Building Community
in The Village Church
BY REV. ANDREW HAWKINS, PH.D., SENIOR PASTOR, THE VILLAGE CHURCH
At The Village Church we are committed to the pursuit of three central values: forgiveness, purpose, and hope. They are the core features in our church’s mission. Forgiveness is how we deal with our past. We all have a past, don’t we? We have a history. And because we’re human beings, we have our failures, our shortcomings. So, we desire to be a people of forgiveness. Forgiven by God, first of all. God offers forgiveness of our sins through faith in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. But in addition, we seek to be a forgiving people . Jesus teaches us to forgive others as he has forgiven us. Purpose addresses our present. What does God call me to be now, at this time in my life? That’s always an issue for folks entering retirement. What got us out of bed in the morning in the past is in our rear- view mirror. But God is not finished with us. What is our purpose, now, in the place where he has planted us? And hope focuses on the future. We all have a future—even after this life is over! Do we look ahead to that future with fear or great expectation? Christians have a won-
derful basis for hope, and we at The Village Church seek to be the messengers of hope. But none of this happens in isolation. Our mission indicates that we are building a community . We don’t pursue forgiveness, purpose, and hope by ourselves. “No man is an island.” Perhaps the best example for us of such a community is the Jerusalem church in the first century. Here is how it is described: And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. ...And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the peo- ple. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. (Acts 2:42–47; ESV) This was, first of all, a learning community . They were devoted to the apostles’ teach- ing, which we have in our Bibles. They were
also a caring community . They exhibited what the Bible calls “fellowship,” in which they shared their resources with each other as any had need. They were a hospitable community . They shared meals together, building relationships in the process. They were a praying community . They were consistently bringing praise and requests to God at his throne of grace. And they were an evangelical community . They shared the good news of Jesus Christ with others, so that many were attracted to the saving grace of Christ with- in their larger community. That’s the kind of community that we at The Village Church aspire to be. Yes, “aspire” is the correct word. We’re always a work in progress. Our mission statement is in the present, continuous tense: We are building a community. We haven’t arrived; the structure is not completed. But we continue the construction. When we gather, whether on Sundays or in any other of our many activities, we’re always pursuing our mission. Feel free to join us!
“We are building a community of forgiveness, purpose and hope in Jesus Christ.” (The Mission of The Village Church)
Shell Point Life | Fall 2026
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