Community, Connection, Transformation
Community: Community addresses both our desire to find a place where we can be and give ourselves as well as our desire to be a part of something bigger than ourselves.
God makes it clear in scripture and history that community is at the heart of His plan for the redemption and reconciliation of all mankind. Only in community can we experience salvation, for only in community can we experience the fullness of forgiveness and reconciliation, of receiving healing and hope, and of giving ourselves with abandon to God’s purposes. We believe in the community of all believers, the Church universal, and in the community of Long Beach Christian Fellowship as a part of God’s plan of reconciliation to each other, to the neighborhoods of Long Beach, and to the larger world around us.
When we think of community, we remember the words of Jesus from John 14:34-35: "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." It is by our love for one another in our community that Jesus is lifted up and others are invited into the love of God! It is also in community that we can experience the fullness of God’s love to us.
Connection: Connection speaks to one of our deepest desires: our longing to be known, accepted, and loved, as well as our desire to bring love, acceptance, and understanding to others. Only in connection are these sort of life-giving experiences possible. Connection destroys hopelessness, isolation, and loneliness, and imparts hope, passion, and courage.
We believe that God is a relational God; that is, we believe God reveals His love and transforms us in relationship, then calls us to be ministers of His reconciliation to the world. Reconciliation means receiving and being restored to God and others by love. This reconciliation can be captured in the word “connection”. As such, we seek connection with each other (our church) and then look to connect with and make a difference in Long Beach, in Southern California, and in the world at large. Our vision and mission is to celebrate God’s love and to invite others into a life-changing experience of His heart. In other words, we are committing to connecting with God and others and celebrating the joy of connection!
Transformation:
Transformation addresses our desire to experience the wonders of the life abundant. We believe that, in His goodness towards us, God is about life change. He is about transforming us into the image of Christ such that we can experience the fullness of His love. This transformation, which is full of joy and great reward, can also be challenging. It requires pruning and purifying, and the normal Christian life is often destabilizing, uncomfortable, and at times, painful. It often calls us into more than we think we can handle, which is just one of the reasons why we need community! We believe that the discomfort is for a great purpose: that God, as our Father, cannot and will not settle for less than our best. Our best means connection with Him and the transformation of our lives so that we can be fully connected to Him and others.
We remember Jesus’ words in Revelation, that He makes “all things new” and celebrate God taking us from “strength to strength” as we learn to rely on Him in all things and experience the transformation which He has promised through the work of His Spirit.