Identity
We seek to worship God for who He is: Father, Son & Holy Spirit;
for all He is: Our Creator, Our Savior, Our Sustainer;
Who is worthy of our love, honor, respect, adoration and worship (Mk 1:9-11, 2 Cor 13:14, Mat 28:19).
We seek to be lovingly devoted to Him, incarnating His healing Shalom (peace) in every facet of life (Mat 22:34-40, Jn 14:6).
We seek a relationship with God from which His design and purpose are fully revealed in us (Gen 1:26-27; Ps 139:14).
We seek to help people discover their design and purpose as image-bearers of God.
Belonging
We are created for community.
The image of God in us is most fully represented in community (Eph 2:18-22). Reflecting God who is a Community – Father, Son & Holy Spirit; living an interdependent life together in Him; being & doing, caring & sharing; with no limits (Acts 2:2-47, Matt 12:46-50, 1 Peter 2:4-5).
We embrace story and seek to understand our story as a part of the greater Story of God. Our lives are the pages of scripture the world is reading. We seek to live transformed lives out from the principles of scripture in love.
Destiny
Re-Creation (John 5:3-8) – Sin results in our brokenness, which inhibits us to live as we were intended to – Jesus restores us to our destiny and purpose.
We desire to help people discover their destiny and purpose as new creations in Christ Jesus (2 Cor 5:17; Gal 4:19). We passionately participate in the rhythms of a spiritual life? and seek to give away the comfort we have received in Christ. (scripture ref?)
We want people to learn to BE more not just do more. Dr. Robert Banks has said: “If only Christians were willing to be more with each other and corporately with God, they would find that although they do less, they achieve more.”
We understand that…
…the church is not a place, but a people where the presence of God reigns freely.
…we are ministers of grace and reconciliation, not condemnation and isolation.
…it is far better to be obedient and fruit oriented than results oriented.
…seeking to be righteous is far better than seeking to be right.
…the way we love one another is what marks us His disciples.
This God-given destiny allows us to fully embrace our lives as His masterpieces, works of art that have been gifted to create and restore all that has been tainted by sin.
New Heights is, then, a place where the creative arts are embraced and applied as a medium to communicate. We desire to be a catalytic center of dreams, imagination, and creativity for the beauty and glory of our God.
Because we are a people of destiny, we also celebrate who God is, what He has done and is doing in our lives. Our desire is to live a life that celebrates the joy of life in Jesus. This can best be done by living lives that are grateful, appreciative of life and living full into the destiny He has created us for. This purpose and joy frees us to live life fully, able to laugh and free to cry, knowing our tears fall to the ground and shatter with hope; all of this because we understand that living for Jesus is the greatest way to live.
Reconciliation
Ministry of Reconciliation – As Jesus was sent to reconcile so we are sent as His reconcilers and ambassadors.
We now join the Father in the family business of reconciliation (2 Cor 5:18-19). Jesus came to reconcile us to and with the Father (Eph 1:3-14; 2:14-15; Col 1:13-22). Jesus sends us in the same way He was sent to announce and demonstrate the gospel (John 17:18).
We seek to reflect the heart and example of God, going into the world to pursue His image bearers with the power of the gospel understanding that we are most like God when we are peacemaking (Matt 5:9).
This means serving alongside God, each other and other churches in living everyday life as well as for the advancement of God’s Kingdom purposes. Living in His Kingdom, seeing His dominion demonstrated and extended; within us, our families, our Community, our towns – seeing it multiplied to the ends of the earth (John 5:19, Matthew 28:18-20, Acts 1:8,1 Peter 3:15)