Union Visioning Update
The Visioning Team has been busy involved in a process of discovering and
articulating where our church’s strengths are, and where our hopes and desires
lie for the future. At the Union Congregational Church Council meeting on May
25th, the Visioning Team presented a draft of their work to the Council.
And now... the Visioning Team is excited to share the results of their work with
the congregation.
Please join us on any of these dates:
Sunday, June 20, 2010 . . . . . . . . . . . . After the worship service
Wednesday, June 23, 2010 . . . . . . . . .6:00pm
Sunday, June 27, 2010 . . . . . . . . . . . . After the worship service
We will discuss the draft of Union Congregational Church’s values, mission
statement and ‘ends’. We’ll begin with a short presentation and have plenty of
time for sharing thoughts. Together we will ‘tweak it’ to be the best expression
of our faith community.
The Visioning Team looks forward to seeing you at one of the forums!
VALUES – One word, or a very short phrase, to describe the
transcendent, timeless qualities of our religious community that we want to
carry forward. The Visioning Team felt it was important to use action
verbs to describe Union Congregational Church’s values.
CELEBRATING
COVENANTING
AFFIRMING
JUSTICE-SEEKING
MISSION STATEMENT – a short statement to describe the over-arching
differences we are here in the world to make and to whom. The mission statement
should guide our actions, spell out our overall goal, provide direction, and
guide decision-making.
Union Congregational Church exists to create a celebrating, covenanting,
affirming, justice-seeking faith community that inspires people to unite and
create a peaceful, loving world.
ENDS – the specific measurable differences we want to make and for
whom in the next five years.
1. Union Congregational Church is a whole and vital faith community whose people:
٠Experience doors that are open to all who seek to know the love of God and experience an open invitation to share our rituals and traditions.
٠Gather together with a spirit of joy and celebration.
٠Experience a bold welcome of their questions and gifts.
٠Make a sacred difference in each other’s lives and, together, in the world.2. The people of Union Congregational Church are engaged together in a life of spiritual formation through Christ and are changed by God’s presence. We know our faith tradition and feel connected to the larger United Church of Christ church body.
3. The people of Union Congregational Church discern God’s presence in the beautiful diversity of voices and respond by seeking justice for the silenced, marginalized and oppressed.
4. The people of Union Congregational Church create unity through their relationships and promises to God.† We walk together in all God’s ways with:
٠Nature
٠Each other
٠Our neighbors
٠Other faith traditions, and
٠Other cultures