Statement of Faith

We believe in one God...

The Father (spiritual parent) in creation, the Son in redemption, and the Holy Spirit as God in us, God with us, and God transforming us, in sanctification and experience. God is over all, through all, and in all (Genesis 1:1,26, Genesis 3:22, Exodus 3:14, Deuteronomy 6:4, Deuteronomy 32:18, Psalm 68:5, Isaiah 66:13, Hosea 11:3-4, Matthew 1:18-24, Matthew 3:11, Matthew 23:37, Luke 2:21, John 4:24, John 14:15-17, Acts 1:1-11, Acts 2:1-38, Ephesians 4:6, 1 John 5:7-8, Revelation 1:5-6).

We believe in One Lord, Jesus Christ...

The Only Begotten of the Father, born of a virgin, conceived of the Holy Spirit, crucified, died, raised from the grave, and was the very Word made flesh and Image of the invisible God, the Name by which men may be saved (Isaiah 9:6, Matthew 1:18-24, John 1:1-18, John 10:17, John 14:6, John 15:13, John 20:1-31, Acts 4:12, Ephesians 4:5, Philippians 2:10, Colossians 1:15-23, Hebrews 4:14-15, 1 John 3:16, Revelation 5:9-13).

We believe in one Spirit, the Holy Spirit, Who dwells within us...

Manifesting the evidence of spiritual gifts, the Ephesians 4:11 leadership gifts, the appointment works, gifting attributes, prophetic expressions, functions, and the Spirit’s unique fruit, guiding us, leading us, and bringing us to a full experience with God (Genesis 18:16-33, Genesis 40:1-23, Exodus 25:18-22, Exodus 35:20-35, Deuteronomy 31:19-22, 2 Samuel 6:14, 2 Samuel 18:24-33, 2 Samuel 21:10-15, 2 Kings 17:24-41, 1 Chronicles 16:41-42, 1 Chronicles 9:8-34, 2 Chronicles 5;12-14, Ezra 7:6, Job 33:4, Psalm 45:1, Psalm 149:3, Psalm 150:4, Isaiah 11:2-5, Isaiah 29:16, Ezekiel 12:1-11, Jeremiah 36:1-32, Daniel 5:1-31, Matthew 3:11, Matthew 23:34, Mark 16:15-20, John 20:22, Acts 1:5,8, Acts 2:14-21,38, Acts 6:3-6, Romans 8:14-17, Romans 8:28, Romans 10:5-18, Romans 12:4-10, 1 Corinthians 12:1-28, 2 Corinthians 12:1-10, Galatians 5:22-33, Ephesians 2:19-20, Ephesians 4:4,11-16, Philippians 1:1, 1 Timothy 2:1-7, 1 Timothy 3:1-8, 1 Timothy 5:17, Titus 1:5-7, Titus 2:3-8, Hebrews 7:25, 1 Peter 5:1, Jude 1:3, Revelation 4:4, Revelation 18:20, Revelation 19:10, Revelation 21:1-22:11).

We believe in the unity of the Spirit present through the bond of peace...

The peace of the Kingdom must be maintained at all costs. Anything that causes dissension, hostility, or worldly attitudes (such as worldly politics) must cease in the presence of God's true Kingdom. As such, we do not believe politics or worldly social structures of any sort have place in the church, and should not be employed therein (Genesis 12:1-20, 1 Kings 8:53, Psalm 133:1, John 17:23, Acts 2:17-21, Acts 16:5, Romans 15:5, 1 Corinthians 1:10, 2 Corinthians 6:17, Ephesians 2:12-22, Ephesians 4:3, Philippians 2:10-11, Philippians 3:17-21, Colossians 3:14, Revelation 5:9, Revelation 18:4).

We believe there is one faith...

We are saved by God’s grace through faith. Our faith begins with our repentance and confession, as we are spiritually transformed. Our faith leads us to stand as both a witness and a resource, following the inspiration of the apostolic work to become all things to all people. It is our honor to turn the world upside down, establish the Kingdom of God, and proclaim its presence within, around, and among (Matthew 25:32-46, Mark 16:15-20, Luke 17:20-21, Acts 17:6, Acts 20:24, Romans 1:8-12,17, Romans 3:22, 1 Corinthians 9:19-23, 2 Corinthians 4:1-7, 2 Corinthians 3:3, Ephesians 4:5, Hebrews 12:10-14, 1 Peter 4:12-19).

We believe there is one baptism, unto repentance, in water...

It unites us to Christ, in His death, and is symbolic of raising us to new life in Him (Mark 1:4, Matthew 28:19-20, John 3:3-7, Acts 2:1-38, Acts 8:12-40, Acts 9:18, Acts 18:8, Acts 19:4-5, Romans 6:4, Ephesians 4:5, Colossians 2:11-12, 1 Peter 3:21-22).

We believe there is one body...

This bond we share as believers is an apostolic fellowship, one held by the early church, and living, real, and visible today. It is one that is called to walk humbly, gently, patiently, and bearing with one another in love (Matthew 16:18, Matthew 18:15-20, Matthew 26:26-30, Mark 14:22-26, Luke 22:12-20, John 17:1-26, Acts 2:41-47, Acts 9:31, Acts 12:5, Acts 15;4, Acts 16:5, 1 Corinthians 1:2,10, 1 Corinthians 10:1-33, 1 Corinthians 11:18-34, 1 Corinthians 12:14-20,27-28, 1 Corinthians 16:19, Ephesians 2:14-16, Ephesians 3:10-11,21, Ephesians 4:2,4,25, Ephesians 5:27-32, Colossians 3:15, Hebrews 10:23-25, Hebrews 12:24).

We believe in living a life worthy of the calling we have received...

We are citizens of heaven and the Kingdom of God, which is the Kingdom of heaven manifest on earth. It is this that we promote, proclaim, and believe shall lead to life (2 Samuel 7:16, Psalm 22:28, Psalm 45:6, Psalm 103:19, Psalm 145:12-13, Matthew 3:2, Matthew 5:3-13, Matthew 6:10-13, Matthew 6:33, Matthew 11:12, Matthew 18:4, Mark 1:15, Luke 1:33, Luke 9:2, Luke 9:60, Luke 17:20-21, John 18:36, Romans 14:17, 1 Corinthians 4:20, Ephesians 4:1, 2 Peter 1:11, Revelation 1:9, Revelation 11:15).

We believe in one hope, to which we are called...

Jesus Christ, as faithful to His promises, died, rose, and shall come again. For this, we proclaim His Kingdom (Matthew 24:36-44, Matthew 25:1-13, John 14:1-3, Acts 1:11, Ephesians 4:4, Philippians 2:24, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, Titus 2:13, Hebrews 9:28, James 5:7, 2 Peter 3:10, 1 John 2:28, Revelation 22:20).

We believe in the word of God...

Both the Scriptures (written word of God) and logos (revelation, understanding, precept) that we may understand God's direction and purposes for us. We see experience precedes knowledge, production precedes experience, and existence before essence (Deuteronomy 4:10, Joshua 3:9, 2 Samuel 22:31, Psalm 119:42-44, Ecclesiastes 12:9-10, Isaiah 28:9-13, Matthew 8:8, Matthew 13:19-23, Luke 1:2, Luke 4:21, Luke 11:28, Luke 24:27, John 1:1,14, John 2:2, John 8:51, John 19:28,36, Acts 4:31, Acts 13:49, Romans 4:3, Romans 16:26, 1 Corinthians 12:8, 1 Timothy 4:13, 2 Timothy 2:15, 2 Timothy 3:15-17, James 2:8, Hebrews 4:12-13, 2 Peter 1:20, 1 John 2:5-14).

We believe the house of God is for any who seek Him...

We welcome all to come and partake of all God has for us, as His people. We walk in the principle of inclusion; that God calls "whosoever," and "whosoever" comes is welcome. We are more than just an institution or incorporation; we are found family. We stand as a collective of Christian believers who, much like the early church, has become “found family” in a hostile world that doesn’t always understand who we are. Our acceptance is here. Our love is here. Our place is here with God and our spiritual family (Isaiah 56:5-7, Jeremiah 31:3, Haggai 2:5-9, Matthew 7:1-20, Luke 6:42, John 6:37, Romans 2:11, Romans 12:13, Romans 14:1-4, Romans 15:7, Hebrews 13:2, 1 Peter 4:9, 1 John 3:15, Revelation 22:16-17).

Our logo

The SIFT logo has gone through both minor and major revision since its original inception in 2013. In 2021, during the height of the pandemic, we decided the Sanctuary logo needed an update to reflect our movement as a church, both spiritually and theologically. In 2014, it underwent another slight revision.

It is designed to reflect major themes: the upper left corner reflects our worship, prayer, and spiritual gifts; the upper right represents our commission to work in the world, moving in the unity of the Spirit and the ministry of Jesus Christ; the bottom left corner represents ministry service that begins with our baptismal call, and the bottom right corner represents our study of Scripture, bound by our communion, connected to the vine (body of Christ), and our call to stand as the light of the world.

Our major colors: red, black, and white, are found throughout Sanctuary's sub-programs as well. They have been selected as black represents our exterior lives, that which represents temptation and sin. Such reminds us of just how much we need God's grace to deal with our temptations to power, and influence, all of which mean nothing if we do not have God. Red represents the blood of Christ, which changes our entire outlook and experience as human beings. Through the blood, we find the forgiveness we need. White represents the inner man, the part of each one of us that is transformed by Christ and brought into a new spiritual state. It is in that inward, transformed place we discover the heart of our spiritual lives, gifts, study, and impact.

Kingdom Now Podcast

Turning the world upside down with content described as the best in "faith with an edge." Join "the Spitfire," Apostle Dr. Lee Ann B. Marino, as the voice of counter-culture Christianity in her exploration of God's Kingdom in modern times. Featuring interviews, teachings, and viewpoints that don't always fall in line with mainline perspectives, but always present the Kingdom of God, right now, as we live it today.

The Kingdom Now podcast features frequent guests from Sanctuary, including round table discussions by Sanctuary's leaders and the occasional group podcast with every present member there on that day. As the official voice of our movement, it is representative of thoughts, ideas, and explorations relevant to members of our church and beyond.

A top-twenty percentile program, Kingdom Now is one of the first podcasts to openly explore queer themes such as asexuality and aromanticism, dating for both asexuals and aromantics, and general faith issues and concepts from the queer perspective (beyond the binaries of gay and straight), Kingdom Now is heard across the United States and in over one hundred and twenty countries.

The rainbow

We chose the rainbow as a symbol because it is a powerful representation of covenant, revolution, and diversity. In modern times, the rainbow is often associated with the LGBTQ+ community; by extension, it also represents diversity. We use it for these purposes, as well as to echo the promise of God’s covenant with humanity throughout history. The second covenant made in history (after the promise to send the Messiah in Genesis 3) was with Noah. The rainbow stands as a symbol of God’s promise to never flood the earth again. God instituted times and seasons, seedtime and harvest, for as long as earth remains. In other words, the rainbow is a powerful symbol of God's grace. Every time the rainbow appears in the sky, it proves we have a God Who loves and cares about each one of us. He has created us differently, but He loves us all with the same powerful and abiding love.

The rainbow has been used throughout history as a sign of revolution and impending change. It was used during the German Peasants’ War by Reformationists in the 16th century, is a sign of peace in Italy, as an LGBTQ+ symbol, for the 1970s Rainbow Coalition that stood against discrimination and separatism, in South Africa as a post-apartheid symbol, and for various other social movements since the 1970s. We use it in this same tradition, as diversity is first spiritual, then social. In this , we welcome and embrace all people to worship with us, find refuge and safety, and the love of God here in this place.