Our Values
Being a Christian is not just about attending church on a Sunday but about following Jesus and honouring Him with how we live our lives.
Living life with Jesus involves:
The Word of God
“But be very careful to keep the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the Lord gave you: to love the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, to keep his commands, to hold fast to him and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul.” Joshua 22:5
The church building we currently have is a blessing from God and from the start it was important to us that everything about it was for God and about God. In the foundations of the building, there are Bibles because everything we do at St. Andrew’s is committed to being founded on the truth of the Word of God. This is our benchmark in our decisions as a church.
It is through the Bible that we discover more of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. In its pages we find His guidance for us and discover more of His love for us.
Worship
Be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Ephesians 5:18-19
We believe that worship flows from hearts that are turned towards our God, with faith and thanksgiving.
When we gather to worship God together, our priority is to exalt the name of Jesus and to proclaim that He alone is worthy of our praise and thanksgiving. During our services, we have a team who lead worship, but we also welcome the sharing of Scriptures and words from God as the Holy Spirit leads us.
Our desire is to honour God in our worship, and to encourage one another to place God above the challenges of life.
Prayer
The fellowship of St. Andrew’s has a heart for prayer, believing that prayer is powerful when we pray in line with God’s will and in the name of Jesus. We listen to the Holy Spirit’s leading as we pray, using Scriptures and worship to intercede for the needs in the church family and in the nations.
We prioritise prayer ministry for individuals, believing that God’s heart is to heal us in the name of Jesus, and to bring us life in all its fullness.
Prayer also happens with our e-mail prayer chain, in services, in the café, in the corridors, on Zoom … Wherever we happen to be!
Discipleship
“For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. He died for us so that … we may live together with Him. Therefore encourage one another and build each other up.”
1 Thessalonians 5:9-11
A disciple of Jesus is someone who has accepted Him as Lord and Saviour, and who has fully committed to following His teachings. This necessarily involves us making changes in our lives, but changes we are willing to make as the Holy Spirit stirs us to be more like Christ.
No matter how long we have been disciples, it is important to us that we encourage one another in faith, sharing the Scriptures and standing alongside each other in difficult times, so that we run the race of faith to the very end.
Sharing Christ With Others
Jesus said, “I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”
John 10:9-10
When someone has good news, they never want to keep it to themselves – they want to share it, and that is what we feel about Jesus. He is good news! We have found Him to be the Way through any difficulty, the Truth in a world of lies and the Life in all that we face. We want others to know Jesus so that they too can know Him as Saviour and friend – the one who helps us be all we were meant to be.
What does that look like at St. Andrew’s? A readiness to share Christ with all those who walk through our doors and those we encounter as we go about our lives. Our Oasis Café volunteers offer prayer as well as a listening ear and good food! We also support outreach ministries in the city and missionaries around the world.
Being the Light of Christ
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”
Colossians 3:23-24
We believe that we have all been given gifts by God – that we have been carefully and lovingly designed by Him. These gifts have been given so that we can bless others in the name of Jesus. Whatever we are doing, and wherever we are, we believe that we are there as representatives of Christ.
Whether we are serving on a Sunday with the hospitality or tech team, with the Oasis Café team during the week, at work or with friends, we recognise that we are called to share the light of Christ.