We are a Community Built on the Life and Teachings of Jesus.
We believe Jesus perfectly reveals the true heart of God. He’s not a distant or indifferent father, who scowls with arms crossed as he considers all you’ve wasted and everything you’ve broken. Instead, He’s a God who loves you, whose arms are open wide to welcome people home.
Why would God want to hang with people like us? There’s only one answer: love. Extravagant love. Love that is on a level beyond our understanding. Divine love. And this is the kind of love that is towards us today.
What CITY OF PRAISE stands for?
Luke 15 has become such a hallmark passage for our community. The idea and concept of home is centric in scripture. It is the idea that every human is a sojourner and he/she is returning home. Home is not so much brick and mortar, an actual space or place or room. Home is a place and a posture our soul discovers in Jesus - where the created returns to a loving relationship with the Creator. Bringing people home is what God does. Whether prodigals or prodigies, artists or intellectuals, rebels or rejects—God’s arms are open to all. God is making City of Praise a community where everyone is welcome, not just to a physical building, but to an emotional place of refuge in Him. Home is God.
You Belong
The big idea behind our community, every man, woman, boy and girl – every age, every race – would find a home in God. A home where they belong. A community that functions as a family. We are a family and God has made us a family. We are a community that functions like a home, that looks like a home, that loves like a home. We are a church with amazing of people. The point is building a community of big-hearted people willing to love and help anybody.
What we believe
We believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God. It is accurate, authoritative, and applicable to our everyday lives.
We believe that God is eternal and that He revealed Himself as one God existing in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
We believe that sin has separated each of us from God and His purpose for our lives.
We believe that the Lord Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man and is the only One who can reconcile us to God. He lived a sinless life, died on the cross in our place, rose again to life, and ascended to heaven.
We believe that we receive salvation, the forgiveness of our sins and reconciliation to God, by grace through faith in Jesus.
We believe that Jesus established and is building His Church. God’s plan is that all believers regularly meet together for worship, fellowship, service, and instruction in the Word of God.
We believe in water baptism for every believer.
We believe that the baptism of the Holy Spirit is available to all believers. The Holy Spirit enables us to use spiritual gifts as enumerated in I Corinthians 12-14 and as manifested in the early church.
We believe that God has a plan and purpose for each of our lives and that He enables us by His grace to grow in love, maturity, and relationship with Him.
We believe that each person will exist eternally. Whether we spend eternity with God or separated from Him is determined by our response to the grace and salvation of Jesus.
We believe that Jesus will come back again for the Church.