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Our Mission

To bring great pleasure to God by growing a movement of loving and worshiping communities where
    all God's people use
    all their gifts in
    all areas of service and leadership
to build God's kingdom.

There are four elements in this statement that comprise our DNA. They can be summarized using the acronym WALK.

    Worshiping community
    All are gifted priests
    Loving community
    Kingdom focused

Becoming a worshiping community reflects the heart of Jesus when he said that the greatest commandment was (Matt 22:37-38) "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind." This is the first and greatest commandment. We desire to love Jesus with all we are by listening and responding to the Holy Spirit in obedience and expressing back to God our thankful worship and service in order to bring the Father much glory and joy.

We also recognize that God has gifted all believers, young and old, male and female and called them to be a holy priesthood. We seek to be led by the Holy Spirit, as we affirm, equip and mobilize all followers of Jesus in their diverse gifts and calling. The scriptures declare: 1 Peter 4:10-11 "Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ." and 1 Peter 2:9 "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood."

An essential component of our DNA is practicing being a loving community. Jesus declared, "'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." We work to build community by developing nurturing relationships for transformational growth, practical support and mutual encouragement.

Finally, our mission has an outward Kingdom-focus. We seek to extend the kingdom of God by saturating the region from Monterey to San Jose with disciples of Jesus in networks of reproducing House Gatherings in every ethnic, demographic and geographic niche.

"All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Matt 8:18-20

© 2006–2012 The Gathering by the Bay
PO Box 224 Soquel, CA 95073

Questions? Comments? Please contact webman at gatheringbythebay.org.

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