WHO IS THE COMMUNITY OF BRENTWOOD FIRST PRESBYTERIAN?

Our goal is to model the life of Jesus, God with us. God came to us as a baby in a feeding tray for animals. Jesus then walked among those his culture rejected, even people who denied being his friend. Finally, he suffered and died on a cross between two thieves, the object of derision. Jesus did not come to us as a warrior, but in humility and weakness. Born in humility, Jesus came to rule over all with love, tumbling down the walls of hostility which divide us. Helpless as an infant, Jesus showed the power of God’s love. Poor in things of the world, Jesus brought the wealth of God’s grace. Rejected by many, Jesus welcomed all who sought him. Jesus’ resurrection by God shows humankind that no one is beyond the power of God’s reconciliation. Jesus' way is Matthew 25 and 28. His truth is love. His judgment is mercy. And his life is the life abundant.

Brentwood First Presbyterian proclaims the truth that God our loving parent is for us, that God through Jesus is with us, and that God through the Holy Spirit transforms us individually and communally into the very body of Christ. We are awed by God. We are a God-awed, loving, community of faith.

WE ARE A COMMUNITY

Church is indeed for us a community, not an activity. In our church we build community:

• With God through prayer and worship,
• With each other through showing God’s love in small groups, visitation, nurture, and fellowship,
• With both God and each other by searching for God’s truth and direction through insightful and relevant Bible study, with guest speakers and open formats for searchers,
• With both God and each other through Baptism and the Lord’s Supper.

WE ARE TRANSFORMED

• Within our God-awed, loving community, God transforms us from the inside out.
• We believe God’s transformation is most effective in communal worship and small loving faithful groups. More effective than when we worship in solitude.
• In communal worship and small loving faithful groups, God grabs our souls and scrubs them, saving what is good in us, and washing away that which we do not need.

WE EMBODY CHRIST’S MINISTRIES

In our God-awed, loving, and transformed community, God encourages and equips us, so that we embody Christ as we:

• Go into all the world, making disciples (Matthew 28)
• Participate in God’s activity in the world (Matthew 25) by:
• ministering to the needs of the poor, the sick, the lonely, and the powerless
• engaging in the struggle to free people from sin, fear, oppression, hunger, and injustice