Our Values

Five Important Metaphors...

We like to think about five specific metaphors when we talk about being and doing church. These have been with us for the past five years, though they have also changed a little and developed with our congregation. In these metaphors we hope that you'll see the way we engage scripture, community, faith and the world to become a transformed people who can then offer a transformation to all.

The Screened-In Porch... Screened-in porches are best for sitting and drinking lemonade. We want to create a place of welcome and a place of shared life for all who desire connection with us. So even though we may not have an actual screened-in porch anywhere on our church campus, we intentionally try to shape our lives as individuals and as a community into places of welcome. Jesus never had a house with a porch that we know of, but we do know that he lived a life of welcome, always he was somewhere encountering and touching people who were never the same afterwards. We want to follow that model of living open to all those around us. Two good examples of that life of welcome that Jesus lived can be found in Matthew 9:18-26 and 19:13-15.

The Hospital... Some of us aren't not all that comfortable visiting hospitals, but we all sometimes need a place of healing. We hope that in our community we are able to make a place for people to heal. Healing can happen in times of worship and in just making rich friendships and sharing the good and bad days with each other. Healing happens in the presence of God. Some people have been injured by life, and some have been hurt by church experiences. We hope in the best of the healing tradition that "we will first do no harm," but we also hope for more than that. We dare to hope that besides not doing harm that we would be used by God to bring needed healing, growth and transformation. We are followers of Jesus, and we believe that in following Jesus we encounter the richest life possible. So, you do not need to be whole to come to us; we welcome your brokenness. Jesus offered this kind of invitation in Mathew 11:28, and so do we... "Then Jesus said, 'Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.'"

The Garden... We believe that you are, as every person is, a beautiful creation of God who is graced with intrinsic value, ability and purpose. In the garden of creation we each are planted to grow and serve, to "bear fruit" and to be lovingly tended to become deeply rooted and a tangible blessing to all who will know us. We hope that in our lives, as individuals and a community, that we will create a place of growth for ourselves and all who know us... we hope to use our gifts and abilities to serve God and one another, and we hope that you will find among us a place to serve and be served. The soil in which our souls best flourish is the presence of God, and we believe that in service to each other, tending one another in love and respect, we each will grow into our best potential as human beings. The agricultural image is found all throughout the scriptures, but a couple of wonderful images and teachings can be found in Jeremiah 17:7-8 and in Galatians 5:22-23.

The Oasis... Well, this is pretty self-explanatory, though we hope not as illusory as is often the case when dying in the desert! Instead of an illusion of an oasis, we hope to be the real deal. In a hurting, warring world we hope to be a place of peace. We hope that our teachings and our lives reflect the very best of the message of Jesus, what has been known for 2000+ years as gospel, or "Good News." We would be a place of prayer, a place of respite and a place of refreshing. We believe that being followers of Jesus means that we are to be the best of neighbors, the kind of folks you want to have around. And so we will always strive to be a force of good in this world, change-agents who have been transformed through knowing God and therefore hope to achieve transformation for the whole world through humble, sacrificial servanthood. Jesus did not use this exact language of being an oasis, but he used some similar wording, often quoted, "You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless. You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father." That's Jesus in Matthew 5:13-16. You see, being a "Christian" or Christ Follower is not about being better than anyone else, but about being positioned to enrich the lives of everyone else: salting, flavoring, lighting and serving!

The Path... Finally, to wrap up the metaphor discussion, we have to mention that we are on a path, not at the destination. Jesus often uttered a two-word invitation to people along the road... "Follow me." We at Church in Bethesda are on a journey, we walk a path. We have not arrived, but are arriving and hoping still to arrive. We have not finished, completed or perfected anything, but responded to an invitation that Jesus has extended to all people throughout the centuries... "Follow me." So, please bear with us when we mess up. Please understand that we are not not as cool and complete as our values might make us sound... we're struggling here. We're trying. We're doing our best. It is in our own understanding of God's gracious welcome in spite of our failings that we know humility and invite all those who would journey with us to come along. It is in the understanding and hope of God's presence that we believe we will do better and grow to be better followers of Jesus along the way. Ultimately, we follow a great tradition and answer an ancient call, sounded out in Micah 6:8, "...O people, the Lord has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God." This is our path.