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On December 8, 2002, the United Church of Rogers Park and Wheadon United Methodist
Church merged to
become "The New" United Church of Rogers Park. At that time, the new
church affirmed the mission statements of both congregations. It was agreed
that both mission statements would stand until which time as the new church
adopted a new mission statement. The following statements stand as another
window into who we are as United
Church.
Mission Statement and Affirmative Action Plan of the
United Church
of Rogers Park
The United Church of Rogers Park - a diverse, urban congregation -
seeks, by thinking globally and acting locally, to make known God's love
for persons of all races, ethnic groups, sexual orientations,
physical/mental abilities, and classes. Drawing membership primarily from
East Rogers Park and serving persons in all stages of the life cycle, United Church will:
- provide the means
for spiritual formation through worship, prayer and study;
- create an atmosphere
for redemptive interpersonal relations, confront our personal and
institutional racism and homophobia, and build productive community
with all persons;
- secure understanding
of, and commitment to, the Christian faith;
- equip laity for
leadership, advocacy and service, especially in the areas of peace and
justice in ministry to the world;
- serve as a resource
broker for persons in need, especially for children, youth and
families;
- promote and indigenous,
relevant and transformational ministry of the arts;
- make our building
available and safe for ministries and groups that liberate and
transform, and accessible for persons of varying physical abilities.
To implement these goals, we will discipline ourselves until we hear the
cries and laughter around us that the actions and stances we take may be
faithful to the needs around us and to the will of God.
Mission Statement of Wheadon United Methodist Church
The mission of Wheadon
United Methodist
Church is to be an
open and diverse community of faith, living boldly today and into the
future, drawing on a rich and prophetic history. As a congregation and as
individuals, we actively seek justice, dignity and freedom for all people.
We invite persons to share in this Christian community as we nurture and
challenge each other inspired and led by the love of God as expressed in
the liberating life of Jesus.
Values Statements of Wheadon United Methodist Church
We believe in God who is within us and beyond us. We claim God's
power for our daily lives and affirm God's grace sustaining us to meet the
overwhelming needs of the world. Confessing our human imperfection, we
commit ourselves to participating in God's transforming acts which move us
toward justice and God's promise of the New Earth.
We are committed to worship celebration that includes Biblical,
prophetic preaching, life-giving sacraments, and congregational prayer and
dialogue. In keeping with the tradition of John Wesley, we are
committed to individual and communal transformation, self-examination and
growth through experience, spiritual disciplines, and social action.
We are committed to the ministry of the laity. We claim our
individual vocational callings and commit ourselves to lay leadership in
our worship, wide participation, and consensus decision making in all
community matters.
We are committed to inclusive diverse community. We celebrate the
gifts of men, women and children of all ages, and individuals of all races,
ethnic backgrounds and sexual orientations. We support each other on our
life-long spiritual journeys. We seek to be inclusive in our language,
attitudes, and actions.
We are committed to our witness as a reconciling congregation. We
celebrate the full participation of gay men, lesbians, and bi-sexuals,
transgendered persons and their families in the life of our congregation.
We witness against heterosexism in the larger church and community.
We are committed to healing personal and institutional racism within
our community and beyond it. We seek to be racially and ethnically
inclusive, to engage in study and dialogue on racism, and to ally ourselves
with those who suffer from racist violence and discrimination,
collaborating with others working for this purpose.
We are committed to working for political and economic justice.
We work on behalf of victims of oppression within our community and around
the world. This has included making our church a sanctuary for political
refugees from Central America. We pledge
ourselves to work for fair wages, food, housing, health care, and education
for all.
We are committed to ecologic wholeness for the planet that respects
the sacredness of nature. We continue to examine the ecological
consequences of our individual and corporate lifestyles, as we work for
sustainable development.
We are committed to work for peace with justice. We promote
reconciling, non violent, negotiated settlement to conflicts whenever
possible. We seek to transfer destructive military technology and spending
to creative, life-affirming purposes. We have declared our church a nuclear
weapons free zone.
We seek more people to share our journey of discipleship and to
impact the larger world. We want to share our belief that faith lived
with passion in community is sustaining and motivating.
In this and in all things, we open ourselves to the signs of God
which lead us where we did not plan to go.
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