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Statement of Beliefs, Values, Mission, and Vision Adopted By Congregational Meeting, February 26, 2006  Beliefs As Christians . . . We believe in one God, who exists in three persons:     o   the Father – our Creator     o   the Son – Jesus Christ, our Redeemer     o   the Holy Spirit – our Sanctifier We believe Jesus died on the cross for the forgiveness of sins, and now embraces us with all our faults. (1 Corinthians 15:3-4; Romans 5:8; Matthew 11:28-30) We believe Christ rose again in victory over death and, therefore, we walk in newness of life. (Romans 6:1-4) We believe the Good News of Jesus has the power to eternally save, and that God accepts a person by grace alone through faith in Christ. (John 3:16 Romans; 1:16, 3:28; Ephesians 2:8-9) We believe in the Holy Spirit who leads us in the way of truth and holiness. (John 16:13; Galatians 5:16, 22; 1 Peter 1:15-16) We believe the Church, as the priesthood of believers, exists to glorify God, and that all our ministry is to be carried out with this end in view. (Ephesians 1:11-12; Colossians 3:17; 1 Peter 2:9) We believe the Bible is God's inspired, trustworthy, written Word for us. As such, we look to it as our primary authority in matters of faith and life. (2 Timothy 3:16-17) We believe that God rules our lives and that all we are and have are His. (Acts 17:28; Romans 8:14; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20) As Lutherans . . . We believe the three historic creeds of the Church – the Apostles', the Nicene, and the Athanasian Creeds – are true declarations of the Christian faith. We believe the Book of Concord is a faithful and true witness to the Gospel. We accept its writings as valid and authoritative interpretations of the Scriptures and the Church's faith. We believe the sacraments of Baptism and Holy Communion are events in the life of a congregation where God promises to meet us. Through them God extends His grace to us, forgives us our sins, and makes us His own. He bestows His gifts on us and renews us for witness and service in His kingdom. Values Values we hold dear are . . .     o   Passion and reverence for God and all his creation     o   Commitment to Christ, his Church, and the Scriptures     o   Love and compassion for all people     o   Authenticity and integrity in our lives     o   Humility and trust in our dealings with others     o   Generosity with our time, talent, and treasure     o   Based in the past – Open to the future Mission Our Mission is to . . .     o   Reach in to grow in Christ     o   Reach up in worship to God     o   Reach out to welcome and witness Vision Our Vision is to be a flourishing congregation of disciples living out our beliefs and values in Christ to impact our community and world. Top of Page