FōS | A Community Guide

Matthew 5:14-16(NIV)

Matthew 5:14-16(NIV)

 

Welcome to FōS.

FōS is the ancient Greek word for light. Light reveals what the darkness conceals giving sight to that which is already present. Light transforms perspective. As light illuminates it changes the way one engages reality. In this way, light is the guiding metaphor of FōS as a community. The Church's vocation is to reveal God present in the stories all around us. FōS is an invitation to explore within community the hope, beauty, and purpose found in the story of Jesus.

 

The Vision & Mission.

Creating space for everyone to find hope, beauty, and purpose in the story of Jesus. 

  • A community that is Rooted.

  • A community that is Reduced to Love.

  • A community that is Reimagining Faith together.

 

Communal Threads.

The communal threads of FōS are the guiding metaphors that weave us together in community. They allow us to move towards our vision and help us to live out our mission.

Big Tent Christianity

We include because we have been included. We love because we have been loved. We invite because we have been invited. We are a community that welcomes diversity through open tables, open conversations, and open arms. Becoming a big tent creates space for God's generous guest list to be present and to participate fully.

Eucharistic Community

We gather around the table. We consume the broken body of Jesus becoming the broken body of Jesus present in a broken world. A Eucharistic community is the way that we experience the story of Jesus, while at the same time participate in it. To experience the story of Jesus is to begin to find our place in it.

Slow-Cooker Spirituality

Discipleship is about being formed in the image of Jesus. We immerse ourselves together as a community into the story of Jesus. Thus, spending time soaking, or stewing, in the story of Jesus allows us to absorb the flavors more easily. It will enable us to experience the depth and nuance of Jesus in our lives.

Light & Love

The vocation of the Church is to be light and love in the world. Light reveals what is already present and love empowers the latent potential of what has been revealed. Jesus said the world would see God when it witnesses followers of Jesus loving as they have been loved. The Gospel According John describes the story of Jesus ultimately as light coming into the world to become love.

 

Postures.

The postures of FōS are about the type of community we will become. The idea of postures is formational. They are about how we move individually and communally. They are about how we create the future we believe God is calling us into. They are about living in such a way that we begin to cultivate the world we hope to see.

Be Neighbors not Nomads | The Principle of Presence

Living into the posture of Neighbors not Nomads as a community means that FōS as a community must be committed to being present. This means that we gather with continuity and are rooted as a community.

  • We show up.

  • We pursue reconciliation.

  • We invest in knowing and being known.

Be Gardeners not Gangsters | The Principle of Flourishing

Living into the posture of Gardeners not Gangsters means that FōS as a community must be committed to cultivating life. This means that we help people flourish and believe in the possibility of the future in light of Jesus.

  • We actively participate in community.

  • We trust the process (good things take time to grow).

  • We invest in developing people.

 

Reduced to Love—A Vision for the Church at Large.

“And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”

—The Apostle Paul, 1 Corinthians 13:13(NIV)

Faith. 

Hope.

Love.

FōS seeks to be a Christ-centered community in which these three words form the lenses through which we see the world around us. In this way, Jesus is our guide and our way forward. Orientation towards Jesus is about movement and process. When it comes to matters of faith, we will choose to be hopeful, and we will always give love primacy in the community. The Apostle Paul says it this way in Galatians, “The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.”

 

An Invitation to FōS.

We gather every Sunday evening.

When: every Sunday at 5pm

Where: fos.church/live