Our Christian Foundation

 

“And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength and you shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.”

Mark 12:30-31

 

“We love because He first loved us.”

1 John 4:19

 

“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

Ephesians 2:10

 

“God loves the sojourner”

Deuteronomy 10:18

 

“And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’”

Matthew 25:40

 

Compass warmly welcomes immigrants, refugees, students, and visiting international neighbors into our community. We believe God created us to do good works, and at Compass, that means reaching out to international neighbors and walking in relationship with them. We believe that God works through us to change the lives of our participants and that we are doing more than simply fulfilling their basic needs. We are also fulfilling our own God-given purpose and passing along the love that God has filled us with. Our cups are overflowing (Psalm 23:5). Compass volunteers serve for the benefit of our participants, to show the love God first gave to us, and to bring God glory. 

 

We also serve because God calls all Christians to pay attention to those that are vulnerable. Across both the Old and New Testaments and throughout the history of the church, God’s people have been commanded to take special responsibility for 1) the fatherless, 2) the widow, 3) the sojourner (the foreigner living among them either temporarily or permanently), and 4) the poor - basically those who, in modern terms, have less than, or even the least power, privilege, and position. 

 

God’s people also have the experience of being sojourners themselves: In the Old Testament as slaves in Egypt and later as a conquered and scattered people group across the known world, and in the New Testament, as outsiders and wanderers before meeting Christ and being adopted into the family of God. 

 

The Bible makes it clear that God is serious about this responsibility to sojourners. In the Old Testament, Deuteronomy 10:18a says: “He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner…”

 

In the New Testament, Jesus says in Matthew 25:36 - 40: “I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me. Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you as a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’”

 

From the time that Compass was established until the present, we have always claimed and continue to claim that the “why” for what we do is the desire to love like we have first been loved by God. We treat our neighbors well, both those who speak our language and share our culture and those who do not, because we acknowledge the dignity and worth that is inherent within all humanity as image-bearers of God (Genesis 1:27). We obey the special calling in His Word to love our neighbors as ourselves and to show hospitality and welcome to those who live among us away from their native homes (Hebrews 13:2).

 

Compass, from the beginning, has been and is partnered with local churches and is Christian-led. While our services are educational, the heart of the organization is to minister to those who are vulnerable because of language barriers and cultural differences, and to show Christian hospitality. 

 

While we do not aim to proselytize, we do care about the whole person as we minister to them. It is our hope that those who are already Christians might find Compass to be a resource for finding a new church home, just as we might connect them with options for immigration lawyers or places that can help them with job hunting. 

 

For those that do not believe in the Christian faith, it is likely that in building cross-cultural friendships, volunteers and participants of differing worldviews will encounter each other’s beliefs and learn from one another, and we expect this to happen with love and respect and in freedom. Compass services are a gift of hospitality and support to our international neighbors no matter their religious, political, or personal beliefs. No strings attached. The only requirement we have is that Compass’ organizational culture be characterized by mutual respect and tolerance and that ideas are communicated kindly and gently with no expectations of agreement, only expectations that we listen to one another patiently. 

 

A community characterized by virtues and values rooted in the Christian faith combined with an environment of safety and support is a good place for personal reflection and growth, especially at what can be a critical juncture in an immigrant’s life. Improving the quality of one’s daily life and pursuing academic and professional goals are very important, but we also acknowledge that this kind of success does not fill a person’s soul. Therefore, there is room at Compass for spiritual reflection as well as the pursuit of practical goals as we learn from each other through discussions and cross-cultural exchanges and as we support and encourage each other in friendship.

 

What Do Christians Believe?

 

We believe that the apostles, the early church believers, did it best when they created the Apostles Creed for the early church in the second century A.D. The version of the creed that we are using is the ecumenical version that the Christian Reformed Church created in 1988 that took out some confusing antiquated language and brought the creed into modern day English. We expect that all those volunteering with Compass respect this creed and allow it to be central to the identity of Compass as a Christian organization. 

 

I believe in God, the Father almighty,
      creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
  who was conceived by the Holy Spirit
  and born of the virgin Mary.
  He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
  was crucified, died, and was buried;
  he descended to hell.
  The third day he rose again from the dead.
  He ascended to heaven
  and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty.
  From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,
  the holy catholic* church,
  the communion of saints,
  the forgiveness of sins,
  the resurrection of the body,
  and the life everlasting. Amen.

*that is, the true Christian church of all times and all places

Other Important Beliefs from the Statements of Faith of our Church Partners

  • We believe in the inspiration and inerrancy of the Scriptures.
  • We believe that Scripture speaks to all areas of life and is the foundation of all truth, beauty, and goodness.  
  • Having limitless knowledge and sovereign power, God has graciously purposed from eternity to redeem a people for Himself and to make all things new for His own glory.
  • We believe that all people were created in the image of God for His glory, giving all human life dignity, worth, and purpose.
  • We believe that God created mankind male and female and that His design for marriage is for a man to leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife.
  • We believe in the mystery of the Trinity.
  • We believe that the human race followed Satan, fell into sin, became lost (separated from God) and therefore all people are in need of reconciliation with God and the resulting spiritual regeneration.
  • We believe in both the deity and humanity of Jesus.
  • We believe that salvation is found in the sacrificial death and resurrection of Jesus.
  • We believe Jesus has given us the Holy Spirit to point people to Himself, convict them of their sin, regenerate the believing sinner, and indwell, guide, instruct, and empower the believer for godly service.

Note: For the sake of simplicity, we state these beliefs concisely; however, thousands of pages have been written about each one of these core beliefs, and we know they are actually quite complex. If you have questions about what we mean by any of these statements, members of the board, staff, or representatives from our partner churches can talk them over with you. 

Regarding Denominational Differences

Compass welcomes volunteers from many different denominations. 

Regarding volunteer-to-volunteer conversations, we ask that denominational differences be respected, but we also ask that any conversations that might come up between fellow believers be Christ-centered. Compass is not the place to work out doctrinal and theological differences.

Regarding conversations with participants, we ask that any denominational teachings about the canon of Scripture, the nature of the Scriptures, the Holy Spirit, baptism, communion, the end times, intercession, and life after death be kept out of personal conversations with participants who may not even know the basics of the Christian faith yet. Religious and cultural differences are confusing enough without getting into denominational differences. Also, those who are questioning their faith, figuring out their worldview, or new to the Christian faith are not ready to be saddled with such debates. Allow participants to figure out and become grounded and established in the basics of their faith first.