About Christ Church of Peace 

We invite you to worship with us and to give us feedback as to how well we are doing at honoring our mission and vision.

Christ Church of Peace is determined not to become a religious "business". We want our focus to be worship and ministry. It is our belief that offerings are not given to keep a church, as an organization, alive; but rather to help provide for ministry needs.

Christ Church of Peace is committed to giving to the community. It is our desire to be a vital and active supporter of the community. We provide ongoing financial support to LGBT causes as well as wider community interests; i.e., the homeless and hungry. 

Our Vision:

Christ Church of Peace will be best known  for innovative ministry in service to God, and will be the church of choice for all people seeking a spiritual home. We will be a role model for others to follow, growing stronger though diversity ... and becoming a tool for social change.

Is Christ Church of Peace part of a larger denomination?

Christ Church of Peace is "congregational" in government. Though not affiliated with any
denomination, per se, we do maintain membership in the International Council of Community Churches. We are accepting of all people, just as they are. It is a part of our mission to help LGBT persons to embrace their own spirituality, accepting themselves as created and loved by God.

What is worship like at Christ Church of Peace?

Our worship style is simple and participatory. A time of meditation is incorporated into each service. We do not "pass the plate" or take an offering during worship services. Rather, "giving boxes" are placed in the church to receive tithes and gifts.

Our Ministry Assistant Program:

One of the most important responsibilities of any church is to minister effectively to its membership .  To meet this responsibility, Christ Church of Peace created Ministry Assistant Teams, each headed by a Ministry Assistant.  By dividing the congregation into these smaller units we feel the needs, cares and concerns of all individuals in our congregation can best be ministered to graciously.  If you would like to discuss being a Ministry Assistant, or aren't sure who your Ministry Assistant is, please contact the church office.

Ministry Operations Team

While some churches are organized around a hierarchical or "episcopal" model where authority is vested in bishops of various statures (i.e., Roman Catholic, Episcopal, Methodist, Lutheran), others are based on a "presbyterian" model where church elders are charged with much decision-making. Yet another biblical model for church organization is the "congregational" wherein authority is vested collectively in the body of believers.

Though non-denominational, Christ Church of Peace -- like the United Church of Christ -- follows the congregational model.  As a local body of believers, our congregation is ultimately responsible for making or delegating all decision-making. 

Our bylaws were revised at our Annual Congregational Meeting on 10/23/11 and are linked here for your consideration.

At Christ Church of Peace, a Ministry Operations Team (MOT) oversees the church, its pastor and staff.  Serving our congregation are:

Pastor 

Music Director Michael Feltman

Church Administrator John Schumpert

Ministry Assistants Coordinator Rob McC.

MOT Moderator Ora B.

MOT Vice-Moderator Dawn P.

MOT Treasurer Al R.

MOT Secretary 

MOT Member Sandy B.

MOT Member Les F.

MOT Member Dani Dee F.

MOT Member Zella W.

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Our Guiding Principles

At Christ Church of Peace, we believe that:

God, who is known by many names, is our higher power and our divine presence.

Jesus the Christ was in unique relationship with God. Jesus' life and teachings serve as a model and as instruction for us to follow in our human relationships and in our relationship with God.

We are not human beings having a spiritual experience but, rather, spiritual beings having a human experience.

The Bible is a book of divinely inspired human authorship. The Old Testament section of the Bible is primarily the written story of the Hebrew people's understanding of their relationship with God and how they believed God worked and intervened in their life. The New Testament section of the Bible contains the life and teachings of Jesus. Further, it describes the beginnings of the Christian church. The Bible contains spiritual principles that can enhance individual lives, life in community, and relationship with God.

Love is supreme and takes precedence over all religious doctrine, creeds, writings, beliefs, liturgies, and dogmas. We come to this understanding through the teaching of Jesus as found in Matthew 22:36-40, Mark 12:28-31 and Luke 10:25-28. Jesus' teaching clearly states that loving God and loving others is the foundation of all religious writing and law. And further, it is through loving God and others that one experiences more meaningful life now and in the afterlife. As well as teaching love, Jesus served as a model of love. He is recorded as saying in John 13:34-35, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."

It is possible, as long as love is practiced, for people of differing understandings and beliefs about God and Jesus to sit at the same table and to worship in the same religious/spiritual community. This diversity of belief and practice provides for challenging worship and ministry, as well as for spiritual growth and discovery.

All religions and faiths that teach and practice love as the core of their belief system are authentic.