Along the way, God birthed in us a renewed commitment to prayer, a relational covenant, a deeper dependence on the Holy Spirit, a richer appreciation of our history, and a biblical story (Revelation 3:14–22) that has challenged us and called us into greater love for God, one another, and our neighbors.

In 2023, after completing our work in the Vitality Pathway, God led us to a new passage—Ephesians 3:14–21. This text has become our compass and the inspiration for our name change.

We also developed three core values that we call our Touchstones. A literal touchstone is a small, dark, fine‑grained stone used to test precious metals. A streak from metal of known purity is placed on the stone, then compared with a streak from an unknown metal. If the marks don’t match, the metal is rejected; its value is revealed by whether its mark matches that of true gold, silver, or bronze.

In the same way, our Touchstones are the “marks” by which we evaluate all potential ministry. Our Touchstones are WELCOME, TRANSFORMATION, and PRESENCE. They are the standard for our mission and ministry and will shape all we do and who we are becoming.

Over the past six years or so, we’ve rightly focused on TRANSFORMATION and WELCOME. TRANSFORMATION matters because it seeks Christlikeness in each of us and all of us together. As we are transformed, we are better able to welcome one another and our guests as Christ has welcomed us (Romans 15:7).

That pursuit of TRANSFORMATION also equips us to embody the PRESENCE of Christ to one another and to our neighbors. We believe God calls us to become tangible expressions of Christ’s presence where we live, work, and worship.

Since completing the Vitality Pathway, we have not yet given concentrated attention to the Touchstone of PRESENCE. This summer, we will.

Next Sunday, May 24, we begin a new sermon series on God’s PRESENCE through his people in the Hebrew Scriptures. For God’s mission to reach the nations did not suddenly begin when Jesus appeared in the New Testament; God has been on mission from the opening pages of Scripture.

Next Sunday is also Pentecost, when we celebrate the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, the birth of the Church, and a new phase of God’s mission to be present to us and through us. To mark the day, we invite you to wear something red or orange, if you have it, so that together, as the Body of Christ, we reflect the color of the flames that rested on those who first received the Holy Spirit in Acts 2:1–4.

See you there!