Sanctuary commenced in May 2010 as the newest expression of a Salvation Army faith community in Mornington. Our three foundations are worship, spiritual growth and mission.
We hold a dynamic worship every Sunday at 5pm, featuring the Sanctuary worship band; an inspiring Scripture message; Kid’s church; Fellowship meal; Good coffee and friendly conversation; freedom of worship in a contemporary vein.
Small groups designed to facilitate spiritual growth and Christian love in action are an important part of our faith community, with groups of different natures meeting regularly.
As followers of Jesus, we aim to make a positive difference to the Mornington Peninsula through community engagement, responding to need with love and grace and practical means where possible.
VALUES STATEMENT
Any church plant stands upon the footprints of the personal values of the planters. These values will undergird decision making, and it’s important that our values are understood, as they will shape the feel of the church.
Our personal values:
We value…diversity
Our aim is to build a diverse faith community, of all ages, races and all socio-economic groups. Our motto is ‘a church for everybody’, and we mean ‘anybody and everybody’. We want to be intentional about having a real cross-section of people, reflective of the community that surrounds us.
We value…creativity
Our aim is to allow our faith community to express itself through art and music and dance and literature and food and….whatever! We will be intentional about allowing people to contribute to the life of the faith community through artistic means. We will be open to new ideas and new expressions, and provide opportunity for people to have their creations seen, heard and appreciated.
We value…participation
Our aim is to find a way for every person to participate in the life of the faith community. This should be in accordance with the gifts, skills, talents and passions of the individuals. A task for everybody is our motto. Some of this will be upfront ministry, some may be background ministry, but it is all to be viewed as equally important.
We value…generosity
Our aim is to be the leaders of a generous faith community, and we commit to lead by example. Generous in financial terms, but also in the provision of hospitality, the giving of our time and of our talents. As a faith community, we want to be generous to the community that surrounds us, and to the world, as well as generous to the wider Salvation Army and generous amongst ourselves.
We value…authenticity
Our aim is to build an atmosphere that allows for people to be themselves, and to be accepted and embraced for their uniqueness. We don’t want anybody pretending to be something they’re not. We want people to feel free to express exactly who they are and how they feel, whether they feel good or not. Come, just as you are, to worship.
We value…community
Our aim is to create and foster a place where everyone feels like they belong. A ‘Cheers’ community – “where everybody knows your name, and they’re always glad you came”. Ultimately, we would love to see an Acts 2 community, where a closeness develops, and a supernatural camaraderie exists.
We value…grace
Our aim is to lead a faith community that exhibits grace in all relationships. We need to acknowledge that we will all make mistakes, we will all at times say or do something that hurts or upsets others – but we will always expect the hand of forgiveness to be offered, and grace shown. We want to replicate the incredible and beautiful grace of God in all relationships within our faith community.
We value…sharing together
Our aim is to facilitate and foster sharing within our faith community. Through eating together each Sunday evening. Through engaging in small group activities. Through friendships that are developed outside of faith community activities. Sharing spiritually, emotionally and even sharing of some of our possessions, if appropriate.
We value…compassion
Our aim is to lead a group of people who exhibit compassion. A group of people who care about each other, and about those in the community, and put those feelings into action in practical ways. Compassion displayed without discrimination. Building each other up. Standing side by side with those facing difficulties and struggles.
We value…environmental responsibility
We believe that this world is God’s creation, and that we have a responsibility to care for our environment. Our aim is to encourage environmental responsibility, and to look for ways that we can be better custodians of the earth. In addition, we strongly encourage all members of our faith community to be ‘producers’, not solely consumers. Producing may include growing things, making things, recycling things, creating things – this could be as diverse as writing poetry to knitting to keeping chickens.
We value…expressive and diverse worship
Our aim is to worship with heart-felt dedication to Jesus, in a way that glorifies God. Worship will be experiential and interactive. We will continually explore diverse ways of worship, but will skew our worship to more contemporary methods. We will seek to use modern Salvation Army songs, songs written by members of our own faith community, plus other modern worship songs, occasionally using older, more traditional songs. At times we will also use secular songs that convey a Christian value or message. We take our worship time seriously, and will put time and effort into making it a relevant vehicle to allow worshippers to encounter the presence of God. Our preaching will be aimed to encourage and motivate, will often use story, and will always seek to apply the teachings of Jesus to the present day. There will always be room left for the hearer to explore and think through the teaching for themselves or in small groups throughout the week. However, all of our messages will include suggested ‘hows’ in terms of application.