Our Mission Context

Our community is home and we take great pride in it, but we realize that it faces many challenges. We are growing on two fronts; our population is increasing along with the level of overall diversity. We are concerned about community problems and distressed with the breakdown of economic and social conditions. Of even greater concern is the loss of Jesus Christ as the spiritual foundation for living. Receptivity to issues of faith is very low and this presents a serious challenge to our mission efforts.

According to the Context Report and data gathered from the Reflection Groups:

1. We responded as a congregation that our relationships were strong, whether it be our relationships with God, our spouse or our children. However, in the reflection groups we expressed a strong desire to have deeper and more loving relationships within the church body.
2. Our church membership does not fully reflect our community. We are much less diverse, better educated and in a higher income bracket. Consequently, there are differences between the kinds of church programs we want and what the community is likely to want. Also, we differ from the community regarding worship styles which creates a barrier between us. Without intentional efforts on our part, this difference will continue to reinforce that barrier.
3. Our congregation is relatively content with a number of our church ministries. However, there seems to be a lack of awareness of ministries provided through our church by the body in general. Church members express concern about our children and youth not being a visible part of the body at large. Many of our youth don't feel as though they are valued members of the church family.

As mentioned earlier, in several cases the programs we offer differ from what the community and/or congregation desires. Consider these programs which are desired, but not offered through our church:

• Both the community and our congregation express a real hunger for adult-level theological discussion.
• The community indicates a strong desire for entertainment and recreational programs such as family picnics, barbecues, active retirement opportunities, and sports.
• Both the community and the congregation desire education and training on family issues.

We share with our community a common concern for its overall health. This is especially evident in the concern for community safety.