Community is vital to individual and corporate health. Community is not an event, activity, application point, or something we need to do in order to get into heaven. Rather, it is one of the very best contexts in which all activities, application, and spiritual growth happens. So yeah, it’s kind of a big deal. 

One of OHC’s top values is that we are better together. People matter to God, and because they matter to God, they matter to us. All people. And they matter to God all the time. One of our top strategies of how we grow our faith is through belonging in community. Sharing life with others is critical to our spiritual growth. We grow together. We learn together. We struggle together. We are better together. God called this the Church, his family.

However, we choose whether we are people who build up community or hurt & destroy community. Judgmentalism, superiority, gossip and inauthenticity are some of the temptations we face that damage a healthy community. In contrast, humility, encouragement, curiosity and genuineness welcome others into our lives and grow our hearts both for God and for others. Our hope is that we can begin this new year with a commitment to being a strong, healthy Christian community together.

Hebrews 10:24-25, “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”