About OPCC

Vision

Sharing Christ's love by Serving our neighbors while Growing as Jesus' disciples

Core Values

What Are Our Core Values?

OPCC represents the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), a Protestant denomination founded on American soil. Many of our core values trace to these frontier origins, and to the desire for religious freedom, diversity, simplicity, and unity. But our values can ultimately be traced to the life of Jesus as witnessed in the New Testament.

Because of our commitment to freedom and diversity it is hard to summarize our beliefs. One attempt at a summary you might frequently hear from Disciples is:

We have no creed but Christ…
            No gospel but love…
                        And no purpose but to serve.

No creed but Christ:
To be a member of OPCC means freedom in community. That is, we have no litmus test of beliefs or iron-clad creed; rather, we unite around our shared commitment to Christ Jesus, and encourage each individual to interpret the bible and personal faith free from coercion or pressure.

No gospel but love:
The God we see revealed in the face of Jesus is not vengeful, angry, warlike, or domineering; but loving and gracious. Thus, we allow the love of God to shape and mold our lives, determine how we relate to each other, and guide us day by day in life. Our principal guide for this journey is, of course, the Bible, which witnesses to the love of God in Christ.

No purpose but to serve:
As Disciples of Christ, we don’t want to conquer, dominate, or claim the world by tearing others down, or building ourselves up at their expense. We simply want to share the love of God through service to each other and to our world. Thus, we strive to cooperate with all other Christians, and seek good will and understanding among all peoples and religions. At the heart of our life and worship is the communion table, around which we gather each week as a reminder that God is always present and active in our lives, especially when we reach out in hospitality and fellowship to each other.