- We value the welcome of God and so, seek to make room for the ‘other’ and the stranger in our midst: to feast at table together, to commune, to care, to become family.
- We recognize the provision of space and time for brokenness and the need for a safe refuge of healing, acceptance and prayer, from which to remove our masks, taste reconciliation and move forward in expressing gifts and passions.
- We recognize our dependence on God, and the need to re-turn often to the basics of hearing God’s word and prayer, as we find our individual and collective stories welcomed into God’s larger story. At the centre we see the cross of Christ.
- We recognize the rich tapestry God has woven in our midst – creativity from every nation, young and old, richer and poorer, letting this shape our leadership, worship, and theology.
- We know the need for unity and love to maintain community in the midst of growth. We see the potential for tensions and divisions over matters such as different styles of worship, ideas about property development, and holding together two congregations.
- We yearn for our actions to arise from theological reflection, and from a commitment to a community process and common vision.
- We commit ourselves to where God has placed us, in the Grandview-Woodlands neighbourhood of East Vancouver, and wherever we each live out our daily calling – grappling together with issues we find there, seeking to train and equip people, seeking to nurture new life and fruit of God’s Kingdom, and not neglecting those who are often pushed to the sides. We see ourselves as bridge-builders.
- We affirm our church’s prophetic role, calling one another and our culture to do justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with our God.
- We value sustainability amidst urban transience. To move ahead in faith initiatives and risks together, we recognize the wisdom of adequate staff and space, resourcing and cultivating ownership in people, rest for weary workers, and a sound financial base.
