Vision & Values
Our Vision
We are advancing the Kingdom of God by seeing everyone, everywhere, experience and be transformed by the love of God.
Our Values
We BELONG to Jesus and to one another.
Bravery: We step BRAVELY into our work as a community.
Equity: We commit to EQUITABLE work & valuing others.
Learning: We LEARN from each other & grow continually.
Ownership: We take OWNERSHIP in God’s mission through the Church.
Nurturing: We NURTURE relationships by celebrating blessings & sharing burdens together.
Gifting: We affirm spiritual GIFTS & CALLING in ourselves & others.
OCC 5 G’s
Growing – individual & collective.
Gatherings – large & small.
Going – local & global.
Generations – young & old.
Generosity – calling & resources.
Truths We Believe
As a community, we affirm the Nicene Creed:
We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit, he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary, and was made man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day, he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the Father's right hand.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son. With the Father and the Son he is worshipped and glorified. He has spoken through the Prophets. We believe in one holy catholic (undivided Christian) and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.
One God – Creator of all things; Perfect, Holy; the God of love; the giver of life, wisdom, and all truth; the Trinity, who is:
God the Father – The Head of Christ, eternal, giver of all good things;
God the Son – Jesus Christ, incarnation of God, Savior, died without sin, raised to life on the third day, will come again;
God the Holy Spirit - Counselor, Intercessor, Helper, who sanctifies us, One who encourages and comforts, the promise of salvation, coming from the Father and sent by Jesus.
The Bible - The Holy, inspired, and authoritative Word of God. Infallible, and useful for teaching, reproof, correction, and for training in righteousness.
Salvation - All have sinned and need salvation - to be saved from spiritual death. Salvation is a free gift, bought by Jesus, freely given through faith, by faith that Jesus Christ died for one’s sins and was raised to life on the third day. It is given by the grace of God and cannot be earned or worked for.
Baptism - Symbol of our burial with Christ Jesus and being raised to a new life. Baptism is an external proclamation of an internal faith in Jesus Christ as personal Savior.
The Church - A group of believers who have put their faith in Jesus Christ, and is the extension of Jesus Christ’s character, attitude, behavior, and mission in our world today.
Racial Justice
In pursuit of our vision, OCC is committed to the transforming work of racial justice & equity - personally, organizationally and systemically for the flourishing of everyone, everywhere. This means it shows up in each of our expressions of ministry, we will:
Foster and create GATHERINGS of learning, lament, healing & advocacy.
Raise the next GENERATION of peacemakers. We believe it’s never too late or early to learn about racial injustice and to address it. We’re committed to learning from the generations of peacemakers before us.
Commit to racial justice & equity work here and we are committed to GOING outside of Overlake to engage the work through partnerships.
Live with GENEROSITY by using our resources to further support this work - especially supporting and partnering with BIPOC groups who are leading.
Prioritize GROWING personally and collectively in our work on racial justice & equity.