Join us for a time of teaching, prayer, worship and conversation each Sunday in september at the Rochester Hill campus of grace community church (159 rochester hill rd, Rochester, NH), 10:00 Am.

At this time, we are in the midst of a study and teaching series that we're calling "God || Story", gathering together to explore the major themes of the "big story" of scripture and history, from Genesis to Revelation.  If you've never had the chance to spend a Sunday morning with The Commons, this is a great opportunity to get a feel for our family of faith. Don't miss it!

Beyond the Sunday "Gathering" the commons exists as a growing network of "micro" church expressions throughout our region: house/neighborhood fellowships, mission efforts, microenterprise and the like. 

Our aim and vision is to see the WHOLE church mobilized to BE the church, anywhere and everywhere the Spirit of Christ might call us to go. Do you have a dream? A community or need that breaks your heart? A mission or fellowship here in Northern New England that could use support or coaching? We'd love to connect. Stop by for a Sunday of you can, or CONTACT US, and we will follow up with you.

Our MISSION:

Flowing out of the GREAT COMMANDMENT (Gospel of Matthew, 22:37-40), and GREAT COMMISSION (Gospel of Matthew, 28:16-20) given by Jesus to the community that would carry on His mission and ministry in the world, we understand our fundamental purpose as a calling: "To Embrace and Embody the transforming love of God, through the Making, Maturing and Multiplying of WHOLEHEARTED followers of Jesus."

Our VISION:

Where do we expect this mission to take us? In the end, we hold to the hope we have in Jesus that we might be a community that is, "Journeying with God to see a world RENEWED, neighborhoods TRANSFORMED, and people brought to LIFE by the Good News of Jesus Christ."

OUR VALUES:

What does this journey together LOOK LIKE? We desire to be a People that is:

+ Woven

If by nature a city is a fabric of persons, families, businesses, schools, civic and municipal bodies, then we want to be a thread that is woven within and throughout that fabric. We are not content to sit atop or alongside the tapestry that is our city - simply a provider of religious goods and services - aloof and independent.  We long for shared spaces and genuine partnership: with our neighbors, civic bodies, and other churches endeavoring to do meaningful work in our area. We are convinced that as followers of Jesus we are called into a meaningful, self-giving local citizenship, and The Commons endeavors to be a church where that call is given hands and feet.

+ Neighboring

In a world where our personal relationships are becoming ever-more "virtual", fractured and consumer-driven, we believe that there is just something radically life-giving about a group of people who are committed to doing life together; to genuine community. And far from being a closed-door, friends-and-family-only social club, we believe that the kind of community that Jesus calls us into is such that we are continually facing outwards; arms open, constantly inviting, ever growing. The news is just too good, and the depth of life too profound to keep it to ourselves. So, we seek to be the best possible neighbors. We want to meet people we haven't met yet, we want to have the chance to help people we haven't helped yet. We want to be deeply engaged with the needs and hurts of those around us, and we want to be deeply committed to throwing the best parties on the block. It is comfort, and challenge, and joy; this thing, community. We'd love to become a neighbor to you.

+ Hopeful

In the end, we are nothing if not a people of HOPE. Our world is a beautiful, broken place and we are  - all of us - beautiful, broken people. As we look to the person of Jesus we are convinced both that beauty is not accidental and that brokenness is not eternal; we LONG for more because we were CREATED for more, and in Jesus we find both the source and satisfaction of that longing. Because of Jesus, we believe that brokenness does not have the final word. We believe that death and loss and sadness do not have the final word. We believe that at the heart of the human condition, and at the center of human history, hope and life has been planted in a way that no amount of brokenness can ever ultimately overcome. In Jesus, death has been faced, and death has been defeated: thanks be to God!

We all know that genuine hope changes things. It changes us, and it changes how we engage with the world around us. As people who have been brought to life and hope by the Good News of Jesus, we cannot help but to become agents of change wherever we go: agents of life, of hope, of love, of mercy and justice and peace. If you ever happen to meet us, and find yourself wondering where it is that this hope we have comes from, we'd love to have that conversation.

Our weekly & monthly rhythms are a little unique. Here's a quick explanation:

+ Gathering

There’s just nothing like getting the whole ‘family’ together! Undoubtedly the most universally recognizable rhythm in the life of any local church is the weekend gathering for worship and teaching. To gather together as a whole community – to worship in song, sit under strong biblical teaching and to share in the communion of the Lord’s Supper together –  is one of the most poignant and powerful expressions of our corporate life in Christ.

Our “Gatherings” take place on the 1st, 3rd and 5th (when applicable) Sundays of the month, 10:00am at the rochester hill campus of grace community church (159 rochester hill rd.)

Come for the singing. Come for the teaching. Come to be introduced to to Jesus, and the community of faith, perhaps for the first time. Seeking? Cynical? A follower of Jesus, looking for a place to worship and serve? We’d love to have you join us!

+ Table

Now, we love the “Gathering”, as already mentioned. The trouble with ONLY getting together in large groups, though, is that it is hard to really get to know one another – and see genuine community develop – if we’re only seeing each other in a big room, full of activity and 100+ other folks, once a week. In the Bible, we see that the early Christian church was built upon house fellowships. They didn’t just run into one another for an hour once a week; they did life together! “Church” was spending time, sharing meals, sharing joys and struggles, studying scripture together and lifting one another up in prayer. “Church” was a space where friends in Christ could sit, learn and grow face to face, and not just side by side.

Additionally, good preaching and teaching is vital to the life and thriving of the local church. But perhaps even more important to our own growth toward Christian maturity is to be given the opportunity, experience and tools to open, read, interpret and apply the scriptures well for ourselves and in the context of our own lives.

Our “Table” groups are neighborhood-centric communities of 15-20 folks, focused on shared meals, in-depth interaction with scripture, prayer, and on the daily, street-level expressions of church life. We’re so committed to the value of getting our whole community involved at this level that we actually give two whole Sundays a month to “Table” groups.

Table groups take place on the 2nd and 4th Sundays of the month in various locations, including at our "gathering" location, 159 Rochester Hill rd. 

We all know that life is too busy, and we prefer that the individuals and families that make up The Commons aren’t being asked to run out to church-related programs and meetings every night of the week. We’d prefer to see folks set free to be present with family, friends, and available for service out in the community. As such we’re not asking anyone to give up another day, or weeknight, in order to fully participate in the community life of The Commons.

+ City

Central to our VALUES as a community is the conviction that the Church of Jesus Christ exists in order to be the hands and feet of the redemptive, healing purposes of Jesus in the world. Compelled by the eternal hope of Christ’s ultimate victory over all things evil, broken and mournful, we are set free to serve and labor with joy in the midst of the messiness of our world – and our city.

In our commitment to make “City” a central feature of our community life, we at The Commons have launched the Woven Community Development Association. Through Enterprise Development, Individual Mentorship, and asset-based Neighborhood Engagement, Woven Community Development is a vehicle we are continuing to refine for equipping the Church to pursue the responsible revitalization and economic, social and spiritual flourishing of Rochester, NH and surrounding communities.

For more information on "Woven" and what we're up to, visit: www.WovenCity.org.

THE COMMONS is on Church Community Builder!

Create an account and login to stay connected to all the goings-on here at The Commons! Calendar, groups, communication options, online directory - in addition to ACH and scheduled giving options (more reliable and with less overhead costs) - are all to be found here:

THE COMMONS ONLINE

Gathering

Location: Grace Community Church
159 Rochester Hill Rd.
Rochester, NH 03867

10:00am  

movement

Various Locations

Movement focus at Gathering, 2nd & 4th Sundays of the month.