core values
Discernment as Covenant Community
Note: this was originally written by our Association Minister, Rev. Dr. Janine Wilson on Sunday, 8 Nov after she worshiped with us and was present for the meeting after church. It first appeared in the Central Southeast Ohio Association blog, but we wanted to be sure it was shared with our congregation, too. Grace United Church of Christ Lancaster, Ohio When it comes to the picture, my cell phone sells it short, but when it comes to caring for one…
It Is Time
by Jim Clausing A few weeks ago, the United States Supreme Court ruled that same-sex couples were entitled to equal protection under the law which made same-sex marriage legal everywhere in the United States. This decision has been hailed by some and met with anger and dismay by others, both of those reactions have been seen in our midst. The question now is, as Christians, followers of Christ, how is God calling us to respond to that, especially in light…
Core Values: Part 5 – Welcoming Community
Note: This final entry in our core value series of posts was authored by the chair of our search committee, Johanna Pearce In recent months, as our congregation worked through the process of becoming ready for a new pastor, we sought to identify our core values. As we talked, the word welcoming echoed through discussions. Everyone seemed to believe Grace welcomes those who join us for worship, fellowship, VBS, chicken noodle supper, mission, outreach, and more. Folks said one of…
Core Values: Part 4 – Faith
This blog post for our Core Values series is based on one of the central ideas of all of Christianity: faith. It almost seems redundant to call this a central idea of Christianity, because faith itself is often defined as a set of ideas. Throughout the Gospels, Jesus encourages his disciples to believe in him as the Messiah, and that through this belief we gain eternal life (John 5:24). This is only part of the picture of faith that the…
Core Values: Part 3 – Fun/Joy
As I review the core values selected by our church, I am so pleased at how many touch upon the Fruit of the Spirit. As we read in Galations 5:22 But the Fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness. I was particularly happy that fun/joy was included. For me, church is a joyous experience. It fills me. It makes me whole. It gives me peace and joy. Nothing is a better example of this than…
Core Values: Part 2 – Leadership
This is our second of five posts introducing and discussing the core values discerned at our congregational gathering in September 2013, this time the core value is leadership. This one actually came as a bit of a surprise to me when the search committee tabulated the results from the event in September. I really expected to see “mission” here, the more I thought about it, though, it did make some sense. There are several important aspects to this core value.…
Core Values: Part 1 – Love
On Maundy Thursday, we read from the Gospel of John, this year (Year A of the Revised Common Lectionary). In particular, we read John 13:34-35, I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. Similarly, in Matthew 22:36-40 we read, “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?”…
Core Values: Part 0
When we began our pastoral search process, Pastor Dennis took the search committee through the book Moving Off the Map, by Thomas Bandy. As part of this process, last September, one Sunday after church, the search committee led the congregation through a process to discern our core values. This is the first step in a process that we anticipate will continue after we call a settled pastor with the articulation of a vision and a mission statement. Over the next…