Baptism Child Dedication Our Mission
“. . .growing in. . .” Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen. (2 Peter 3:18)
Love the Lord your God with all your heart. . . Love your neighbor as yourself. (Matthew 22:37–39)
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations. (Matthew 28:19–20) The goal for all believers is to love God wholeheartedly and to love people the same way. We do this as we become more like Jesus Christ, full of grace and truth. The Bible calls this process “maturity,” with God shaping our heart, our life, and our character as we follow Jesus Christ. In our growing, we are also going. We are to be Jesus to our world. When grace and truth come together in us, we positively influence our world as “salt and light,” with our good works pointing people to our Father in heaven. The call to “grow” is a reminder that we cannot be content with where we are relative to Christlikeness and that we are not as we should be. Our mission statement is a goal to keep us from complacency and also a confession of humility to keep us from spiritual pride.
“. . .the grace and truth of Jesus Christ.” The Word (Jesus) became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14) For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. (Ephesians 2:8–9) Hopevale is a church of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God who is the Savior of mankind. He died on the cross for our sin and rose again from the dead. These truths are of eternal importance: those who trust in Jesus Christ have the promise of the forgiveness of sins and eternal life, while judgment and condemnation await those who reject Jesus Christ. When the Bible describes what Jesus is like, two words are used together: grace and truth. Grace is God’s description of His unconditional love. It is acceptance freely given, not based on performance, merit, or “what you deserve.” Truth is God’s description of His absolute standards. Going against the grain in today’s age of moral relativism, we affirm that God is truth and determines good and evil, right and wrong. Putting the two together (“grace and truth”), we acknowledge that from a human perspective the words don’t naturally seem to fit. But God’s perspective is different: Jesus is 100% grace and 100% truth, and this is the Jesus that the world needs to know.
[email protected] 989.793.3122 www.hopevale.org
4/2/2015
Child Dedication Baptism Our Mission
“Hopevale. . . What kind of church are you?”
As a non-denominational church, we are often asked that question. While there are many distinctives that make Hopevale unique, there are two foundations that help define who we are: What We Believe What We Do
To answer the first, our beliefs are centered in the Bible as the Word of God. From this, we have summarized key beliefs in what is known as our Statement of Faith. To learn more about our beliefs, please pick up the brochure entitled “What We Believe”. To address “What We Do,” the leadership of Hopevale Church has created a Mission Statement. Our Mission Statement is the over-arching reason we exist. Every worship service, ministry, program, and project stem from this one statement. In this brochure, we’d like to introduce you to our Mission and explain further what we believe God has called Hopevale to be and to do in our community in this generation.
Our Mission: We live to glorify God as a biblical community growing in the grace and truth of Jesus Christ. While it is hard to capture the essence of what we do in just one sentence, the words have been carefully chosen to reflect biblical priorities of the church while incorporating words and concepts that have special meaning to Hopevale.
“We live to glorify God. . .”
“. . .as a biblical community. . .”
Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. (1 Corinthians 10:31)
All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness. (2 Timothy 3:16)
You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being. (Revelation 4:11)
First and foremost, we have to answer the question of meaning and purpose: What is our ultimate reason for existence as a church? For Hopevale, we live to glorify our God for He alone is worthy. For centuries, believers in Jesus Christ have affirmed that the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. This means we live to honor God in all we do. Why? Because we are not the center of our own lives, but God is the center. In other words, “It’s not about me. It’s about Him.” This is why genuine, heartfelt worship is a church priority; we need to continually give Him the praise He so deserves. Individually, living for the glory of God means that when we wake up each morning, the question we should ask is not, “What do I want to do today?” but “God what do YOU want me to do today?” A life of joyful service is our grateful response to His amazing grace. Similarly as a church, the glory of God is the motivation for every ministry endeavor. It answers the question of why we do what we do. Jesus warned His followers against saying or doing the right things for the wrong reasons. By the grace of God, we will fulfill His purposes as a church in our own generation for His glory.
They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. (Acts 2:42) These two words “biblical” and “community” shape our identity. “Biblical” means we are led by the Bible, God’s inspired word to us. The Bible is our authority for all areas of life, both within and outside the context of the church. To obey the Bible is to obey God and when we obey, we show our love toward Him. As a biblical community, we are committed to the five purposes of the church:
Worship Instruction Fellowship Evangelism Service
“Community” means we live life together, that church is not just a place to gather for one hour on a Sunday, but a group of people committed to Jesus Christ and to one another seven days a week. We see this demonstrated in the early church and throughout the New Testament.
When we live as a biblical community, we are bonded together as a local church, and we become the expression of Jesus Christ to the world.
Love the Lord your God with all your heart. . . Love your neighbor as yourself. (Matthew 22:37–39)
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations. (Matthew 28:19–20) The goal for all believers is to love God wholeheartedly and to love people the same way. We do this as we become more like Jesus Christ, full of grace and truth. The Bible calls this process “maturity,” with God shaping our heart, our life, and our character as we follow Jesus Christ. In our growing, we are also going. We are to be Jesus to our world. When grace and truth come together in us, we positively influence our world as “salt and light,” with our good works pointing people to our Father in heaven. The call to “grow” is a reminder that we cannot be content with where we are relative to Christlikeness and that we are not as we should be. Our mission statement is a goal to keep us from complacency and also a confession of humility to keep us from spiritual pride.
“. . .the grace and truth of Jesus Christ.” The Word (Jesus) became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14) For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. (Ephesians 2:8–9) Hopevale is a church of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the eternal Son of God who is the Savior of mankind. He died on the cross for our sin and rose again from the dead. These truths are of eternal importance: those who trust in Jesus Christ have the promise of the forgiveness of sins and eternal life, while judgment and condemnation await those who reject Jesus Christ. When the Bible describes what Jesus is like, two words are used together: grace and truth. Grace is God’s description of His unconditional love. It is acceptance freely given, not based on performance, merit, or “what you deserve.” Truth is God’s description of His absolute standards. Going against the grain in today’s age of moral relativism, we affirm that God is truth and determines good and evil, right and wrong. Putting the two together (“grace and truth”), we acknowledge that from a human perspective the words don’t naturally seem to fit. But God’s perspective is different: Jesus is 100% grace and 100% truth, and this is the Jesus that the world needs to know.
[email protected] 989.793.3122 www.hopevale.org
4/2/2015
Child Dedication Baptism Our Mission
“Hopevale. . . What kind of church are you?”
As a non-denominational church, we are often asked that question. While there are many distinctives that make Hopevale unique, there are two foundations that help define who we are: What We Believe What We Do
To answer the first, our beliefs are centered in the Bible as the Word of God. From this, we have summarized key beliefs in what is known as our Statement of Faith. To learn more about our beliefs, please pick up the brochure entitled “What We Believe”. To address “What We Do,” the leadership of Hopevale Church has created a Mission Statement. Our Mission Statement is the over-arching reason we exist. Every worship service, ministry, program, and project stem from this one statement. In this brochure, we’d like to introduce you to our Mission and explain further what we believe God has called Hopevale to be and to do in our community in this generation.
Our Mission: We live to glorify God as a biblical community growing in the grace and truth of Jesus Christ. While it is hard to capture the essence of what we do in just one sentence, the words have been carefully chosen to reflect biblical priorities of the church while incorporating words and concepts that have special meaning to Hopevale.
“We live to glorify God. . .”
“. . .as a biblical community. . .”
Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. (1 Corinthians 10:31)
All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness. (2 Timothy 3:16)
You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being. (Revelation 4:11)
First and foremost, we have to answer the question of meaning and purpose: What is our ultimate reason for existence as a church? For Hopevale, we live to glorify our God for He alone is worthy. For centuries, believers in Jesus Christ have affirmed that the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. This means we live to honor God in all we do. Why? Because we are not the center of our own lives, but God is the center. In other words, “It’s not about me. It’s about Him.” This is why genuine, heartfelt worship is a church priority; we need to continually give Him the praise He so deserves. Individually, living for the glory of God means that when we wake up each morning, the question we should ask is not, “What do I want to do today?” but “God what do YOU want me to do today?” A life of joyful service is our grateful response to His amazing grace. Similarly as a church, the glory of God is the motivation for every ministry endeavor. It answers the question of why we do what we do. Jesus warned His followers against saying or doing the right things for the wrong reasons. By the grace of God, we will fulfill His purposes as a church in our own generation for His glory.
They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. (Acts 2:42) These two words “biblical” and “community” shape our identity. “Biblical” means we are led by the Bible, God’s inspired word to us. The Bible is our authority for all areas of life, both within and outside the context of the church. To obey the Bible is to obey God and when we obey, we show our love toward Him. As a biblical community, we are committed to the five purposes of the church:
Worship Instruction Fellowship Evangelism Service
“Community” means we live life together, that church is not just a place to gather for one hour on a Sunday, but a group of people committed to Jesus Christ and to one another seven days a week. We see this demonstrated in the early church and throughout the New Testament.
When we live as a biblical community, we are bonded together as a local church, and we become the expression of Jesus Christ to the world.
