Musings Along Life's Way: Our Vision and Mission Statement

Making God’s Love Visible
Warm and welcoming, dynamic and diverse,

we come together with open arms

to renew our spirits, challenge our minds,

and celebrate Christ in our midst.

Excited and enlivened by the Holy Spirit,

we are transformed.

Reaching out, we become what our hearts can see.

Over the next few weeks, I have decided to write about our Vision and Mission Statement. This statement is meant as a concise statement as to our values and purpose as a church of Jesus Christ. It is divided into two parts. Part One is our Vision, a simple phrase which holds the overall purpose of our particular gathering of God's people. This statement reads, "Making God's Love Visible." Part Two is our Mission. I will write about our Vision this week, and our Mission over successive weeks.

Usually when people speak of vision, they are speaking of an over-the-horizon/not yet kind of thing. "We aren't there yet, but we hope to be soon," would be a way of stating this conventional approach to vision. Stated in this way a vision is a commitment to the future, off and away, decidedly "not yet." What you'll notice about our statement of vision is that we are already doing it, we are in the process of making (it is happening now) God's love visible. There is a quality of "already" in our statement even as it acknowledges that we are in process and that the fulfillment of our vision is "not yet." This is what makes our vision statement interesting -- it is already and not yet. There is a taste of this in John Robinson's famous words in his farewell sermon to the Pilgrims as they set sail from Holland in 1620: “God hath yet more light and truth to break forth from God’s Holy Word." This statement, at the core of our denomination's God is Still Speaking Campaign acknowledges the truth that is and affirms the truth yet to be revealed.

Our vision statement states well who we are and who we are to be. "Making God's Love Visible" we celebrate the concern, caring and love that we experience in community, in worship, and around Circles. "Making God's Love Visible" we pray and work for peace and justice in Iraq, in Burma and in the 9th Ward of New Orleans. "Making God's Love Visible" we celebrate the humanity of all people, the divine spark of grace that resides in all, "no matter who they are, or where they are on life's journey." Making God's Love Visible we embrace our identity as an Open and Affirming, God is Still Speaking church, remembering that God's radical hospitality, God's all encompassing love is inclusive of all.

Next Week I'll write a bit about our Mission Statement which begins with the phrase, "Warm and welcoming, dynamic and diverse, we come together with open arms.

Blessings,
David