Church Covenant, Vision Statement, and Open & Affirming Statement

Jump to: Saugatuck Congregational Church Covenant | Vision Statement | Open & Affirming Statement

Saugatuck Congregational Church Covenant

We the members of Saugatuck Congregational Church acknowledge and celebrate the tangible presence of God in our lives as revealed in Jesus Christ. We recognize that loving faithfulness to God is best manifested in our loving faithfulness to one another and our earth. Therefore, we covenant with God and each other to strive to follow Christ's way, walking with our brothers and sisters in faithfulness to Christ's command to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. We accept as our responsibility the worship of God, the witness and fellowship of this faith community and the task of life-long education in the faith. We claim as our mission the promotion of justice, peace and human dignity in both word and deed. In all these things we bind ourselves to follow the Holy Spirit as revealed in the scriptures, in tradition and in our own experience.

To practice the covenantal relationship that we affirm we commit ourselves to:

Praising God by:

• Welcoming and practicing hospitality toward all people as children of God;
• Nurturing the children in our midst in the Christian faith and the values expressed in this covenant;
• Caring as faithful stewards for God's earth and all of God's gifts;
• Participating, as a relevant part of the greater community, in meeting the unfolding needs, physical and spiritual, of all of God's people; and
• Relating to other faith communities and religions in a covenantal manner, honoring and respecting the work and ministry of each of them.

Affirming our unity in Christ and our love for one another by:

• Demonstrating our commitment to our church with prayers, presence, gifts and service;
• Respecting, trusting and honoring our ordained pastors and lay leaders and remaining open to their transformational leadership;
• Working cooperatively to build a shared vision for the future, giving priority to the well-being of the church family;
• Listening with open and non-judgmental minds to the words and ideas of others;
• Communication openly in a spirit of trust, love and respect and seeking constructive solutions to problems; and
• Forgiving one another for our failings, as we expect to receive forgiveness ourselves.

Following the path of Jesus by:

• Praying, to thank God and ask God's help in our lives and our church;
• Listening to God's response and always humbly seeking to do God's will.

To the end that we may be, become and do what God intends for us.

Saugatuck Congregational Church Vision Statement

A Community of Christ
Welcoming All People
Learning to Love and Serve
God and Neighbor

Saugatuck Congregational Church
Open & Affirming Statement

We, the members of Saugatuck Congregational Church, United Church of Christ, believe that all people are created in the spiritual image of God, and that God's love and grace are given to all. Therefore, in accordance with our Vision Statement, we welcome anyone who seeks God into the fellowship, worship, and work of this church without regard to their race, ancestry, age, physical or mental ability, gender, sexual orientation, social and economic status or religious background.