body, for we all share the same loaf."

I Corinthians 10:17 (GNT)

Therefore we enjoy regular fellowship by connecting in small groups.

We are GIVEN

As we are taken, blessed, and our brokenness redeemed, we find our deepest fulfillment in being a source of physical, emotional, and spiritual growth for others; in becoming bread for the world.  Even our brokenness, when placed under God’s blessing, becomes a source of hope and healing for others.    

"...Freely you received, freely give."  Matthew 10:8b (NAS)  "Then he said, 'Go into the world. Go everywhere and announce the Message of God's good news to one and all.'"  Mark 11:15 (The Message)

We are sent to love and serve this world