God did not create us to walk through life on our own, therefore we see the importance of community -- being with others who will encourage, challenge, and love us through the journey.  We want to live life together.  This is the key component that is missing in much of our programmed, structured "churches".  This is the essence of the church.  Without community, we become nothing more than a religious business, a spiritual institution, a glorified establishment.  We must be more than that.

 

In this same quest, we want to make the world a better place.  We will strive to be a community where LOVE WINS and grace and truth are put on display.  This was the wonder of the early church: the manifested resurrection, the Messiah Christ on display.

 

We want to be connected to the world around us.  Christians must deal with the world as it is and stop whining about how we wish things were different; they are not.  We want to be positively connected to the world around us shining light into dark places.

 

On that note, we want to be people of the "mitzvoth"; the rabbinical teaching of good deeds.  The ancient rabbis and sages believed that if the people of God would engage in the good deeds, we could actually help God in His project of restoration.  This is what the references to "good deeds" in the New Testament refer to.  We want to be people of the mitzvoth.