SOME COMMENTARY ON THE VISION “By God's

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SOME COMMENTARY ON THE VISION “By God’s Grace” All that we are, all that we do, and all that we have, come from the Grace of God. God’s Grace is unearned and unconditional. It is by God’s Grace alone that we are able to love and serve. “We will” is an act of volition for now and always, not postponement to some unspecified future time. In Baptism, we pray for “the courage to will and to persevere,” and it is that will that we are expressing in this Vision. “be bold to” We have a responsibility to live our faith robustly, setting audacious goals. We are challenged to dream big, take risks, and be stalwart so that we may—with joy, conviction, and by example—be bold in the service of God. These first seven words together apply equally to all six goals that follow. Going forth from a foundation provided by God, we apply our will in a strong, confident, even daring way. “Deepen our faith” We seek to mature in the knowledge and love of God. This maturity is both personal and, more importantly, corporate. As a church, as a body, as a community that worships and works together, we need to grow together. The more mature our faith is as a whole church, the more “faith-full” we will be as a church. “Inspire Christian witness” To be a witness is to give evidence. We seek to show evidence of our deepening faith by living our lives as Christ instructs us: in how we speak, in how we treat others, in how we set our priorities, in how we make decisions. We will rely on existing committees and ministries to challenge us as individuals and as a Christian community, to “grow up into Christ,” as Paul wrote to the early church. We want children, youth, and adults in every generation to have opportunities to become more faithful and to demonstrate that faith in our daily encounters. “Serve with courage” There are times when serving others requires us to move outside our comfort zones and work in challenging situations, often against seemingly intractable problems, where we will need to call on God to provide us with much needed courage. Simply being a strong Christian community is a challenge requiring courageous leadership and ministry or service. The natural reaction to threats and anxiety is to pull away, retreating from the source of challenge. We believe we are called to be courageous. Another aspect of serving others is to provide an example by which we inspire others to call on God and ask Him for courage so that they, also, can deal with the challenges of daily life. It takes courage to encourage others, to speak of faith and trust in God as our friends face challenging times. “Serve with love” Through the Scriptures we are taught that God is love, to love God with all our hearts, and to love our neighbors as ourselves. We are called to serve God by serving others, and we will do so with an abundance of love, even (and especially) when it is not easy to love. It was clear to the vestry that any vision of our parish would not be complete if we neglect the work of love.

“Extend generous hospitality” It is with open arms and loving hearts that we strive to welcome all to Christ Church. We want to go the extra mile, not stopping at “enough,” but welcoming and hosting with generosity. We seek to do more of what we already do. To use our Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori’s phrase, we at Christ Church must strive to provide “Radical Hospitality.” Ruth has already asked the Outreach Committee to develop a policy for providing hospitality to the charitable organizations and agencies that are our partners in the community. We want to provide a welcome for them and maintain good care of the facilities. “Extend sanctuary” We aim to be a safe and holy place for all to come and know God. Our location and setting can provide a physical sanctuary from the noise and chaos of the modern world. By bringing people to us to experience a respite from the “busy-ness” of their daily lives, we can offer a spiritual sanctuary when the stresses and burdens of life become difficult to bear. We are a challenge to find, being so far off the beaten path of Pennsylvania Avenue or the other major roads. The gift of our seclusion makes it hard for people to get to us. How will we invite others to experience the serenity of our sacred spaces and the beauty of our grounds? “Grow our congregation” We will welcome others to all aspects of our parish life: community, worship, fellowship, formation, outreach, prayer, and pastoral care. We will be conscious in evangelism and organized in our effort. We will communicate with and commit to those who seek God. Again, successive vestries considered God’s call for our future, and each time the vestry discerned our aim for growth in numbers, with more people who feel they belong to this congregation, who claim Christ Church as their spiritual home. “Increase engagement” We seek to expand engagement of all members, whatever their present level of involvement, encouraging them to offer more of their presence and their gifts of time, talent, and treasure. This is the fruitful life, where people of all ages connect to the power of God and to one another through service to others, in prayer, study, and worship, in fellowship and care. We believe Christ Church can have more ministries and more in ministry. That is our aim. “Uphold our Episcopal Identity” We live in a time when traditions are often derided as unnecessary and faith is repackaged as “customer-focused” rather than “God-focused.” While many churches, including Episcopal churches, have abandoned their identity due to declining membership and resources, we are bold not only to claim but to uphold Episcopal worship and the foundation of Scripture, tradition, and reason. This identity is Christ-centered, sacramental, scriptural, and pastoral, responsive to change, and in our baptismal covenant, committed to the work of justice and peace which are signs of the reign of God’s kingdom. We aim to be unabashedly Episcopalian and to know what that means. “Proclaim the movement of the Holy Spirit in our midst” With gratitude, we acknowledge God’s work in our ministries and our parish. We recognize Jesus’ presence in our community to be the joy and the power of the Holy Spirit, living and moving more clearly in our hearts and in our congregation. When we proclaim the Holy Spirit’s presence at work, we express it openly and intentionally.