What follows are some of the statements to which we’ve committed ourselves and that we use to remind ourselves who we are when we’re making decisions about how to be Grace and Main Fellowship. They might help you understand us a little better. It might help you to know that others have called us “intentional,” “neo-monastic,” a “fresh expression,” “missional,” and “non-traditional” community. For some of our folks, we’re their “church,” but many of our folks are also members of local congregations and active in their work in addition to our work.
The best way to figure us out and learn who we are is to show up and meet us. There are a number of open meetings of our community at which you are most certainly welcome. Go to our “commitments” page and you can find out all about them.
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The Identity Statements of Grace and Main Fellowship
Grace and Main Fellowship is an intentional and ecumenical Christian community located in Danville, Virginia. We affirm the Apostles’ Creed as our most basic understanding of Christian teaching, but also celebrate the diversity of theological beliefs and convictions present within any Christian community.
In our efforts to follow Jesus and live according to the values of the Kingdom of God and the Sermon on the Mount, we have committed ourselves to being a community that…
…practices the discipline of hospitality in our homes and in our lives.
…shares economic resources among ourselves and with those in need.
…practices a shared life in imitation of the early Church.
…commits itself to regular prayer, the reading of scripture, and common discernment and decision-making.
…forms partnerships in service of the Kingdom of God.
…engages nonviolently and noncoercively among ourselves and with the world.
…devotes itself to working for justice among the “least of these” and the marginalized.
…understands relationships to be the foundation of God’s work in the world and of our participation in that work.
…identifies its home to be the neglected, and sometimes exploited, places in our city.
…encourages its members and others to practice sustainable lifestyles that preserve life and creation.
…rejects the materialism and consumption practice of the world in favor of practicing simplicity.
…practices the Rule of Christ (Matthew 18:15-20), peacemaking, forgiveness, and the reconciliation of penitents.
In all these things and as a community, we will choose, practice, and believe in grace and mercy.