Our Mission Statement:
‘To be a habitation of God’s presence within the community’
Our Core Values in OCF
- Intimacy with God in prayer
- Delighting in the Bible
- Openness and obedience to the Holy Spirit
- Worship is an integral part of all we do
- Celebrating creativity
- Being bold in demonstrating the good news of God’s love with the world
- Being honouring, generous and gracious in all of our relationships
- Pursuing wholeness at all times
Click here for a series of daily devotionals inspired by the mission and values
Our Way of Life in OCF
- Our Way of Life is a framework (or ‘trellis’) that supports growth, helping us to create space in our busy world for us to be with Jesus, become like Jesus, and do what he did
- Our Way of Life is about living intentionally for Jesus as individuals and as a community of believers
- Our Way of Life is about individuals taking responsibility to develop daily and regular practices that enable us to live as children of our heavenly Father, grow as followers of Jesus, and keep in step with the Spirit appropriate to the seasons, rhythms and relational patterns of our lives
- Our Way of Life is about exploring together new and fresh ways to connect with and come closer to God, each other and the World around us
The following are examples of those daily and regular practices that we would encourage all followers of Jesus who are part of OCF to engage with in order to grow:
Daily Practices
- spend time in prayer
- engage with the Bible
- pause regularly to focus on God
Regular Practices
- gather together for worship and communion
- taking weekly times of Sabbath to stop work and delight in God and each other
- fasting (in whatever form is appropriate) to focus on God and prioritise Him above everything else
- spending longer periods of silence and solitude
Serving and Giving
- serving in the church (finding ways in which we can offer our skills, resources, gifts of the Spirit, time and calling to build up the church community and to share God’s love to the world)
- giving to the church
- working in our jobs and studies as though working for God
Loving Relationships
Prioritising time and attention to the key relationships in our lives:
- in our families and friendships
- within the community of OCF
- to the wider community and world
Health
- valuing our physical health
- valuing our emotional and mental health
- valuing our financial and practical health
Leadership and Church Governance
The Senior Leader in OCF is Mike Mitchell.
Our Senior Leaders are currently all volunteers and they either work or study full-time, or are retired.
They serve the church out of love and demonstrate that same love in their families, work/studies and wider communities.
The Senior Leaders are supported by the church Trustees who are the legal body that ensures that we, as a charitable organisation, are meeting our legal and ethical obligations in all our business and charitable dealings.
We believe that every member of OCF has equal value and is able and encouraged to participate in the wider leading and directing of the church as they listen to the leading of the Holy Spirit and bring that leading to the Senior Leadership Team. The many ministries in OCF (see separate ministries page) are led by members of the congregation appointed by the Senior Leaders.
Pastoral Care
We are all called to care for one another and if anyone is struggling in any way, we encourage them to ask for help and support.
We encourage one another to look out for each other. We don’t leave it to one or two people but expect every member to carry each other’s burdens, be a listening ear, pray for one another and provide practical support where it is possible to do so.
If anyone needs more professional support, then we will encourage them and support them to seek the right help they need from those with the skills to support them in their time of need.