First Church Vision Statement 2016

First Church is called to be a community of grounding, of grace, and of courage for the common good…

Grounded in God, our hope and our healing:

in God whom we know and experience,
who draws us to wonder and awe, beauty and love;
in the God who is within and between us;
in the God of nature’s grandeur and creation’s splendor;
in the God of all our ancestors,
whom we know from generation to generation

Growing in community with Jesus our center:

in community where we honor and welcome each other’s gifts, joys, and sorrows;
where we are vulnerable about our weakness and failures;
where we hold each other accountable and call each other beloved;
where we are challenged to love ourselves and one another across differences;
where we seek to follow Jesus’ way of compassion and mercy

Acting in love, made bold by the Spirit:

acting together with people of all faiths and conscience;
holding fast to the promise of a shared future;
responding together with urgency for our beautiful yet broken world;
acting as a community of love and resistance to racism, oppression, and violence;
acting boldly with the Spirit as our courage and solace