Neighborly
– Filled with the joy of the Lord, Northwood is a friendly church that extends God’s grace to all people. We aim to welcome each person into our church family with the same warmth that one would welcome a good friend, family member, or neighbor.  

Optimism
– We believe in the power of transformation. As Jesus prayed, “May your will be done on earth as it is in heaven,” we recognize that God calls us and empowers us to begin living new and transformed lives, here and now. This fills us with hope, not just for our own lives, but also for our families, for our community, and for our world!

Respect
– Northwood is a family, and each member plays a contributing part. We value the opportunity of growing together and learning from each other, as each person’s unique background and perspective adds to the richness of God’s Kingdom. We encourage intergenerational engagement, including welcoming the presence of children in our worship services, as well as providing programming for people of all ages.

Teamwork
– We can do so much more together than any of us can do individually. We believe that God has gifted each of us uniquely, and calls us to contribute those gifts in the context of a church community that is striving to extend God’s grace to the world. Following the humility of Christ, we look to the needs of others, we selflessly share leadership and responsibility, and we cheer for each other as we work toward the flourishing of all people.  

Humility
– The humility for which we strive is motivated by our calling to be as Christ-like as possible. In our conversations with each other, in our interactions in the community, in the ways we study Scripture and discuss theology, we aim to be a church family that is constantly thinking of the needs and perspective of others, embodying the selfless love of Jesus in everything we do.    

Worship
– The worship of God lies at the heart of the life of our church. While a major portion of that worship experience takes place on Sunday mornings through music, liturgy, sermons, prayer, and monthly communion, we also recognize that we worship God throughout the week. This takes place as we pray for each other, as we fellowship together, as we study and grow as a church family, as we volunteer and serve in the community, and as we steward the gifts that God has given to us.

Openness
– As we strive to continually grow in the grace of God, we open ourselves up to the movement of the Holy Spirit who leads us. We believe that God often calls us out of our comfort zones to learn new ideas, to serve in new ways, and to connect with new people. While this variety of experience inevitably leads to the presence of differing perspectives and opinions, we recognize that we are all united by Christ, and called by God to represent the diversity and beauty of God’s kingdom.   

Outreach
– We are blessed to be a blessing. We strive to live into Jesus’ Great Commission by witnessing to the love of God in Christ in everything we do. We want people to know the transforming love of Jesus, so we strive to serve the needs of our neighbors in a variety of ways and we create regular opportunities to connect with individuals who may need a community of faith.  

Discipleship
– We believe that God’s grace is not just a one-time-gift, but it is also the continual empowerment of God at work in our lives, shaping us into the people God has designed us to be. As we seek to become more like Jesus every day, we continually strive to grow in our faith as life-long learners, reading and studying Scripture, engaging in acts of service, actively participating in worship services, and intentionally praying for each other on a regular basis.