Working Mission Statements

Module 2 of Ready, Set, Grow is underway. One of the first tasks of the day's meeting is to check in to see how things are going on the way to developing mission statements for our congregations. Each congregation is to bring back a working mission statement - that is, a mission statement in progress.
At the meeting for Eastern Association, several were shared, including:
Living God's love inside and outside the Church

Reach out to the community by supporting UCC ministries

A loving community in the Body of Christ
• bound together by tradition and fellowship,
• growing in faith through the Gospel,
• dedicated to caring for one another, and
• committed to reaching out in mission.

One was initially shared as : Jesus loves you, this we share. Following the day's conversations, including lifting up the United Church of Christ identity and the call to share the good news, this statement was revised to say:
Jesus loves you! This we share,

Notice the punctuation......it isn't simply what we say but how we say it that matters in the sharing of who we are in Christ!

As we discussed reaching out to our neighborhoods and how to do that, we noted the risk involved. One challenged us to change our thinking so we might consider it adventure rather than risk.
Someone asked the question of whether or not we are willing to do a new thing? An addendum came asking, are we willing NOT to do the old thing? Sometimes that is the risk.
One issue for all of us to consider is how to involve new members and visitors once we have welcomed them into our midst? What is it that truly creates community?

A parting topic was the power of testimony in our faith communities. Our mainline denominations have gotten away from the spiritual practice of bearing witness to our faith through telling our stories. Christianity For the Rest of Us by Diana Butler Bass was named as a possible resource lifting up this practice.

What is your faith witness? And how do you share it?