Our Vision

working with Jesus.
Praying with Jesus.
Hoping with Jesus.

At St John’s and St Peter & St Paul, we are passionate about building communities rooted in the grace of God.

We want to respond to the good news of God’s grace by:

  • WORKING with Jesus

    to see His kingdom come in our town and beyond,

  • PRAYING with Jesus

    in the Spirit and trusting in God’s faithfulness to always listen and respond,

  • HOPING with Jesus

    to see lives transformed and renewed by God’s loving grace.

We believe that God is always actively at work in the world and that He invites us to collaborate with Him in this adventure.

We know this takes courage, hope, and a willingness to follow wherever God leads us.

This is not just our vision; it is an invitation to belong to a loving community, make a difference to others, and lead lives of beauty, goodness, and truth. Come and join the adventure.

our values

These 6 values are what we strive to be like, and how we try to live out our vision to work, pray, and hope with Jesus.

We are

graced

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God”

– Ephesians 2:8

The most important thing about each of us is that we are loved beyond measure, and that we have been freed by the grace of God to live lives of beauty, goodness, and truth. We know we won’t always reflect this, but we will always try to love God and our neighbours with the same superabundant grace-filled love we have each been gifted in Jesus.

We are

adventurous

“Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.”

– Matthew 4:19

Responding to God’s grace is like taking part in an adventure with God; we know where we’re going, but we don’t always know how we’re going to get there. However, we do know that life in the Spirit with Jesus is never boring. So, we always strive to have fun, never taking ourselves too seriously, but always taking Jesus seriously.

We are

courageous

“let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith”

– Hebrews 12:1-2

There can be no adventure if we despair of our goal. Trusting God with our future, whatever it may hold, takes courage. Courage is simply being willing to take the next step as we follow God’s lead. This also involves creativity and curiosity, as we try out new - and sometimes risky – ways of joining in the mission of God.

We are

hopeful

“we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God … and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit”

– Romans 5:2&5

We trust that God will lead us on paths that at times seem scary, or perilous, but that always turn out for our good. We have hope because even in the midst of challenging times, God has shown his faithfulness to us in Jesus, and continues to guide, comfort, and correct us by the Holy Spirit.

We are

prayerful

“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; 
for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

– 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Prayer is the fuel that fires the engines of the Church. It is the most fundamental way of expressing our faith. We are a prayerful people because God, in Christ, and through the Holy Spirit has invited us into the divine conversation to speak up, and dare to tell God what we think He should do.

We are

generous

“we must support the weak, remembering the words of the Lord Jesus, for he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

– Acts 20:35

In His grace, God has given us everything in the person of Jesus. In Him we have everything we need and more, so we come to Him with open hearts, minds, and hands, always willing to give back. However great or small, we always strive to be generous with everything we have been given, whether it be our time, our finances, our skills, our prayers, or our hospitality.

Our belIefs

What we believe has been handed down to us from Christians who lived long ago. We believe what the church has believed from the beginning. The simplest summation of these beliefs can be found in the Apostles' Creed and the Nicene Creed.

The Apostles Creed

I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
Creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord
He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit
And born of the Virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
Was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again.
He ascended into heaven,
And is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
The holy catholic Church,
The communion of saints,
The forgiveness of sins,
The resurrection of the body,
And the life everlasting. Amen.

The Nicene Creed

We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven:
by the power of the Holy Spirit
he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary,
and was made man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son.
With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified.
He has spoken through the Prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.