What We Believe
Core Beliefs
Faith isn’t something we believe on our own; it’s a Jesus-centered way of being—together, in community.
We seek to follow Jesus Christ in daily life, serve those in need, and work for justice and peace nonviolently. For us, that includes a commitment to inclusivity in church life as well as recognizing our place within nature. Drawing on the wisdom of our faith tradition, we find that following Jesus’s way of peace fosters a healthy skepticism of how power is used in the world around us, and we recognize in that a responsibility to stand with the marginalized.
That kind of faith isn’t sustainable without tending to our inner, spiritual lives too. We worship together and support each other so we can take the next, most faithful step.
Connections Beyond Our Congregation
These are a couple of the groups we’re formally affiliated with. We find these connections helpful for resourcing, accountability, and working together toward something larger than ourselves.
“Mennonite”? What’s that?
The Anabaptist (“re-baptizing”) movement began in Europe 500 years ago when Christian believers wanted to follow the lived example of Jesus rather than decrees of the state-sponsored church.
In practical terms, this often looked like: embodying a lifestyle of nonviolence, simplicity, and mutual aid, patterned after Jesus’s “Sermon on the Mount” (Matthew 5-7); abstaining from political allegiances that would require otherwise; and dismantling religious hierarchies that too often stood as gatekeepers between everyday people and God. The radical movement grew rapidly, although many suffered persecution and death at the hands of oppressive political powers. Those who followed Menno Simons, one of the early Anabaptist leaders, were called Mennonites.
As a Historic Peace Church, we share many of the same traditions as our faith-siblings in other Historic Peace Churches, like the Friends (Quakers) and Brethren communities.