Getting to know Valley Friends Church....
How does one describe Valley Friends Church? Where does
one start? I suppose we could start at the beginning. VFC was a church
plant in 1986 by Northwest Yearly Meeting of Friends Churches, an
organization that covers Washington, Oregon and Idaho. The Society of
Friends, or Quakers, is the context for understanding VFC. That could
be confusing because the history of Friends has been varied. You
can find Quakers that follow fundamental Christian tenets and those who
don't. There are Universalist/Unitarian Friends, there are Protestant
Friends, Anabaptist Friends and even Zen Friends. Northwest Yearly
Meeting
has it's roots in the Evangelical tradition.
What does that mean?... Well, at the risk of being
stereotypical, it means we believe in the basic
Christian doctrines of the Trinity, the Inspiration and Authority of the
Scriptures (Old and New Testament), the deity of Christ and his
humanity. We believe that salvation is found only in him, through his death and
resurrection. We believe in the Virgin birth, the work of the Holy
Spirit, the Fall of man, the importance of the Church, and so much
more. You could look at our section:
The Storehouse for a growing picture of these things.
Though VFC has it's
foundation in the Evangelical tradition we have an Anabaptist, rather
than a Protestant,
flavor. The things that are important
to us are: That our daily practice matches our belief system. That our lifestyle,
vocation and family goals all resist the pattern of the world, as we are
changed through repentance. That we are giving ourselves fully to
the work of the Lord. We believe the will of God is that we become like
him, duplicating his character in this life. We believe that he has
given us everything we need to overcome our old nature by his
grace. Life becomes a progression of development, a mutual growing
together into what he wants us to be, which leads to what he wants us to
do.
Logistically, as a local church, we have chosen not to purchase
a building, but rent so that our funds can be more directly used in the
ministry of the Gospel, not burdened
with building maintenance. Our staff is
bi-vocational, our government is formed by a plurality of leadership.
We don't begin programs and then recruit workers to fill them.
We attempt to
nurture ministries from the heart of our people, supporting them in what
they are assigned by God to do. Sometimes our people work individually,
other times as teams. In any case we experiment in the ministry to
see where God is leading. At times we seem to fail becoming
obstacles to God's work rather than vehicles for this new life. At
other times we seem to useful in his hand. In the end, I suppose,
there's no failure in trying, in learning and in understanding what we
couldn't see before, in becoming a people of kindred spirit with our
Father.
At VFC, we shy away from entertainment in
worship. We don't try to draw the masses to a Sunday church service, but
are seeking to create an environment where people can come to repentance. An
environment where they can begin to develop the life of Christ as
individuals, while joining together in community. A place from
where they can move out into a world that needs them. We try to cut through the fog of American
religious tradition, through the superficiality of our old nature and
through the entanglements of the world that attempt to distract us. We desire to
live a quiet life, mind our own business and work with our hands.
We attempt to avoid the monastic, the popular and the school of thought
that attempts to run the church as a business. We try to draw lines in our personal budgets so that we know when enough is
enough, therefore creating excess. Then out of that excess we
share with
those in need, drawing from our time, emotions and economic
resources. Within these acts of kindness we attempt to process the Gospel
with those who are responsive. Processing the good news with them,
news that there is hope for anyone who seeks wholeness and
fulfillment. For we were designed by him, to be fulfilled with him, in a life abandoned
to him.
What is Valley Friends Church?
I guess we are a people effected by our history and inspired by our
future. We are to be a people living in the present, behind the scenes,
incarnate with those in need. Pointing everyone we can to Christ.
Perhaps this is partly who we are, and partly who we want to be. May you
find Him, who is life itself. If you have any questions please
contact us at:
Questions@valleyfriendschurch.org
(By the way, we won't add you to a mailing list if you e-mail us.)