Celebration
Celebration of God's goodness - We live in light of the astounding gift of God himself in Jesus Christ. We rejoice in this fact as we gather for corporate worship. The center of our celebration are Word and Sacrament through which, by the power of the Holy Spirit, we revel in the grace of God toward us and His creation. Celebration lives beyond Sundays as we enjoy the goodness of God in the midst of our vocations, neighborhoods, and city. We live out this value through Eucharistic worship, in embracing the good, true and beautiful in our culture, throwing parties, and in the practice of giving thanks.
Consolation
Consolation for a broken world - The Gospel is good news for the broken-hearted and the suffering. As a community of broken people, we desire to be rooted in the healing and unconditional love of God and to make it known among us. Following a Lord and Savior acquainted with grief, we practice hospitality and solidarity in mourning with those who mourn. We live out this value by praying for one another and the needs of the world, by being generously present to one another, and by announcing the good news of God’s reign.
Transformation
Transformation in the whole of life - By God’s grace we are being transformed into the image of Christ. We trust the power of the Gospel to change lives, bring healing to wounded hearts, and reconcile relationships. We accept the cost of following Jesus in His way and are committed to growing in Christ-likeness in the whole of our lives, with Holy Scripture as our guide. We live out this value by gathering together regularly for support, study and prayer, and submitting our lives to his way of intimacy with God, humility, and service.
Participation
Participation in the renewal of all things - In the power of the Holy Spirit we share in the life of Christ. By God’s grace we can know Him in an immediate and intimate way, as we follow Jesus on the way of the cross. By God’s grace we participate in Jesus’ mission to embody, announce, and demonstrate the kingdom of God in Austin and throughout the world. We live this value out through service to one another and our neighbors, in mission in both word and deed, and by being equipped to join God in the renewal of all things
As a community of the Gospel, we are marked by two mutually enriching desires. First, through Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit, we desire to enter more fully into the life of God; to rest in His goodness and power, to share in His life, and be made in the likeness of His Son. Second, in light of God’s gracious and glorious intention to renew all things we seek to join Him in blessing our neighbors, our city, and the world.
An Anglican church situated in Austin is uniquely equipped to be a sign and instrument of God’s kingdom. Through rhythms rooted in the faith’s ancient traditions, through practices that are beautiful and accessible, through exposition of Scripture that is culturally resonant and accessible, and through service to our neighbors and communities we will commend Jesus’ life-giving way to others.
Our desire is that Church of the Cross would be an Anglican church in which the Gospel is proclaimed and embodied in faithful, joyful, relational, thoughtful, beautiful, and hospitable ways for years and decades to come.