Mission in Western Henrico County:

For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come. (Hebrews 13:14)

We are seeking to live as the body of Christ in worship, discipleship, and mission for the glory of God and the life of the world.

Vision and Values

So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.  And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles.  And all who believed were together and had all things in common.  And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.  And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. (Acts 2:41-47)

Biblical teaching for head and heart

The Church’s teaching centers on Jesus Christ.  He has revealed God to us, and is thus the source and substance of our teaching and the key to our understanding of the Scriptures.  The Bible contains all that we need for life and salvation, and, as God’s word, it is to be taught faithfully, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, by each generation of the Church.  We learn and teach best by listening to the Christians of all ages, the Church universal.  The goal of our teaching is not simply that we might know more, but instead that we might see God himself, and so we teach to the whole person, to the head and to the heart, as we seek to listen to the voice of God.

SPIRITUAL formation through sacrament and liturgy

We are formed and transformed by our habits and practices.  We celebrate the sacraments because in them, God offers us his life and transforms us into the image of Jesus.  In baptism, the Father, through the Spirit, clothes us in the Son.  In the Eucharist, Christ gives us his own life, transforming us and strengthening us in himself.  The sacraments reshape our minds and affections, for they remind us, and cause us to reenact, what we believe.  The liturgy (the Church’s common prayers, worship, confessions, and readings) works upon us so that we begin to think, feel, and act as the single body of Christ, rather than as isolated individuals separated from the One who created us and one another.

A life of prayer together

Just as Jesus did throughout his earthly ministry, the early church devoted itself to prayer.  As the body of Christ, united in his life, the Church prays as Christ did, because it prays his prayers with him.  In prayer, the Church enters with Christ into the presence of the Father, where his kingdom is realized and his will is done.  As the body of Christ, the Church prays together (not just individually), and as disciples, we pray best by learning to pray from our Lord. 

Gospel Care for those in need

The radical hospitality and generosity of the early church was the natural overflow of the fact that they had been united in Jesus.  We treat the needs of others in the church as our own because they are—for we are one body in Christ!  But we are also called to practice sacrificial care for those outside the Church, just as Jesus did. We seek to live out Jesus’ own hospitality and care for those who are hurting and lost, because the Church has been called into his life and ministry.

Discipleship of the next generation

From the beginning, God has worked through communities and families. He calls parents, aunts, uncles, godparents, and teachers to raise children in the faith by teaching them to love God and obey his commandments. Children are the next generation of the Church, and teaching them to worship God ensures the vitality and growth of the people of God in ages to come. Jesus’ love for children drives us to work together to guide them to him.