I grew up in a time and place when neighborhoods were
communities and everybody knew each other. Families spent more time on the
front porch than in the back yard. Community mattered and I believe it still
does. People long to belong. At the Ridge we are not a building, or a
structure, we are not even a body of good men and women. We are a community of men and women who have cast our lot with Jesus Christ; men and
women united in our fervent desire to "Love the Lord our God with all our
heart, all our soul, all our strength, and our entire mind ... and to love our
neighbor as ourselves." (Paraphrase Luke 1 0:27)
Here at the Ridge we also believe that goals, mission
statements, or commitments to Biblical purposes do not necessarily indicate
that a church has a vision. To my understanding Biblical Vision is not adhering
to statements. It is recognizing and committing to something bigger than
yourself, something God-sized. A church's vision is not something that could be
done; it is not a dream, or a wish. The vision is something that must be done.
It has a moral component because it comes from God. It is God's vision for us,
His church. We know the vision is from God through prayer, fasting and
supporting it, living it. Our vision at the Ridge is to be a community of men
and women who's overriding desire; passion is to, "Love the Lord God with
all our heart, soul, mind, and strength and to love our neighbor as ourselves.”
I would like to invite you to join us in living out God's vision for us. Let's
live it out together, it will become our lifestyle.
It will be our shared vision.
So again I invite you to join us and let's live out
together what we say we believe. Join us as together we make the tough choices
required to love God and people in real and concrete ways. We're looking
forward to living out our God-given vision, the living out of what we say we
believe with you.
