Mission
Welcome and inspire ALL with grace, courage and love.
Welcome
“Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.” Romans 15:7
We commit to be a community that receives and accepts people of all different backgrounds and abilities. To welcome all people is to see them and to know them for who they are. To welcome is to promise that all people can gather together in this place. When we celebrate Holy Communion and the Lord’s table is set; it is open to all who hear God’s call of forgiveness and love.
Inspire
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11 /
“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another — and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” Hebrews 10:24-25
In everything that we do, we hope to be “inspired” by God. That is, we hope that we are being influenced and led by God. That does not mean that God has given us a checklist of what the next 3-5 years looks like for our congregation, but we promise to meet together in prayer and worship so that we are directed by the Holy Spirit. God’s plan for us may not be specific (we will create the strategy), but God wants for us to prosper as God’s community. It is through God’s inspiration in us that we are able to encourage others. Our inspiring others is done in love and good deeds for God and with God.
ALL
“for in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith. As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.” Galatians 3:26-28
Our goal is that ALL will find a place at Calvary Lutheran Church. Each member, each person, can be who they were created to be by God when we worship, fellowship and serve together. Our goal is that we see each person as a beloved child of God, a unique individual with God-given gifts to share. We welcome those of different backgrounds, family configurations, race, culture and sexual orientation. When we mean ALL are welcome, we truly mean ALL. We want to make a bigger table so that all may be fed by God’s love and grace. We hope to see all people as a “reflection of the very heart of God.” (Pavlovitz)
Grace
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9
It is always a good reminder that the grace we have is God’s grace and not our own. When we know that, we are better able to reach out to all our neighbors through God. God’s grace means that God knows everything about us and still loves us. God’s love for us doesn’t make any sense; it’s not something that we deserve, but we are given God’s gifts of love, support and forgiveness anyway. Grace is a free gift from God and we cannot do anything to earn it (even though we may try).
COURAGE
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9
It takes strength and courage to live as God’s people in the world. It takes strength and courage to reach out to people that we may not know. The courage that we receive from God is what helps us see all people as God’s beloved. It is the courage from God that also helps us invite people just as they are to be a part of who we are. It takes courage for someone new to accept the invitation to be a part of our community. We are connected through God’s courage.
Love
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” John 3:16-17 /
“A new command I give you: love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” John 13:34
If it’s simply about loving God, we might do okay. However, since part of loving God is loving one another, we find ourselves in need of help. Thankfully, the love that we show others is God’s love and not our own. And because God loves us and nothing can take that away; we are able to go about the hard work of loving our neighbors — all our neighbors. It’s easy to love people who are like us; it’s a lot harder to love people that we don’t know, we don’t understand, or people we see as different from ourselves. We love out of the love first given to ourselves. We love because the world often doesn’t. And with God’s love for us, we are able to enter into the lives of others.