Community Handbook & FAQs

The Authority of Scripture and the Essentials of Our Faith

All Scripture is self-authenticating and, as the truth of God, calls for our wholehearted submission in every area of life. The Bible—consisting of the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments—is the flawless and unified witness to God’s redemptive work, which reaches its fulfillment in the incarnation of Jesus Christ, the Living Word. Inspired uniquely and completely by the Holy Spirit, the Bible stands as the ultimate and final authority in everything it addresses. On this solid foundation, we affirm these core beliefs of our faith:

We believe in one true God—the sovereign Creator and Sustainer of all that exists—who is infinitely perfect and eternally exists in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. To Him alone belong all honor, glory, and praise forever.

Jesus Christ, the eternal Word, became human through His miraculous conception by the Holy Spirit and His birth from the virgin Mary. Fully God and fully man, united in one person forever, He gave His life on the cross as a sacrifice for our sins, fulfilling the Scriptures. On the third day, He rose bodily from the grave and ascended into heaven, where He now reigns at the right hand of God as our High Priest and Mediator.

The Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity, glorifies Christ and applies His saving work to our hearts. He convicts us of sin, draws us to faith, gives us new spiritual life, empowers us, and equips us with gifts for service. He teaches, guides, and seals believers for the day of redemption.

Because of our separation from God and guilt before Him, our salvation depends entirely on His grace. God counts as righteous all who place their faith in Christ alone for salvation and declares them justified in His sight.

We believe:
(a) salvation is a gift of grace, not earned by works;
(b) it involves repentance—a turning from our own way to God’s way;
(c) it is received through personal faith in Jesus Christ alone;
(d) those who receive Christ are born again by the Holy Spirit and become children of God; and
(e) true salvation results in a transformed life.

The true Church is made up of all who, through saving faith in Jesus and the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit, are united in the body of Christ. The Church is visibly expressed in local congregations where the Word is faithfully preached, the sacraments are rightly administered, discipline is lovingly practiced, and believers share in genuine fellowship. The Church looks forward to her full perfection at the return of Christ.

Jesus Christ will return to earth personally, visibly, and bodily to judge the living and the dead and to fulfill God’s eternal plan. As Scripture says, “Even so, come, Lord Jesus” (Revelation 22:20).

Christ has commanded His followers to proclaim the Gospel to all people and make disciples of every nation. Faithful obedience to the Great Commission calls for complete devotion to Him who loved us and gave Himself for us. He calls us to a life marked by self-denying love and service, for “we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10).

“Apply your heart to instruction, and your ears to words of knowledge.”

Proverbs 23:12

Encouraging one another to exhibit Godly character, not perfection is an important part of our entire program.

Parents are responsible to discipline their children.

Specific standards that will be upheld in our community include:

• · Treating each person with gentleness & respect

• · Obeying authority

• · Answering and making eye contact when speaking

• · Exhibiting a respectful tone of voice

• · Using courtesies like “please” and “thank you”

• · Demonstrating respect to people and property

It's important for us all to strive to maintain the best possible environment. 

• If conflicts arise within the classroom and on our campus, we will follow the biblical standard set forth in Matthew 18. We also should remember that we are only viewing one aspect of someone’s life. 

• Try to give others the benefit of the doubt before we take offense. 

• If there is a problem with a child disrupting the class or acting in a manner that is disrespectful to others, he/she will be lovingly and clearly asked to stop.

•  If the child continues to be disrespectful or disruptive, we will ask the parent to take the child out of the class and speak with them about their behavior. If the parent is in another class, we will bring the child to the parent or get another leader to come speak with the child before they can return to class and understand the classroom policies must be followed to respect everyone's environment. Once the child’s heart is turned to repentance, please find a break or time after class to help your child reconcile with their tutor &/or classmates. Let's all remember to pour forgiveness & encouragement into our children!

With any form of conflict parents are responsible for the restoration process of Matthew 18. If you need assistance we are here to help.

 Matthew 18 Model

We strive to follow the Matthew 18 model of conflict resolution. We encourage you to refer to The Peacemaker by Ken Sande for additional equipping and assistance.

• Go directly to the person with whom you have conflict and discuss the situation in person and alone. “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother.” Matthew 18:15 ESV

• If conflict is not resolved after first meeting, make your Community Director aware of the incident and set up a time for a mediation meeting with the parties involved. This is best done in person. “But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses.” Matthew 18:16 ESV

• Keep your leadership informed of the situation.

Communication Protocol

• When dealing with a conflict, face-to-face communication is best.

• Do not communicate details of sensitive information by email or text.

• Refrain from putting any information that is personal, explosive, accusatory, religious, performance-related, or a legal issue into an e-mail or text.

• When the parties are unable to meet face-to-face then use the phone to communicate voice-to-voice.

As our community strives to grow in Christ it is very important to refrain from engaging in gossip and divisive behavior.

Please uphold the Matthew 18 principle for resolving any conflict

In our morning meeting we recite the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag  and the Bible. Here are the words for those of you who may not be familiar with the Pledge to the Bible.

I pledge allegiance to the Bible, God's holy word,

I will make it a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path

and will hide its words in my heart so I might not sin against God.

Please be present, arrive on time and be seated, ready for opening assembly at 9:00am. PLEASE communicate to your classes and leadership any illness or absence dates as they arise. *See Sick Policy

Families should discuss this,

but there is a NO PDA policy on campus.

Fellowship is a vital part of building our community and plays an important role in our weekly time together. We ask each family to plan to stay for lunch and take part in helping children form meaningful relationships.

Please bring a bag lunch for your family or connect with the lunch coordinator in advance if needed.

To maintain a peaceful and respectful lunch environment:

• Children must remain seated for 10 minutes. This allows everyone time to eat and rest quietly.
  
  

• An adult must be present with children during lunch—please ensure they are not wandering through the building or on the grounds.
  
  

• After 10 minutes., children may go outside with parental supervision. While each parent is responsible for their own children, we ask everyone to remain aware and support one another if a need arises.
  
  

• Before leaving, please make sure the area where your family ate is cleaned up and all belongings are cleared.
  
  

Thank you for helping us create a safe, respectful, and connected community!