About Us

Our Mission

Fresh Vision for Our Mission.

2010 was a special year of surveying, reflecting, praying, and talking about our life and ministry as a church. One result has been a sharpening of our vision for mission. We are moving into the second decade of the 21st century with a fresh vision for mission:

“A People of Grace Renewed to Serve Our Community and Our World”

Grace has always been our heartbeat. A dozen years ago, our community was rapidly changing, as the nations were coming to make Philadelphia their home. We ministered with a vision we called, “New Life Cross Culture,” believing that all cultures could gather around the cross of Jesus. Our banner was, “Many Colors One Blood,” because there was “Grace for All Things New in Christ.” God has been faithful in bringing this about in our church, as we have pursued that vision for our mission. Lamentations 3 says the Lord’s mercies never fail, they are new every morning, great is His faithfulness!

So we move into a fresh vision for our mission because God has been faithful in what He called us to do in this place. Our new vision is not really new: it is just the next step we take as we follow Jesus together in Gospel mission. We build on what He has done. Renewed by His grace, we step out to serve our community and our world, because God is the faithful One who sends a fresh supply of mercy every day.

This is a vision that calls us all into action! We find the image of a 3-tiered fountain helpful as an illustration of our mission. The water represents the Living Water of Jesus—His grace flowing in our lives to renew us daily. Renewed by His grace, we serve as His “water carriers” for our community and our world. The order or priority of our mission is summarized well by the words of the risen Christ in Acts 1:8—

You will be my witnesses Our "mission tiers"

in Jerusalem… 1st tier: 8 blocks around the church

in all Judea and Samaria… 2nd tier: neighborhood, job, school

to the ends of the earth. 3rd tier: global mission fields