The Church. Not sure what comes to mind when you think of it but it tends to illicit images of dated buildings with dated priorities. For many it has lost the ability to impact communities in ways that make a difference in the lives it touches. Though the church suffers from an image problem, whether rightly or wrongly, it’s not what Jesus intended when he taught about the church. For him, it was a vibrant collection of people who were faithful to his teachings so that the world would become a better place.

At Village Green we long to capture the essence of the church in everything we do and in every environment we create. Our mission is to "Love God, Love Others, and Change the World". This statement, we believe, reflects the heart of Jesus’ teaching. When Jesus was asked to give a summary of the Old Testament he simply stated that it was to love God and to love others in the same way we love our selves. For Jesus this was the core of all our relationships Whether it was our vertical relationship with God or our horizontal relationships with others; the primary condition for each was rooted in love.

For Jesus, to love God in an authentic way shapes us to becoming more open and compassionate to those around us. In doing so, it reflected the true heart of God, one which desires to know us personally and to be agents of change in the world around us. That became the second part of Jesus’ core teaching. His last instructions to his followers were to make disciples, anywhere we can find them, to train people in the way of life he has taught us. His message compels us to be personally transformed in a way that changes our relationship with God, with others and the world around us.

So, as a church we have been invited on a mission; one that compels us to reach out and make a difference, wherever the opportunities exist, whether it’s next door or on the next continent. It’s never static, always dynamic, never insulated, and always open. Our mission statement simply reflects the heart of what Jesus intended the church to be. Because for Jesus, the invitation to a relationship with God is open to all, with love as its most compelling feature. And Jesus was so convinced of its power; he was willing to die to prove it.