God’s love for the world is revealed in the creating, redeeming, reconciling and sustaining work known in Jesus the Christ, who is Son of God, Savior and Lord. Through the Bible we receive a witness to the faith of the early church and the people of Israel from within whom the church was born as joint heirs through sharing in that same faith demonstrated by Abraham and Sarah, the parents of the Hebrew people. Through that faith they to set out on a journey to a promised future through which blessings would come – the blessing to be a blessing to others. The Holy Spirit which inspired and empowered the people of God, the incarnational ministry of Jesus, the resurrection of Jesus, and the birth of the church, continues to work in diverse ways to manifest God’s kingdom on earth as it is in heaven until the kingdom of heaven comes to earth. The church functions as a continuation of that incarnation initiated in Jesus as we work and worship, speak and serve in his name as he has taught us. We agree that we are called to follow Jesus and that we are one in him, even if we arrive at different conclusions regarding what it means for us to follow him. Through it all, we trust and pray that God is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love (Psalm 108) and that God’s grace is sufficient (2 Corinthians 12:9).