We are part of a family, not an organisation...
God is constantly referred to as Father. Jesus, although God, is also a Son. This tells us so much about the priority God places on family. Family is at the heart of heaven and God's kingdom.
In families relationships matter. Therefore, we place a very high level of importance on relationships. We are seeking to grow in this, so that everything we do flows out of relationship: relationship with God and with one another. However, like the very best families we seek to be open and welcoming to those outside our immediate family. Our aim is for people to experience love and complete acceptance when they encounter us, whether when gathered for events or dispersed in our daily lives. We desire to be an accessible community who are easy to join and in a sense, difficult to leave because of the loving environment. |
My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one. I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you ahve loved me.
John 17:20-23 |