OUR PURPOSE

At St. Paul’s Church, We exist to make new disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.
We want to Live by Faith, Share God’s Love, and be a Light of Hope to the world.
We strive to accomplish this by connecting with others so we can grow together in faith and serve the world in Jesus’ name.

Connect

Connecting people to a faith community where they can develop a deeper relationship with God.

Grow

Helping people grow in their faith in Jesus Christ.

Serve

Sending people to be the hands and feet of Jesus in our community and in the world.

We desire to be a faith community that helps everyone to follow Jesus by Connecting, Growing, and Serving in Jesus’ name.

Here is how this looks in practice:

We seek grow in faith through Sunday worship, as well as Bible studies, small groups, and other discipleship opportunities.

We strive to be in community with others, to enrich our faith, and learn to be more like Jesus.

We serve God and others by using the passions and gifts God has given us to reach people for Jesus and to build up the Kingdom of God. There are many ways to serve in our faith communities from being a greeter, serve, reader, to working with children, making meals for people, and so much more. Find something you love to do and serve with passion in any of our communities!

Our Core Values

What are the things that we think are the most valuable? What do we focus on here at St. Paul’s? What do we believe a church should be doing? The answers to these questions are reflected in our Core Values.

Personal Devotion is our quality time with God each day. It usually refers to the discipline of Bible reading and prayer with which Christians start or end their day. Unless we spend time with God, we can never truly learn to love God.

Examples of devotional activities include:

Reading and Studying the Bible
- Find a good study Bible - like one of these: Westminster Study Bible in NRSV
- Follow a Bible reading plan - like these from BibleProject
- Download YouVersion - a Bible app with many translations, reading plans, and more
- Check out the videos from BibleProject to learn more about the Bible
Praying – Use the Book of Common Prayer or use the Psalms or other scripture as a guide
Journaling
Reading a devotional aid - here are some examples:
- Forward Day by Day
- Center for Action and Contemplation
Fasting

Corporate Worship (Mass, Liturgy) is coming together with other believers to honor and praise God. There's an element of worship that cannot be experienced in personal devotion. There are graces and blessings that God gives when we gather together with other believers.

Examples of passionate worship include:

Attending a church service weekly
- St. Paul’s Church, Chillicothe – Sunday 10 am
Singing hymns or praise songs
Attending combined Four-Church services

Sacrificial giving is our generous response to the basic principle of Christian stewardship - that everything we have is a gift from God. In gratitude for God's generosity, we dedicate a portion of these gifts - our time, talent and money - to furthering God's Kingdom.

Examples include:

Following the 10-10-80 plan for personal income: tithing 10%, saving 10%, and spending 80%
Attending a Biblically-based finance class
Making a yearly financial commitment to the church
Creating a personal budget
Cleaning out and donating household and workspace clutter
Donating clothes to a charity resale organization
Loving others as we love ourselves (John 13: 34-35)

Serving / Witnessing are the practical expressions of our love for others. Unless we are serving and witnessing, we are not living out our faith in real and practical ways.

Examples of faithfully and witnessing include:

Committing to serve in a church ministry
Supporting a ministry through prayer, financial support, donation of supplies, and giving your time
Sponsoring a child
Participating in a local, national, or international mission trip
Identifying and praying for five persons who haven't yet accepted Christ
Inviting your family, friends, and neighbors to come with you to church or a church event

Vital Relationships are an important tool for faith development. Through vital relationships, we become stronger, as we help each other through struggles, temptations and shortfalls, and as we encourage one another towards spiritual growth.

Examples of Vital Relationships include:

Joining our Women’s or Men’s Group or other accountability group
Attending a class, a fellowship group, a support group, or a women's or men's retreat or spiritual renewal event
Setting aside time to spend with family and friends

Personal Development is a way for us to care for our bodies, challenge our minds, and address our destructive behaviors. If we are not living healthily, learning more and dealing with our sin we cannot become more and more like Jesus.

Examples of Personal Development include:

Physical
- Exercise at least 3-5 times a week
- Get a physical
- Get plenty of sleep
Mental
- Continuing education
- Trainings, seminars, and workshops
- Set yearly career goals
- Create a reading list
Emotional
- Examine our conscience and confess sins daily
- Practice stress-reducing habits
- Spend time with people that are optimistic, content, and positive
- Learn to say “no”