All About Friendship

 

Friendship is a community of faith, a church of Jesus Chris,  a parish of the North Carolina Lutheran Synod,  a congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and so much more. We are a family of believers, a school for faith formation, a hospital for sinners, a gathering of saints, members of the body of Christ around the world. We are always becoming - pilgrims on a journey. Jesus is our Way. We invite you to travel with us.

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As Lutherans, we embrace paradox - two things that seems to be opposites, but are both true. We are both saints and sinners. That means that although we all  sin and fall short of what God intends for us, the love and forgiveness we receive in Christ sets us free to try again - to live as children of God. We are saved by grace through faith. 

 

We are Americans, North Carolinians, residents of Alexander County, and many of us are native to this particular place. But at the same time, we don't really belong here. We are citizens of a different realm - pilgrims traveling through a foreign land - on our way to an eternal home. As the Gospel of John says, we are IN this world, but not OF the world. This helps us keep things in perspective and hold our priorities in order.

 

We are old and we are new: Our churchyard, or cemetary reminds us every time we gather here, that we are older than we imagine. The names, the legacies, and the memory of those folks buried out here live on - in their children, in their traditions, and in the legacy of love, commitment, and yes, friendship they leave to us today.  At the same time, we are always open to new ways to reach our community with the Gospel. We are resurrection people. We believe God is making all things new.

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We are a family of strangers: Some of us are stranger than others!  We believe in the FRIENDSHIP of the Holy Spirit that binds us to one another and helps us to love and care for each other - even if we do not always agree. We invite you to enjoy that fellowship with us.

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