this is the garden

The garden is a church of communities, following Jesus, partnering in the renewal of all things.

 

What do we mean by a statement like that? “The garden” comes from a passage in Scripture talking about being a “well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail” (Isaiah 58:11). We desire to be like a garden where life flourishes in our broken world. We are “church of communities” made up of people from various walks of life, ages, demographics, passions, and dreams. We are a unified body made up of diverse communities. ”Following Jesus” is what we mean by discipleship. The heartbeat of the garden is to help people in their journey of following Jesus. We believe that God is not detached from human history, but rather deeply involved in human affairs. We are able to partner with God in his mission of redemption, restoration, and renewal of all things (theologians call this the Missio Dei).

 

If you spend any time with us, you’ll realize we talk about “the kingdom of God” a lot. Throughout the gospels, Jesus speaks about the kingdom of God more than anything else. One way we can describe the kingdom of God is “life as God intended it in the first place.” This is what it means to be the church: to be an agent in the kingdom of God. We live life in community, follow Jesus together, and partner with him in the renewal of all things.

 

If you have any questions, we would love to speak with you. Simply email us.

 

In the Fall of 2008, the ‘Long Beach Experiment’ began with a handful of people on mission repairing the brokenness of our city. We gathered, prayed, worshipped, served, ate, and loved regularly in small groups and monthly gatherings. We eventually became the “Long Beach Project’ and gathered at First Christian Christian downtown. In October 2009, we officially launched two milestones: the Garden Church and the 5th Street Community Garden. Its been an amazing few years, and we are just getting started on the journey. Will you join us in loving and repairing our city? 

All people are created in the image of God and were created to live in community. In this community, we are to live generously – serving one another, caring for each other’s needs, sharing our possessions, walking together in suffering and celebration, and inviting all into honest, loving relationships. Through these relationships we are transformed by God to be salt and light in the world around us. Learning to belong is a process and takes time. The beginning is the journey inward as we learn to love one another. By this the world will know that we belong to Him. 

As a local church, our mission is clear: we want to partner with God in the renewal of our city. We do this as individuals and corporately. Would you consider what may come if you invested your time, talent, resources, and energy in joining us as we work for measurable change in Long Beach?



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