Our vision
THORNAPPLE WILL BE A REFRESHING OASIS FOR OUR COMMUNITY, AUTHENTICALLY AND WHOLLY CENTERED ON JESUS IN ORDER TO SHOW OUR NEIGHBORS THAT GOD IS FOR THEM AND PROVIDES HEALING FOR THE HURT, DIVISION AND GRIEF IN OUR WORLD.
We wonder: What would it look like to be a church that names Jesus above all other names? A church that pledges its allegiance to the one who hung on a cross so that we might be reconciled across all human divides? How can we show our neighbors that we are for them because God is for them?
When you look at stained glass up close, it doesn’t look like much. When you step back and see the colorful pieces all together, the real beauty shines through and the complete picture is revealed. At Thornapple we're inviting the Spirit of God to shine out through our broken pieces, creating a beautiful image of who God is for our neighbors in Cascade (and beyond) to experience for themselves. We pray our neighbors want to be a part of this joyful and grateful church where God allows us to hold beauty and brokenness together in our reflection of Him.
Jesus is the key to joining together our diverse, unique pieces of broken glass and healing the fissures that keep us separated from one another. With our eyes fixed on Jesus, the “founder and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2), everything else fades to the periphery. The power of the Holy Spirit shining through us will bear witness to the one who has brought us together and who welcomes all to saving faith in Jesus.
When you look at stained glass up close, it doesn’t look like much. When you step back and see the colorful pieces all together, the real beauty shines through and the complete picture is revealed. At Thornapple we're inviting the Spirit of God to shine out through our broken pieces, creating a beautiful image of who God is for our neighbors in Cascade (and beyond) to experience for themselves. We pray our neighbors want to be a part of this joyful and grateful church where God allows us to hold beauty and brokenness together in our reflection of Him.
Jesus is the key to joining together our diverse, unique pieces of broken glass and healing the fissures that keep us separated from one another. With our eyes fixed on Jesus, the “founder and finisher of our faith” (Hebrews 12:2), everything else fades to the periphery. The power of the Holy Spirit shining through us will bear witness to the one who has brought us together and who welcomes all to saving faith in Jesus.
Our Denomination
We are a part of the Evangelical Covenant Church, a denomination of more than eight hundred churches in the United States and Canada. It was founded by Swedish immigrants in 1885 as a voluntary covenant of churches committed to working together to share the Good News of Jesus Christ. Covenant churches emphasize the Bible’s witness to new life in Jesus Christ expressed in a day to day walk with the Lord.
For Covenant people, our essential beliefs are summed up in six “Covenant Affirmations.”
For Covenant people, our essential beliefs are summed up in six “Covenant Affirmations.”
- We affirm the centrality of the word of God.
- We affirm the necessity of the new birth.
- We affirm a commitment to the whole mission of the Church.
- We affirm the Church as a fellowship of believers.
- We affirm a conscious dependence on the Holy Spirit.
- We affirm the reality of freedom in Christ.
Read a full description of the Evangelical Covenant Church and learn more about the affirmations.
View videos created by the denomination about each affirmation
Get a historical overview of the demographic change in the Covenant from 1885 to today
View videos created by the denomination about each affirmation
Get a historical overview of the demographic change in the Covenant from 1885 to today