Proclaim – We, as Christians are mandated to proclaim the Gospel message of
Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior to all who will listen and all who will hear that
message. As the Great Commission states in the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 28,
verses 18 – 20, “And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on
earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing
them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Rejoice – There is great joy in our Christian faith, as we are reminded in Psalm118, verse 24, “This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Additionally, in the Letter of Paul to the Philippians, Chapter 4, verse 4, “Rejoice in the LORD always; again I will say, Rejoice.” People will know that we are Christians by the joy that we express through our faith and our willingness to tell others about that joy and love that the LORD has for us.
Serve – People observe us and note that we express our love for the LORD and for our fellow believers through our service to both, with joy in our hearts. We understand that standing on a soapbox and talking down to others does not make new disciples of Christ as much as a loving and serving heart in the service of others. Our desire is to have others emulate us, not based on what we say as much as by what we do.
Unite – We, as a congregation understand that we gave a mandate to be ecumenical and not separate from other Christians. Our congregation represents the best traditions and blending of the Episcopal Church and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and we are united with any who desire to become part of that tradition that welcomes all, loves all, and is based upon the teachings of the Holy Scripture.