Our reason for being here, together as a church, can be summed up in one name: Jesus.

And our attachment to Jesus boils down to the one word that captures what he taught and modeled: love.

That God loves us and wants us to love was Jesus’ good news — the two root words of the word gospel.

And that gospel good news is something we can’t keep to ourselves — we want to share it with you.

Read on to learn more about what Jesus means to us and why he draws us together as a church family.

Jesus Welcomes All

Jesus raised eyebrows in his day by his openness toward all. “This fellow welcomes sinners and eats with them,” religious critics griped when he dined with shady characters and moral misfits (Luke 15:2). But Jesus’ choice of dinner companions made a point: nobody is outside the bounds of God’s friendship. That’s why Jesus welcomes all to follow him into friendship with God within his church. That’s good news for all of us!

Jesus Is a Love Story

Jesus said: “I came to give life — life in all its fullness” (John 10:10). And that he did, paradoxically by dying, out of love for us: “There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13). Threatened by Jesus’ message, the powers that be killed him on a cross. But that didn’t spell his defeat! Since as a mortal man he embodied immortal God — “who alone can never die” (1 Timothy 6:16) — his plunge into death short-circuited its power. Jesus rose from death, breaking its grip on us, his human siblings, too! Now he tells us: “Do not be afraid.... I was dead, but now I am alive forevermore, and I hold the keys to death” (Revelation 1:17-18). He puts his “forever life” within our reach.

Jesus Is Our Way, Truth, and Life

Jesus said of himself: “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6) — and so he is for our church family.

Jesus is our way. He teaches us a way of living built on almsgiving, prayer, and fasting (Matthew 6:1-18), three holy habits that tame our egos and appetites so we have more room in our lives for God and neighbor, in line with his message of selfless love.

Jesus is our truth. As God, he shows us the truth about how far God’s love is willing to go for us. As a human, he shows us the truth about how fully a person can live for God. “God is love, and those who live in love live in God, and God lives in them” (1 John 4:16).

Jesus is our life. In the sacraments of his church, he shares his “forever life” — such as in baptism, where he becomes our new clothing (Galatians 3:27), or in the eucharist, where he becomes our food and drink (1 Corinthians 10:16-17), so we too can become Christlike together as God’s family.

Jesus Is Timeless

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). That’s why we Orthodox Christians strive to remain rooted in his unchanging vision and values, because they lead us into what God has always dreamed for humankind. Our worship draws on age-old patterns and rhythms that focus on reverence for God rather than entertainment for man. And our time-tested spirituality aims at kindling Christlike transformation over the long haul rather than stoking fleeting emotion in the heat of the moment. “Ancient” doesn’t mean outdated for us — it means tried and true.

An Open Invitation…

You’re most welcome to join us in our quest to grow into friendship with God by following Jesus’ lead. “Plant your roots in Christ and let him be the foundation for your life” (Colossians 2:7). Our church is here to help you as best we can to do just that. “Come and see!” (John 1:39).