To help people find and fulfill God’s plan for their lives.

 What did God do when He entered our world in the form of Jesus and walked with us? He redeemed people. What did He tell His disciples to do? He told them to redeem people. Go the lost, confused people right here in the neighborhood. Tell them that the kingdom is here. Go outside, where Jesus is, where the action is - not trying to be privileged insiders, but taking our share in the abuse of Jesus. Matthew 10:6, Hebrews 13:13-14

 Years ago, Mechanicsburg Brethren in Christ Church [McBIC] wanted to plant a new church in the Dillsburg South area to reach and redeem people. They did just that. A group of people left McBIC to plant MRC. The reason MRC was created was to be focused specifically on reaching people who are dying and going to hell. People who are dying in their souls because the enemy has so badly beaten them down. That means people who need God are our priority. During His time on earth, Jesus talked about this very issue.

 “Suppose one of you had a hundred sheep and lost one. Wouldn't you leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the lost one until you found it? When found, you can be sure you would put it across your shoulders, rejoicing, and when you got home call in your friends and neighbors, saying, 'Celebrate with me! I've found my lost sheep!' Count on it - there's more joy in heaven over one sinner's rescued life than over ninety-nine good people in no need of rescue.” MSG Luke 15:4-7

 Did you see what Jesus was saying? Lost people matter to God so much that they are His priority. In fact, ‘...there's more joy in heaven over one sinner's rescued life than over ninety-nine good people in no need of rescue.’ Simply put, lost people matter more than church people and their likes and dislikes. Jesus is willing to leave church people to find the lost. If you attend church, that might offend you because inside you are thinking, “What about community?” The truth is, the focus on the lost that Jesus had even offended the church people of his day called Pharisees. When the Pharisees saw Jesus keeping this kind of company, they had a fit, and lit into Jesus' followers.

 "What kind of example is this from your Teacher, acting cozy with crooks and riff-raff?" Jesus, overhearing, shot back, "Who needs a doctor: the healthy or the sick? Go figure out what this Scripture means: 'I'm after mercy, not religion.' I'm here to invite outsiders, not coddle insiders." MSG Matthew 9:11-13

 Wow. If you are a Christian, can you imagine Jesus looking over the dinner table to you and saying, ‘I’m not here to entertain you and make you happy. My mission is bigger than you. I’m here to reach the lost.’ That’s MRC. A place that doesn’t hint at it but actually says it. We encourage people, to exchange their self serving agenda for a bigger agenda. A God agenda of working with others to reach the lost. This, of course, demands maturity. The maturity to know that church isn’t about ‘me’ and my likes and dislikes. Church has a bigger calling than ‘me’. As Jesus told us, it’s about the lost. Your personal relationship with God, at home, is all about ‘me’ but church is different. It’s a special place where we join together as an unrelenting, unapologetic spiritual army to live out the God mission of redemption. So at MRC, we like to say, ‘We are unapologetically passionate about people.’ It’s our goal, our focus and passion to create a place of hope for the hopeless and to defend the defenseless.

Our biggest challenge, by far, is religion. By religion, I mean, someone who says, “I go to church, but I AM STILL IN CONTROL.” It always leads to being focused on rules and all the relationships around religion begin to break down. I say this because religion always produces people who are inward focused. Relationship with God, however, always produces outward focused people. This is a very big deal in a church organization or family because if it is filled with religious people, that church will focus inward and be very upset with ‘new people’ and say, “But what about me?” Their energy and time is always focused on ‘me’ and ‘us’ and being fed. A church filled with individuals who are redeemed by God’s grace would do anything to give to others what they have experienced.