Grace Transforms

OUR VISION: PROJECT PROMISED LAND

“Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it” (Numbers 13:30).

Caleb was ahead of his time. Where the other Israelite scouts saw giants and trembled, Caleb saw promise and opportunity. Nearly five decades later, after outlasting the naysayers, Caleb turned to his sidekick Joshua and declared: “Now give me this mountain that the Lord promised me” (Joshua 14:12). Older but undaunted, at eighty-five he was ready to occupy his promised land. Caleb could claim the mountain and fight one last battle because he believed a promise that had been handed down through generations.

The Promised Land is about People not just a Place

In Genesis, God made a promise to Abraham, then seemed slow to bring it to pass. In Exodus, the promise appeared thwarted when Egypt enslaved Abraham’s descendants. God heard their cries from captivity and responded with deliverance. But before they could inhabit the Promised Land, God led them into the wilderness, the place where He would first establish them as His people.

So too, God has led Abounding Grace Ministries through the wilderness and has proven to be more than enough, as our provider, healer, sustainer, shelter, and protection.  Throughout our wilderness journey, we held onto the promise of a church and ministry home in even our darkest hours, with an understanding that God uses trials to perfect in His people the character that will sustain us in our call.

Occupy with Integrity

The Promised Land is both a physical destination and a state of being that God invites us to enter. It reflects a reality wherein God resides at the center of our lives and our community, even as he leads us to a central hub for ministry.

Occupying the promise comes with obstacles and resistance, but we are not afraid of the giants and distractions that lie before us. Like Caleb, we see opposition around us – high real estate prices, rising cost of living despite a recession, cultural decadence, religiosity, job loss – and declare: “Bring ‘em on!”

Project Promised Land is an Abounding Grace Ministries initiative to intentionally believe God’s promise, steward His resources, and rally His people as we prepare to enter into a physical space that is consecrated to God for service and community development.

This is a local church campaign in Kingdom alignment.  While God can accomplish His promise all by Himself, He invites us to join him in making the promise a reality.  We in turn invite you, family, friends, and colleagues, to join us.

To that end, we envision a Christ-centered, multi-cultural, economically inclusive community leading transformational change in the Lower East Side and beyond. That vision will be built upon five pillars, which rest on the foundation of our mission and values.

THE FIVE PILLARS OF PROJECT PROMISED LAND

1. Resurgent Music and Art. In the beginning God created, and so do we. AGM 5.0 embraces our creative core, and reclaims performing and visual arts and production.

2. Holistic Ministry Center. Our House of Prayer will seek the peace and prosperity of New York City, promote compassion and justice, and pursue shalom in the Lower East Side through: spiritual discipleship and worship; youth after school and summer camp programs; business incubation; homeless outreach; social service referrals; mental health counseling; and a community theater and studio spaces.

3. Intergenerational Community. Just as Israel’s promise was passed from generation to generations, AGM 5.0 will continue cultivating an intergenerational community around mentoring, senior outreach, youth programs, and family counseling.

4. Intentional Leadership Development. “Faces of grace” will continue to lead AGM through and beyond AGM 5.0, as we cultivate disciple makers who lead change in the world around them through: discipleship, small groups, learning communities, internship opportunities, and shared mission experiences.

5. Authentic Diversity. In a racially, ethnically, and economically diverse and evolving neighborhood, AGM will endeavor to love all of our neighbors equally well, as evidenced by shared leadership that reflects our community’s demographics.

OUR MISSION & VALUES

Abounding Grace Church & Ministries exist to transform individuals and communities with the unconditional love of Jesus Christ.

We execute that mission consistent with four core values:

• Faith: Keeping Christ central in every aspect of life

• Family: Finding identity and wholeness in relationship with the family of Christ

• Education: Learning to use one’s head, heart, and hands in the service of others

• Community: Living in right relationship with God, self, others, and creation

STATEMENT OF FAITH

At Abounding Grace Church, we believe:

• The Lord Jesus Christ, God’s son, redeems us through His death and resurrection and empowers us by the Holy Spirit.
• The Bible is God’s Word and through it we are called to live out justice, reconciliation, and redemption in the world.
• The church nurtures God’s people gathered in a community to carry out God’s Word.

We also affirm the Apostles’ Creed as a summary of the essentials of our faith:

I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven, he is seated at the right hand of the Father, and he will come again to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of since, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT

At our 11:00am Sunday Worship Experience

• Services open with our worship team leading us in singing. The song selection generally fuses contemporary worship songs with an urban flavor.
• This time is followed by a welcome, announcements, and a voluntary collection of tithes & offerings.
• After the offering, one of our pastors preaches for about a half hour on a scriptural passage or theme. Prayer is available throughout.
• The service ends with a time of reflection, including closing benediction and occasionally a song.

Communion and Baptism

• We receive communion together as a body, the first Sunday of each month, and select events or holidays throughout the year.
• Generally, we hold baptism services three or four times a year.

Of our Church Family

All guests and members of Abounding Grace can expect to receive unconditional love and acceptance. We understand our calling and primary responsibility to love God with all of our heart, mind, soul and strength and to love our neighbors as ourselves. At AGM we are a diverse family, where all are welcomed and appreciated regardless of race, class, age or personal/family history.

We hope to see you soon!