You don't need to check your questions at the door to be part of this church. We hold orthodox theology seriously and we hold it with humility — because we know the difference between what is load-bearing and what is just furniture someone forgot to move.
One God — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — active, present, and still speaking. Not the unmoved mover of Greek philosophy. The covenant-keeping, show-up-in-the-mess God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Not something to be weaponized or watered down — something to be studied, lived, and wrestled with together. We read it in its Jewish context, with one hand on the text and one hand on the newspaper. When the text says "all men" we read "all people." Mankind means humanity. That is not revision. That is the original intent.
God in the flesh. Lived, Died, and Rose Again so we could walk in freedom and purpose — not shame and fear. Salvation is a gift offered to anyone who surrenders to Jesus as Lord. Not based on your past, your perfection, or your denomination.
The church has hurt people. Systemically. Individually. In ways that were deliberate and ways that were careless and ways that were never noticed because the person just quietly left.
We know. We're not exempt from that history. We lament it.
"We're trying to build something that takes it seriously enough to do differently. If you've been hurt — you're not starting from zero here. You're starting from known."
Lament is not weakness. It is the most honest prayer in the Bible. The Psalms are full of it. Jeremiah wept through his whole ministry. Jesus wept at Lazarus's tomb knowing he was about to raise him. The church that can lament its failures is the church that actually believes in the standard it failed to meet.
What We Won't Do
Pretend it didn't happen. Defend the institution over the person. Ask you to get over it before you're ready.
What We Will Do
Sit with you in it. Tell the truth about the gap between what the church says and what it does. Build something that tries to close that gap.
The Promise
No guilt trips. No theological gatekeeping. No dress code. No political test. No membership requirement. Just a table and an honest conversation.
The church is called to tell the truth in love — not skip the truth or weaponize it. Here is where we actually stand on the questions people ask most.
We recite the Creed because we believe the ancient words of the church still mean something. But we don't just recite it — we stop. We look at what we're saying. We find it in scripture. We ask what it means for Tuesday. Then we say it again. And this time we mean it.
We observe Shabbat on Fridays because we serve on Sundays and the commandment is about the rest, not the day.
There may be 33,000–45,000 denominations on paper. There is only one Kingdom. We belong to it through Christ's atonement — not through branding.
— Rev. Michael P. Howington, Community Center Church, Year One
Unity is not a buzzword here. It is a practice. We show up alongside churches, ministries, and neighbors who may not share every theological conviction — because loving your neighbor does not require agreeing on everything else first.
We believe worship is communal before it is personal. We sing we and us — not I and me. The covenant at Sinai was made with a people, not a collection of individuals. We gather as a body, not an audience.
We recite the Creeds and the Lord's Prayer — and we explain them. Nothing inherited without understanding what was inherited. No practice done simply because we've always done it. Everything we do has a why. We will tell you what it is.
We observe Shabbat on Fridays because we serve on Sundays. The commandment is about the rest — not the day.
"Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is One. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might."
Deuteronomy 6:4–5 · The Shema
If you're still not sure what you believe — good. That's an honest starting place. Pull up a chair and let's figure it out together.