Cross of Grace Lutheran Church

We believe that, as a family of faith, we are called to share grace with all creation in the name of Jesus Christ in a way that inspires passionate discipleship and transforms lives for good. We are Partners in Mission who do our best to "Get in STeP With Grace" through our commitment to:

GROW in wisdom and understanding of God's Word and will for our lives,

• SHARE our financial resources in gratitude for all that God has first given to us,

• TELL others about the God whom we confess,

• PRAY daily,

• WORSHIP regularly, and

• GIVE of our time and abilities for the sake of God's kingdom on earth.

We are a part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. We are also a part of the Church Universal the community of believers throughout the world who preach, teach and live in and by the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We acknowledge and respect the different ways that other communities interpret and live out their faith, even as we are forever striving to become one with them all in the name of Jesus Christ.
Romans 12:3-8, Ephesians 4:11-16

The Trinity

We believe in one God who we best describe in three ways - as the Father, as the Son and as the Holy Spirit. Because of this, we identify God as the Holy Trinity. Even though we have these names and this identity for God, we’re also pretty clear that God is a mystery to us in a lot of ways.
Mark 1:9-11

God, the Father

We believe God the Father has always been and will always be. In love, God makes and sustains creation and desires an intimate relationship with all people. We call this part of God, "the Father" because that's how Jesus addressed the One who sent him.
Genesis 1:1-3, Mark 14:35-36, Matthew 6:9-15

God, the Son

We believe God became known to humanity in the person of Jesus. Jesus Christ, being completely human and completely divine, lived life as a servant and teacher. Jesus was crucified and died on a cross - a punishment we deserve for our sins - in order to show the power of Sin and the depth of God's love for all creation. Jesus was raised from death to show us the even greater power that God has over the sin and death that threaten creation.
John 3:16, 1 Peter 2:24

God, the Holy Spirit

We believe God has given the Holy Spirit to us and that the Holy Spirit works in and through all that God creates. The Holy Spirit isn’t something we can always see, but we can see the work of the Spirit through acts of love, justice, humility, generosity, mercy, forgiveness, and more. This active Spirit works outside, above, in and through the lives of people so that God is made known and so we can have faith.
John 14:15-31, Galatians 5:22-23

The Bible

We believe the Bible is the inspired Word of God. Through the books of the Bible we come to know the nature and character of God. The Bible tells the story of God's relationship with creation throughout history. As God's Word, the Bible transcends time and cultural contexts, forever making itself relevant to our lives in the world. We don’t pretend to comprehend all that the Bible contains and we recognize it can be a challenge to make sense of it at times.
2 Timothy 3:16-17, 1 Peter 1:20-21

Sin

We believe sin is anything we do – known and unknown to us – which separates us from God. No matter how hard we try, our very nature leads us to sin by what we think, say and do, and by the good works we leave undone, just the same. Even though we fail at that more often than we’d like, God forgives us more often than we deserve.
Isaiah 59:1-2, Romans 5:12-14, Romans 6:23

Grace

We believe, the grace of God is the means by which we are forgiven and drawn into relationship with God. God's grace is something so good and so powerful we cannot possibly earn it. There isn’t anything we can do to un-earn it, either. We strive to make all we do a grateful response to the undeserved gift of God's grace to us.
Ephesians 2:4-10

Baptism

We believe that, through Jesus, God has commanded us to baptize others in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Baptism is a sacrament where water and the Word come together as a sign that God adopts us as children. We baptize infants, trusting God’s grace is great enough to love and forgive them through whatever lies ahead in their lives. We baptize adults, trusting God’s love and forgiveness is greater than whatever sin and brokenness lies in their past. Once you’ve been baptized with water, in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, we won’t make you be baptized again.
Matthew 3:13-17, Matthew 28:16-20

Holy Communion

We believe that, through Jesus, God has commanded us to share the sacrament of Holy Communion. We remember Jesus every time we share the Lord's Supper and we believe he is truly present with us in the bread and wine. Through communion we’re reminded of Jesus' love and sacrifice for us and we ask for – and celebrate – God's continued forgiveness of all our sins. Everyone is welcome to share this meal with us because we know God's love and grace are gifts for all to receive.
Matthew 26:26-28, 1 Corinthians 11:23-26