We call ourselves a progressive church. What do we mean? We are here because we are the expression of a long Christian tradition that began about two thousand years ago. Christianity itself developed out of a long Jewish tradition which we associate with Moses and the prophets. When Christianity began to take root in the Eastern Mediterranean countries there was no consensus regarding the various forms of Church government even though some claimed to be the only authentic way. Honoring many aspects of our heritage, we seek to promote dialog and learning with all the major world religions affirming the commonalities that join us together. Science and the Arts are also integral parts of this effort and we strive to develop a faith perspective that is well grounded in what we know by scientific discoveries as well as being open to the knowledge that an aspiring imagination can bring and encourage you to join us in our quest in a life of meaning, purpose and enlightenment.

The 8 Points

By calling ourselves progressive, we mean we are Christians who...

1. Have found an approach to God through the life and teachings of Jesus.
2. Recognize the faithfulness of other people who have other names for the way to God's realm, and acknowledge that their ways are true for them, as our ways are true for us.
3. Understand the sharing of bread and wine in Jesus' name to be a representation of an ancient vision of God's feast for all peoples.
4. Invite all people to participate in our community and worship life without insisting that they become like us in order to be acceptable (including but not limited to):
   believers and agnostics
   conventional Christians and questioning skeptics
   women and men
   those of all sexual orientations and gender identities,
   those of all races and cultures
   those of all classes and abilities
   those who hope for a better world and those who have lost hope.
5. Know that the way we behave toward one another and toward other people is the fullest expression of what we believe.
6. Find more grace in the search for understanding than we do in dogmatic certainty - more value in questioning than in absolutes.
7. Form ourselves into communities dedicated to equipping one another for the work we feel called to do: striving for peace and justice among all people, protecting and restoring the integrity of all God's creation, and bringing hope to those Jesus called the least of his sisters and brothers.
8. Recognize that being followers of Jesus is costly, and entails selfless love, conscientious resistance to evil, and renunciation of privilege.