:
The Values of Ark and Dove
Our core values are rooted in the life and ministry of Christ Jesus: love, respect and faith.
Our support values are rooted in our energetic interpretation of God's call to us in scripture:
service, commitment, enthusiasm, risk-taking, compassion and unity.
What We Believe:
God Is Love
We believe in the unlimited power of God and that God chooses to exercise God's power in love, servanthood and community.
We believe that God loves all people. With open hearts, we welcome all people to worship and participation.
We believe that God is always present and that part of faith is learning about the many ways that God makes Godself known.
We reflect upon God's story for our lives with our heads and our hearts.
Worship at Ark and Dove is thoughtful and spirited with an emphasis on bringing our best to God and our community.
We explore the Bible with open minds and deep respect for the way God inspired the writers of scripture through the Holy Spirit. We believe that God's Holy Spirit speaks with authenticity and freshness to people who read scripture today and that new insights are constantly possible and in fact part of God's intent.
We believe that people grow in faith through regular worship, personal prayer, adult education experiences and small group participation. We use our heads and our hearts as we answer God's call to be faithful disciples in the world. We are not afraid of hard questions.
We believe that people can and do explore and experience the mystery of God with a variety of spiritual practices, i.e. silent meditation, yoga, personal retreats, journaling, centering prayer, walking a labyrinth, prayer walks, etc.
God is Calling Our Church to Engage the World
The church is not a building--it is a group of believers who live out their faith in the world.
We serve the community with open hands believing that Jesus calls disciples to acts of mission, mercy, and justice in the world. We grow in faith and are transformed when we engage the world.
We value the ideas and gifts of women and men; including their leadership. We ordain men and women as ministers, elders, and deacons.
We value God's creation and believe that God has called us to be good stewards of our lives, our personal resources, our communities and the natural resources of our globe.
We honor the fact that the world changes and the church needs to risk change in order to minister and serve in the world.
