Mission is more than a statement. It's a way of being.
We affirm the call to be a servant of Christ and a steward of the Gospel through worship, education, and mission.
We are a community of memory and hope, living out of our tradition and living into a vision of God's purposes. As believers who share a common faith in God as known in Jesus Christ, we welcome diversity as a sign of God's varied grace among us.
We welcome the pluralism and ambiguities of urban life as the context given by God to love our neighbors and manifest the Gospel.
We affirm that the church does not live for itself; we are to be an instrument of grace, wisdom, and compassion and a witness to God's activity in our midst.
We shall marshal and manage our resources to be effective stewards for the continuing vitality of mission.
Reminded that “new occasions teach new duties”, we embrace change and commit ourselves to discerning the responsibilities and opportunities to which God calls us in each new day.
We make these commitments for the direction of our life and ministry:
We will glorify God in our worship and service,
“equipping the saints" to show the good news of Jesus
Christ by the story we tell, by the values we live,
by the choices we make;
We will grow in faith, manifesting its joy and risk,
nurturing new generations in its promises, and inviting
others to share the journey;
We will attend to human need in both congregation
and world, address the issues of our time in dialogue
with our faith, and affirm the love and teachings of
Jesus Christ through our mission.
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1 James Russell Lowell, “Once To Every Man and Nation” (1845)
2 The words of the Apostle Paul (Ephesians 4:12)