Our Core Values
At Grace Meridian Hill, we want to embody the following “narrative” of how God’s grace changes individual lives, communities, and neighborhoods:
God’s transforming grace…
Let’s be honest. I’m messed up. You’re messed up. So, let’s stop pretending we’re not. Come as you are. Why? God loves you just as you are. But don’t forget, he also loves you too much to leave you as you are. God’s grace — his unconditional, unexpected kindness toward undeserving people — has the power to change everyone and everything.
We’re building a community, not just an institution. People matter. Your story matters. So tell us about yourself. Yes, the “uncut version.” We’ll laugh with you and weep with you and grow with you. Did you know you were made for this? Let’s swap stories.
…compels us to love and serve our place
Our neighborhood is beautiful. It’s also broken. Have you noticed? God has. He’s teaching us how to appreciate its strengths with humility (avoiding neighborhood arrogance) and acknowledge its weaknesses with hope (avoiding neighborhood cynicism). So let’s slow down, be fully present. Look. Listen. Love. A flourishing church is good. A flourishing neighborhood is better.
…teaches us to listen and dialogue
Do you speak Martian? Me neither. But Christians often sound like they do. The story of Jesus is from out of this world. Literally. The least we could do is to try to tell it to you in a language from your “world.” And listen. We might have different views on some things. That’s okay. You’ve got some good questions, well thought-out objections, and reasonable doubts. Let’s talk. How else are we going to figure this out?
…calls us to follow Jesus in every area of life
Why did you get out of bed this morning? Seriously. Scary asking hard questions about identity, meaning, and purpose, isn’t it? But being in a relationship with the God of the universe gives some pretty good answers. And I’m not just talking about your job, career, or “spiritual” stuff. I’m also thinking about ANC meetings, yoga classes, music, urban gardening. If God cares about those, too, shouldn’t we?
…renews our neighborhood socially & culturally
Things are changing in the neighborhood. Is it all for the better? For whom? Don’t look, but poverty, self-centeredness, gangs and violence, greed, sex trafficking, apathy and cynicism, racial tensions, loneliness are still realities here. (No, look.) Do you believe God’s grace can make things different? Will you dare to imagine what justice, beauty, peace, mutual respect, racial harmony, and authentic community could look like in our neighborhood?
What do we believe?
While our church is relatively new, we are hardly new in our beliefs and community practices. Grace Meridian Hill embraces the historic Christian faith as articulated in the ancient creeds of the Church (e.g., The Apostles Creed and Nicene Creed). We are also committed to the theological heritage of the Protestant Reformation as a member church of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA), a denomination whose particular beliefs are summarized in the rich (albeit sometimes hard to understand!) reformation theology of the Westminster Confession of Faith (1646) and its Larger and Shorter Catechisms.
Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions about who we are or what we believe. You can also receive updates through email and Facebook.
