Values:

The Fish Gate values:

Community

As already mentioned we are a community. Each person has a vital role and purpose in the whole community. We need each other and our faith is summed up in the context of the network of relationship that exists both within the church community and beyond. Naturally, the community must be inclusive of all age groups, cultural and racial backgrounds. The best way to love God is to love people (1John 3:16-20). Love is the key to the authentic community (1Corinthians 13:1-5). Naturally this includes all aspects of hospitality. God has made room for us in his family and has gone to extraordinary lengths to make it possible. Likewise we aim to reflect this in openhearted hospitality that includes being generous in welcoming people into the community of faith. Such things as good coffee, a listening ear, practical help and prayer are all important factors in hospitality.

Service

Everybody has something to bring to the table of the community. Every person is uniquely gifted to provide for the whole community (1Corinthians 12). There are no passengers; everybody has access to an oar.

Minimal meetings

There is little doubt that Christians are famous for having meetings. However, many of these meeting drag on unnecessarily long. This can unfortunately be counter-productive to real community. Administrative and other meetings are, nevertheless, valuable and important, but if conducted in a sprightly, to the point manner on a ‘need-to-have’ basis they leave room for more informal and energetic discussion in another forum.