We are a group of people from many different backgrounds who have become one big family through Jesus of Nazareth who said to us, “Follow me!” Jesus has poured his Spirit and Breath into us and as such we have been adopted into God’s family—he has become our Father and we have been made his children. Jesus has called us on a journey of leaving everything behind in order that we might be set free from every slavery in Civilization and experience true and lasting life. He has made us an alternative political and economic society of faith, hope, and love.
On this journey we live under our heavenly Father’s rule—waiting on him in all things and trusting that he will completely care for us today and into the future. We say “no” to ourselves and “yes” to Jesus, listening to him and letting him teach us how to live and act in our world. We pick up our own crosses and stand up against all the forces of oppression, tyranny, and death that try to control us and others, trusting that our Father will raise our bodies from the dead, just like he did with Jesus. We bond ourselves together and hold all things in common, taking care of and loving one another in relationships that are tighter than blood-family. We gather together to study the Gospels and the Scriptures and to share in the Lord’s Supper that propels us out into the world to live like Jesus.
Our Way of life as taught by Jesus is one of Faith, Hope, & Love:
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- The Way of Faith is practiced in the sacrament of Baptism.
- The Way of Hope is practiced in the sacrament of Repentance.
- The Way of Love is practiced in the sacrament of Communion.
Through the sacraments of Baptism, Repentance, & Communion, the Creator keeps us on the Way of Jesus.
Baptism:
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- Surrendering to the Creator by letting go of control, people-pleasing, and human-reliance while following with submission, worship, and trust.
- Listening to the Creator by letting go of distraction, arrogant certainty, and hypocrisy while following with focused attention, humble learning, and undivided allegiance.
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Repentance:
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- Confronting your past by letting go of blame-shifting, secrecy, and fixation while following with self-examination, vulnerability, and forgiveness.
- Waiting on the Creator’s future by letting go of anxious fear, desire, and depression while following with patient prayer, contented peace, and joyful suffering.
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Communion:
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- Sharing with the church by letting go of self-interest, competition, and ownership while following with self-sacrifice, cooperation, and generosity.
- Caring for all creation by letting go of self-indulgence, empty-busyness, and violence while following with self-care, restful work, and kindness.
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We have been gathered in Kansas City, KS, since 1900 and are part of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (www.lcms.org). We reach out with our whole lives to care for our neighbors—friend, stranger, enemy, plant, and animal alike–in the inner city around us, listening to Jesus’s guidance every step of the way and not our own “wisdom.” Our whole lives are one big adventure centered around following Jesus wherever he leads us. Please see our Constitution to see more details about our values and how we are organized.
