Over the last 12 months (pretty much the life of this blog), I have been mentioning all the work that has been accomplished by the Discernment committee. All the work came to fruition today when a Congregational meeting approved the Vision, Mission, and Value statements. I had been refraining from putting up the finished product until it was approved, so now that it has been I can put it up here.

Vision Statement:

Esquimalt United Church
is a community of everyday people
following Christ on a never ending spiritual journey.

Mission Statement:

Esquimalt United Church:
- seeks to be a spiritual centre where everyone may find
a safe and welcoming place to explore the mystery of faith.
- welcomes all people into a relationship with Jesus Christ
- nurtures faith through worship that touches the heart
and through studying God's story.
- seeks to live our faith in our daily lives

Values:

- We believe that God loves everyone unconditionally.
- We believe in God's forgiveness and grace.
- We believe that Christ's love brings joy,
wholeness and transformed lives.
- We believe that Christ's love is shown through respect,
acceptance and support of all of the diverse parts of God's family.
- We believe in sharing Christ's love in our community
by working side by side with others.

And there you have it: a glimpse into who we are and who we would like to become.

The Discernment committee has now completed its task and will be disbanded immediately after our last meeting tomorrow night. It is a potluck supper to celebrate all of our accomplishments. Another committee is taking its place in the fall to start working on the changes that need to be done to help us become the church of the vision.

God Bless You!

PS: Our music director had a mishap with one of his pieces of music this morning: it went missing. It was on the floor and was probably picked up by our new custodian. It was a loose copy of a hymn which I have in my "The Faith We Sing" book, which is the supplement to the United Methodist church hymnal. To prevent this problem from re-occurring, I have ordered another copy of my book and will give it to Brooke.