WE BELIEVE IN THE HOLY TRINITY
GOD THE FATHER, JESUS CHRIST THE SON, AND THE HOLY SPIRIT
Christians know God as the Holy Trinity — one God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. As Christians, we believe all people are created in God’s image and loved by God. We know about God through the Bible and especially through Jesus Christ, who embodied God’s love for humanity.
We
God the Father
We believe God is the creator of the world; the giver of life; the source of healing and forgiveness; the advocate of the poor and oppressed; the power of new life and resurrection. God creates, redeems and continues to sustain the world.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
"And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them."
Believe
Jesus Christ the Son
We believe that God came to us in Jesus Christ, a true human, humble and vulnerable. Jesus lived among us and demonstrated the good news in all he was and did. The good news is the promise that God loves us and saves us by grace alone. This promise was realized when Jesus was crucified. He died on the cross but was raised again in the body and in a new wholeness. As a result, through the gift of grace received by faith, all people can be made whole in Christ and set free to love and serve all people, particularly the vulnerable, just as God loves us.
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life
"The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth."
In
The Holy Spirit
We believe the Holy Spirit is God's presence with us today, guiding, comforting, and inspiring us. The Holy Spirit helps us understand God's Word, strengthens our faith, and brings us together as a community. Following Martin Luther's teachings, we trust that the Holy Spirit is always at work in our lives, leading us to live out our faith every day.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.Text...
"But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you."
"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
It's all about "Grace"
'For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God— not the result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life. ' - Ephesians 2:8-10
What is Grace?
Grace is a free gift by God, not deserved or earned.
There is no special prayer you need to pray, state of mind you need to achieve, or good deed you need to perform. We believe that through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, God became one of us and took upon himself the sin and suffering of all the world. God did this to demonstrate God’s love for us. The gift of grace expresses God’s unconditional love, and in response to that love we are set free to live gratefully and lovingly.
God’s grace is a gift, given through Christ and received by faith. There is nothing we can do on our own — good or bad — to earn this gift. We call this “good news” or the “gospel.” Through this gift of God, we are led by the Holy Spirit to love and work for justice and peace.
What about being a Christian?
A "Christian" is a believer in Jesus Christ and a follower of His teaching...the bible.
Christians believe that God came to us in Jesus Christ, humble and vulnerable. Jesus lived among us and demonstrated the good news in all he was and did. The good news is the promise that God loves us and saves us by grace alone. This promise was realized when Jesus died on the cross for our sins and was raised up 3 days later (Easter) by God.. As a result, through the gift of grace received by faith, all people can be made whole in Christ and set free to love and serve all people, particularly the vulnerable, just as God loves us.
Are you a bible church?
We believe the Bible is the inspired Word of God
The short answer, "yes!"
Simply stated, the Scriptures (the bible) tell about Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit uses the Scriptures to present Jesus to all who listen to or read them. That is why we believe and profess that the Scriptures are the “source and norm” of our teaching and practice. As the Gospel writer John wrote, “these things are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:31).
When we say "inspired Word of God" we mean that God spoke life into the scriptures and that humans received that word and wrote the books that we have compiled into the scriptures we call, "The Bible." We believe in the Old and New Testament as the written word of God and understand through that Word that Jesus Christ is a New Commandment, which Jesus shares with us...
Jesus replied, “This is the most important: ‘Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One. 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.”
What about Baptism?
Beginning a life of faith
Baptism is a significant part of our faith journey as we come from the baptismal waters to live a new life as children of God.
Our baptism sets us out on a lifelong journey that is characterized by our relationship to God, our relationship to our faith community, our relationships in our community and the wider world.
We baptize babies, youth, adults and we all affirm baptism when people want to renew their vow and commitment before God.
Baptism
Here are the promises we make in Baptism..
• LIVE among God’s faithful people
• HEAR the word of God and share in the Lord’s Supper
• PROCLAIM the good news of God in Christ through word and deed
• SERVE all people following the example of Jesus
• STRIVE for justice and peace in all the earth
Most Asked Questions
Have questions? We have the answers!
Martin Luther, after whom the Lutheran branch of Christianity is named, once wrote, “Faith is a living, daring confidence in God’s grace, so sure and certain that you could stake your life on it one thousand times. … Through faith, a person will do good to everyone without coercion, willingly and happily; serving everyone, suffering everything for the love and praise of God, who has shown such grace.” Faith, then, is not about intellectually agreeing to a set of beliefs but about living in a trusting relationship with God in response to God’s grace. Faith is our confident hope that living in God’s promises sparks renewal to love and serve neighbors, as God in Christ loves us.
Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. - Hebrews 11:1
We believe it’s important to have relationships and understanding with other Christian faiths and with other religious traditions and worldviews. With other Christians, we read the Bible, gather in congregations for worship services, and affirm core Christian beliefs. In our multi-religious world, we are committed to working with people of other religions and worldviews toward mutual understanding and for the common good.
Great question, "Neighborhood Church" by name only, could be either. But, we are a Christian Church ("congregation") in a denomination.
We are a congregation in the ELCA, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Where, typically, the ELCA is "traditional" in worship, the Neighborhood Church is a new expression in the ELCA with a modern worship and traditional elements (Apostles' Creed, Lord's Prayer and Communion).
ELCA congregations are centers for evangelical mission, where people of faith celebrate, learn and connect with one another and others around the world through service and weekly worship. We are a church that belongs to Christ. There is a place for you among our 8,900 congregations across the United States, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Another great question! You are really good at asking these.
Yes, The Neighborhood Church, as part of the ELCA, has "full communion partners" which means our teachings are closely aligned to another denomination and our Pastor could preach and lead worship in these partner denominations also. Here is a list of partner denominations;
God’s love for everyone compels us to stand against anything that harms or divides us from each other, such as injustice, prejudice, and systemic oppression. We confess that churches, ourselves included, have historically been complicit in this discrimination and division. We are, however, committed to doing the hard work of examining ourselves and engaging in honest dialogue with those who challenge exclusion and domination. Our desire is to do our part in God’s great work of bringing reconciliation, restoration, and wholeness to the world. Confronting injustice is ongoing work that is done locally and throughout the world.
There is a lot that goes into that question, short answer, "We love you for who God made you to be!"
We are called by Jesus to love God and one another, to practice radical hospitality, and to serve all without stipulations. We welcome you to join us, no matter your race, culture, ethnicity, age, gender expression or identity, sexual orientation, physical and mental abilities, socioeconomic position, family status, background, or where you are in your faith journey.
You are a unique and beloved child of God. You are accepted and affirmed just as you are - with all your differences and all your gifts. We commit ourselves to embracing the work of anti-racism, social and economic justice, and environmental care. We invite you to join with us, as through Christ, we joyfully and inclusively love and serve our community.
Worship is incredible, you will love it! To learn more, go here!
Absolutely. We would really love to talk with you more. Feel free to reach out here.
WHO
WE ARE
AS A CHURCH
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MISSION
Our mission is what Jesus commanded us in the Great Commission in Matthew 28, "Go and Make Disciples."
VISION - Part 1
"Change Church"
This is not the typical, "Hey, we are changing church, come join us!" This is change flipped on its end. We believe that Christ came to change the world and transform lives on a daily basis in addition to gathering with a community of faith on Sunday morning. Because Christ is transforming lives every day, the moment you walk into our church, we are changed. The Neighborhood Church is made new. We can no longer be who we were. Christ has transformed the church, because of you.
The Neighborhood Church is constantly changing as we understand how the church meets the world today.
VISION - Part 2
"Create Relationship"
Creating Relationship is not only close to the heart of TNC, it is close to the heart of God. God desires to be in relationship with the world, that is why we seek a relationship with Jesus Christ. That being said, we know it is hard to create relationship. It is hard to walk into a room full of strangers, "say hi!", or to introduce yourself to someone new- it is out of our comfort zone. Creating Relationship for us means that we help to create relationship with God and our neighbor: to meet, love and serve our neighbor every day and outside the church!
The Neighborhood Church creates relationship with you, our neighbors in need, local non-profits, and global missions.