Our Statement Of Faith

We give thanks to Jesus Christ, the one and only manifestation of God in the flesh, for "Cottage Garden." He alone has provided for all our needs. He alone is our Savior and Lord, and we want this co-op to honor Him. Cottage Garden is an overtly Christian organization and is operated as a Christian non-profit ministry for the benefit of member families.

The following statements represent a good summary of some of the fundamental religious beliefs that are at the core of the ministry and operation of this Co-op:

We believe the Bible to be the inspired, the only infallible, authoritative Word of God. [See, e.g., 2 Tim. 3:15-17; 2 Pet. 1:20-21 and 3:14-16]
We believe that there is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. [See,e.g., Gen. 1:26; Deut. 6:4; Matt. 28:19; 2 Cor. 13:14; I John 5:7]
We believe in the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, in His virgin birth, in His sinless life, in His miracles, in His vicarious and atoning death through his shed blood, in His bodily resurrection, in His ascension to the right hand of the Father, and in His personal return in power and glory. [See, e.g., John 1:14; Luke 1:26-38; Heb. 2:14-18 and 4:15; Acts 2:22; 2 Cor. 5:21; I Pet. 3:18; I Cor. 15: 3-4, 20; Mark 16:6-7, 19; Acts 1:9-11]
We believe that for the salvation of lost and sinful man, regeneration by the Holy Spirit is absolutely essential, and that salvation is by grace alone received through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone as Savior and Lord and not as a result of good works. [See, e.g., John 3:3; Ro. 3:19-26; Eph. 2:1-9]
We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit by whose indwelling the Christian is enabled to live a godly life and to perform good works. [See, e.g., Ro. 8:15-16, 26-27; Eph. 2:10; I John 3:9]
We believe in the resurrection of both the saved and the lost; they that are saved unto resurrection of life and they that are lost unto the resurrection of damnation. [See, e.g., Matt. 25:31-46; John 5:25-29; Acts 17:30-31; Ro. 14:10, 12]
We believe in the spiritual unity of believers in our Lord Jesus Christ. [See, e.g., Eph. 2:11-22 and 4:1-6, 11-13]

Our History

Cottage Garden started in 1996 by 3 families, who originally organized the co-op with the goal of social interaction for their children through fun educational experiences. On the first day that Cottage Garden met, twelve families showed up because news of the co-op had spread by word of mouth. Slowly through the years we have grown to include classes from nursery age children to High School academic classes.

Through Cottage Garden, we seek to:

A. provide classes, activities, and teaching assistance for one another

B. expose our children to the concept of authority outside of the home.

C. enjoy close fellowship and support among children and parents,

D. provide training for new co-ops.

E. provide a system of academic accountability at the secondary school level.