OUR MISSION

The majority of our community are what some call post-Christian natives — those who have grown up in a world where Christian belief and practice are either known but undesirable, or unknown entirely. You could fill Yankee Stadium twice with the number of non-Christians living in an area less than one square mile.

But there are signs of life, particularly among the younger generation. We see a weariness with post-modern cynicism and a growing spiritual curiosity. Even across cultural and generational differences, post-Christian natives in our community share three core longings:

• Transcendent Meaning. Even in an affluent community such as this there is still a steady undercurrent of dissatisfaction. Our neighbors are turning to everything from horoscopes to psychedelics for a meaning that is bigger than themselves.

• True Belonging. In a city of constant competition to get to the top, almost all relationships become a means toward that end. Loneliness is nearly universal, and our neighbors crave genuine and committed relationships.

• Life-giving Purpose. For most, living in this neighborhood is the culmination of a lifetime of striving, but that striving has taken a toll. Our friends are searching for a purpose that fills them with life rather than emptying them of it.

Like Jesus in his conversation with the Samaritan woman, we aim to be a church that connects the deep longings of our neighbors to the Living Water of Jesus and enables them to live wholly unto him. Thus,

Grace & Peace Church exists to

cultivate wonder at God’s grace,

open our lives in welcome to our neighbors,

and seek the peace of our city in witness to Jesus.

Each of our core practices — wonder, welcome, and witness — offer our neighbors a chance to encounter the True and Better meaning, belonging, and purpose that Jesus offers them by grace.