What We Confess

On a lot of church websites, you’ll find a What We Believe section. At HFASS we believe a lot of things, but it’s our confession that holds us together.

Apostles’ Creed

First of all, we hold to the ancient confession in the Apostles’ Creed. You won’t hear us say the Creed every Sunday, but we say it at every baptism and on certain feast days. The Apostles’ Creed is the oldest creed and is shared by most Christians throughout history.

I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again;
he ascended into heaven,
he is seated at the right hand of the Father,
and he will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
✠ the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.

We confess that we are always sinners… and saints.

For too long, the Church has turned its back on the very people who need the Gospel the most because they didn’t talk right or look right or act right. As it turns out, we’re all “those people” — sinners, broken, in need of the grace of Christ. At the same time, we’re also all the chosen people of God, redeemed in God’s infinite mercy and love. Our identity is grounded in the recognition that we simultaneously fall short of God’s love, and receive it continually as a gift that has no bounds.

We confess that we are not experts.

We are all amateurs. There are no experts here–meaning no one understands the fullness of faith, the Trinity, or grace. This is why we share in leadership and why the pastor doesn’t do everything. This is why we count on everyone–from children to young adults to the middle-aged and older among us– to fully participate in the life of our community. Because all of us together are  learning, screwing up, growing– and in need of confession, absolution, and grace.

We confess that we will disappoint you.

At House, we invite you to come exactly as you are. With your flaws and strengths, joys and sorrows, hopes and fears. Because we show up in all our humanity, that means that sometimes, as a community and as individuals, we will fail you— we will say the wrong thing, neglect to take action, fail to do our part, or ignore each other. We confess that we have all disappointed this community and also been disappointed by it. We bear witness, that when we stay through disappointment, we experience and receive God’s healing grace.