This is who we are,
some things that are important to us,
and who we hope to become.
Eucharist
The Lord's Supper is at the center of our worship and what our gathering is aimed toward. We celebrate it weekly.
It is in the bread and wine that Christ is made mysteriously present by the Spirit to us. When we receive the elements, we receive Christ, those who are in Christ, and make room for all who will be in Christ. Our hope is that as the host has been transfigured, we will also be transfigured - being made Eucharist for the world. The one who was chosen, blessed, broken and given by the Father is making our participation in the Son's self-giving acts possible through the Spirit.
Open Table
In the spirit of the Iona Community, and with all our sisters and brothers who celebrate an open table:
This is the table, not of the Church, but of the Lord.
It is made ready for those who love God
and those who want to love God more.
So come, you who have much faith and you who have little,
you who have been here often,
and you who have not been here long,
you who have tried to follow and all of us who have failed.
Come, because it is the Lord who invites you,
and it is his will that those who want him should meet him here.
Experimental Community
When we say experimental, we mean embracing the roles of being both the chef and the meal that is being prepared. Because we are formed by the Spirit through our practices and the liturgy of our daily life, we must consider how we are being effected to see or not see our neighbor rightly. We are not reinventing the wheel, but rather bringing together practices both ancient and modern as we read Scripture, pray, and worship together.
Rhythm of Life
Commonly referred to as a 'rule of life', our rhythms of life are practices where we intentionally set our minds and bodies toward God and neighbor over a meal, scripture, prayer, and other creative expressions.
Our intention is to regularly introduce the community to different spiritual practices and their various forms in hope that each will find some that work in their life's context as a daily form of worship and participation. Far from being stifling or even controlling, a rhythm of life is about participation, formation and the integration of our lives.
Missional Communities
Our community must engage more than just ourselves. We seek shalom—to be at peace with God, our neighbors, and creation. Because justice is at the heart of Kingdom come, we want to embody that now. Our communities will practice a rhythm of coming together and going out. We desire to walk humbly, act justly, and seek mercy.
A Statement About our Faith
Christians have historically stated their fundamental beliefs in the form of creeds. This is not to deny or set aside the largely narrative form in which Scripture comes to us. Rather the intent of the creeds is to outline the biblical story that shapes who we are and how we are to live. At Parish LB we join with our historic sisters and brothers and celebrate the truths of the Apostles' Creed and Nicene Creed as our Statements of Faith.
Apostles' Creed
We believe in God the Father Almighty
Creator of heaven and earth
And in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord
Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit
Born of the Virgin Mary
Suffered under Pontius Pilate
Was crucified, died, and was buried
He descended into Hell
The third day he rose again from the dead
He ascended into heaven
And sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty
From thence he shall come to judge the living and the dead.
We 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.
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.