Our Values
Our Beliefs
We have…
A holistic faith. We join in the story of God the creator, who from the beginning of time has been working to bring the whole world and the whole of our humanity back into sync with His perfect existence. Heart, soul, mind and body are all equally important and cannot be separated.
A missional faith. We join in the story of Jesus Christ, as he does the same, drawing with him a community of disciples, to go to the poor, the broken and the hurting.
Our faithfulness will depend on our willingness to go where there is brokenness, loneliness, and human need. If the church has a future it is a future with the poor in whatever form.
- Henri J.M. Nouwen
A communal faith. We join in the story of the Holy Spirit, who works to join us together as one as the body of Jesus Christ. If we are for God, we must be for each other – we must journey together.
A marginal faith. We join in the story of the great prophets of ancient Israel, who placed themselves on the margins of existence in order to speak God’s Word into the society and culture in which they found themselves.
An evolving faith. We bring our own stories, joining them together, whether for days, months or years. As our stories continue our collective, community story will also evolve.
Following Jesus
Our desire is to grow followers of Jesus. We do this by encouraging individuals on discipleship journey, from spiritual consumerism towards active participation in God’s mission.
Stage 1: Relationships
The first stage is building authentic, accountable relationships and community. We seek to achieve this through Foodface, when our community gathers in small groups for food, as well as encouraging community to develop spontaneously amongst people from within and from outside The Lab.
Stage 2: Reflection
The next stage is to encourage reflection and self-examination. We aim to explore God, His story, the world and the communities around us. We want to create space to examine ourselves and our own response to what we have seen of Jesus, and the world around us. We create organised space for this in our weekly gathering on a Sunday evening.
Stage 3: Reaction
The final step is to encourage each other into action, serving others and engaging in mission. The Lab is committed primarily to serving the community of Alway. We aim to engage in missional work with children, young people, in schools, and on the streets of Alway; and in following Jesus at work and on campus.
