OK, here's the deal: To find out what we believe and value within our family here at St. Nick's, ya gotta do some reading. Now, we know, we know: you want it to be quick and easy.  Well, here's that version:

Saint Nicholas Youth are Jesus’ servants who LOVE Christ with our hearts and minds, LIVE Christ through kindness and trust, GIVE Christ using our talents and treasure, SHOW Christ in our deeds and words, and SHARE Christ with all.

You see? That wasn't so bad!  But let's face facts: the sentence above leaves a lot of room for interpretation, doesn't it?  So now that you know we exist to LOVE, LIVE, GIVE, SHOW and SHARE Christ, you may wonder what we mean by those terms. If so, keep reading...

As members of this family, the Body of Christ (also known as the church), we believe we are to be servants of Christ. For us, a "Servant" is...

• One who is intimate with our Lord and His community
• One whose life is transformed by Christ
• One through whom the Holy Spirit produces fruitful ministry

In order to become such a servant, we believe we must turn to God’s Word. Within His Word (the Holy Bible) we find the Great Commandment (Matthew 22: 37-39) and the Great Comission (Matthew 28:19-20).  From these we discover five purposes which capture how a servant of Christ is meant to live. We are to:

LOVE Christ with our hearts and minds. We worship Christ! Key words: magnify, exalt, praise the Lord! Jesus put it this way: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.” - Matthew 22:37-38

LIVE Christ through kindness and trust. We fellowship with Him and His church (in other words, each other!). Key words: encourage, community, family, relationships. “...baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit…” - Matthew 28:19b

GIVE Christ using our talents and treasure. We serve Him by serving others. Key words: ministry, equipping, work, profession. "And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'" - Matthew 22:39

SHOW Christ in our deeds and words. We study His Word and then apply it to our lives. Key words: discipleship, maturity, principles you live by, action. “...teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” - Matthew 28:20

SHARE Christ with all! We tell others about the Good News of Jesus Christ. Key words: outreach, evangelize, sharing your story. “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations…” - Matthew 28:19a

These five purposes represent what we believe are at the core of a servant of Christ's life. The role of a servant revolves around Christ bringing out these five purposes in our everyday lives. And it's an awesome path to eternity as we walk with Him! We call it the “Servant’s Path”.