Our Mission and Values

Our Vision and Mission

In 2022, as we moved into our new life in the aftermath of the pandemic, we decided to spend some proper time discerning who we really are. Cafechurch - the community who re-founded the Northcote Uniting Church congregation in 2020 - needed to give serious thought what is it that makes us, well, us? Our vibe, our charism, our unique quiddity. We used to think maybe it was: something like we are friends who gather in a pub. But we don’t gather in a pub anymore - so, who are we?

So we spent a couple of days with Michael Smith SJ, a spiritual director in the Ignatian tradition. This is what we came up with.

TRANSCENDENT (OR HOLINESS) GOAL — “Who we are”

We seek our own and one another’s flourishing through authentic relationship with our loving God and with each other. We are cultivating a deeper understanding of who and whose we are — how to be Jesus’ people in this time and in this place.

APOSTOLIC GOAL — “What we do”

With God, we will co-create a life-giving community in which the love of God is palpable. We seek to hold space for all people as we discern God’s call and participate in God’s project of liberation and love for the world.