Who We Are

Our Story

A black church and a majority white church. A downtown church and an East Oakland church.

Churches from different traditions, with different age demographics, worship styles, and mid-week ministries. We came together to form one new, united, multicultural church. Why? Because Jesus told us that whatever the world may say, We. Are. One.

Our Vision

We are people of many cultures woven together into the fabric of Oakland to display the beauty of God's story. 

It can be hard to find a place to belong. Together we can create a community where everyone, regardless of background or culture, knows they are part of the family.

Our Values

At Tapestry, we:

Celebrate Beauty

God’s first word on this world was not a word of condemnation. God’s first word was, “It is very good!” (Genesis 1:31) At the beginning of time, God celebrated the beauty of the world he created. As people made in his image and following his lead, our first word about every person, every neighborhood, and every culture should be “It is very good!” We believe that we are called to notice, recognize, verbalize, and party around the beauty we see in all people and all creation.

Create Peace

Biblical peace is not passive acceptance. It’s an act of creation. Peace in God’s economy is shalom, wholeness and flourishing for all beings and every relationship (Isaiah 9:7). As Dr. King said, true peace is not the absence of conflict but the presence of justice.

We believe that God has made peace with us through the cross of Jesus, establishing peace through justice. Our peace with God gives us the power and motivation to create peace for people, between people, and between people and creation.

Overthrow Fear

Fear is the enemy of peace. Where fear exists, hatred, turmoil, and judgment reign both in our inner lives and in our communities. That’s why we are committed to overthrowing the reign of fear that is dividing our world and holding us all back from being everything God created us to be. 1 John 4:18 tells us that, “There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear.”

God has shown his perfect love to us by sending his own Son as one of us, by dying for us, and by raising from the dead so that even death, that most fearsome enemy, would not strike fear in us anymore. And if we don’t have to be afraid of death, we don’t have to be afraid of anything. And we believe that a fearless community can change the world.