The Mission
Lakewood Christian Fellowship exists to practice Gospel Hospitality in everything we do. At LCF, Gospel Hospitality is the pursuit of others to show them that they are loved, valued, and part of the family. We seek to show this not only to one another but also to our neighborhood, our families, friends, coworkers, and everyone in between.
The Vision
The vision of Lakewood Christian Fellowship is to faithfully pursue Christ and people in order to see the O'Kane neighborhood, Lakewood as a whole, and the ends of the earth come to know Christ as Savior, Sanctifier, Healer, and King.
At LCF, we have specific priorities and values that shape what we do.
Our five values are: Hospitality, Discipleship, Emotional and spiritual health, Neighborhood, Kingdom-centered
Hospitality
AT LCF, hospitality means that we pursue people to show them that they are loved, valued, and part of the family.
Discipleship
This is the key to everything we do as a church. It enables and equips people to be ministers of the Gospel and to realize their unique identity as children of God who are deeply loved.
Emotional and Spiritual Health
This is often neglected in Christianity especially when it comes to emotional health, but we believe that in order to best disciple and be discipled, we must allow Jesus to heal our deepest wounds.
Neighborhood
We believe that we exist in this neighborhood (O'Kane Park and Lakewood in general) for a specific purpose: to demonstrate Christ’s love to people around us.
Kingdom-Minded
We are kingdom minded. We want to see people come to know Jesus locally and globally. This means we prioritize seeing people come to faith rather than simply coming to LCF.
Here is more on our five values.
1. Hospitality – AT LCF, hospitality means that we pursue people to show them that they are loved, valued, and part of the family. Hospitality means love of stranger or foreigner. We see hospitality in the Old Testament as the way Israel is supposed to not only welcome the foreigner but to treat them as natural born citizens. We see this taken to the next level in the New Testament where Jesus demonstrates hospitality to people by seeking to turn enemies into family. Jesus engages with people by showing them compassion, care, and empathy. This culminates in Jesus’ death and resurrection where he finishes the work of turning all those who believe in him from enemies into family. Hospitality is an expectation of Christians, and we believe that in practicing hospitality, we can pursue and engage non-Christians to point them to Jesus and be a Christlike community.
2. Discipleship – this is the key to everything we do as a church. It enables and equips people to be ministers of the Gospel and to realize their unique identity as children of God who are deeply loved. Discipleship is part of our Sunday gatherings, prayer nights, small groups, and all of our interactions together. To be discipled is to be an apprentice in order to lead each other to a deeper and more transformative relationship with Jesus. We believe that discipleship does not start when you become a Christian, so instead we engage with non-Christians to demonstrate and proclaim Christ to them with the hope that it leads to a discipling relationship.
3. Emotional and spiritual health – this is often neglected in Christianity especially when it comes to emotional health, but we believe that in order to best disciple and be discipled, we must allow Jesus to heal our deepest wounds. Emotional and spiritual health helps equip the church for effective ministry while also taking people into a deeper, more meaningful relationship with Christ and His church. When we ignore emotional and spiritual health and try to do ministry, we often end up hurting both ourselves and those we are attempting to love. To prioritize emotional and spiritual health, we will have discussions, studies, and materials to assist each person in reckoning with their past and inviting Jesus to bring healing to their hearts, minds, and whole person.
4. Neighborhood – we believe that we exist in this neighborhood for a specific purpose: to demonstrate Christ’s love to people around us. While some may see our location as a hindrance, we see it as a blessing. Though our current building was built when the land around was prairie, we believe we are here with a unique purpose and mission. We desire to be a lighthouse in this community where people know that this church prays for this neighborhood, advocates for the people here, loves its individuals and families, and serves the neighborhood. In 2024 and beyond, we wish to engage the neighborhood in a number of ways including: barbecues, food giveaways, school supply donations, and so much more. There is much to be done in building credibility here after COVID and the nomad aspect of this neighborhood. Join us in praying to our God that we see this church revitalized while seeing lives transformed around us.
5. Kingdom-centered – we are kingdom minded. We want to see people come to know Jesus locally and globally. Instead of prioritizing only the growth of our individual church, we desire to see God’s kingdom grow. Where most church growth in the US comes from church transfers (people leaving one church for another), we desire to see people come to faith for the first time or come back to church after a long absence. This means that we engage with non-Christians around us in unique ways including through hospitality and neighborhood engagement. Also, our kingdom-centered value leads us to living generously in supporting global missions whether it be financially supporting or encouraging missionaries and even sending out missionaries from within our midst. We desire to develop each person into a Christian leader who is sent out into their homes, neighborhoods, workplaces, etc. to be an ambassador for Christ in every walk of life.
2. Discipleship – this is the key to everything we do as a church. It enables and equips people to be ministers of the Gospel and to realize their unique identity as children of God who are deeply loved. Discipleship is part of our Sunday gatherings, prayer nights, small groups, and all of our interactions together. To be discipled is to be an apprentice in order to lead each other to a deeper and more transformative relationship with Jesus. We believe that discipleship does not start when you become a Christian, so instead we engage with non-Christians to demonstrate and proclaim Christ to them with the hope that it leads to a discipling relationship.
3. Emotional and spiritual health – this is often neglected in Christianity especially when it comes to emotional health, but we believe that in order to best disciple and be discipled, we must allow Jesus to heal our deepest wounds. Emotional and spiritual health helps equip the church for effective ministry while also taking people into a deeper, more meaningful relationship with Christ and His church. When we ignore emotional and spiritual health and try to do ministry, we often end up hurting both ourselves and those we are attempting to love. To prioritize emotional and spiritual health, we will have discussions, studies, and materials to assist each person in reckoning with their past and inviting Jesus to bring healing to their hearts, minds, and whole person.
4. Neighborhood – we believe that we exist in this neighborhood for a specific purpose: to demonstrate Christ’s love to people around us. While some may see our location as a hindrance, we see it as a blessing. Though our current building was built when the land around was prairie, we believe we are here with a unique purpose and mission. We desire to be a lighthouse in this community where people know that this church prays for this neighborhood, advocates for the people here, loves its individuals and families, and serves the neighborhood. In 2024 and beyond, we wish to engage the neighborhood in a number of ways including: barbecues, food giveaways, school supply donations, and so much more. There is much to be done in building credibility here after COVID and the nomad aspect of this neighborhood. Join us in praying to our God that we see this church revitalized while seeing lives transformed around us.
5. Kingdom-centered – we are kingdom minded. We want to see people come to know Jesus locally and globally. Instead of prioritizing only the growth of our individual church, we desire to see God’s kingdom grow. Where most church growth in the US comes from church transfers (people leaving one church for another), we desire to see people come to faith for the first time or come back to church after a long absence. This means that we engage with non-Christians around us in unique ways including through hospitality and neighborhood engagement. Also, our kingdom-centered value leads us to living generously in supporting global missions whether it be financially supporting or encouraging missionaries and even sending out missionaries from within our midst. We desire to develop each person into a Christian leader who is sent out into their homes, neighborhoods, workplaces, etc. to be an ambassador for Christ in every walk of life.