Valois United Church

Isaiah 61:1-3

Psalm 121 (Sung) on Page 842 of Voices United

Luke 4:14-30
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Jesus arrives in Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and he walks into the synagogue on the Sabbath. It was not unusual for people to have a visiting teacher read from the Scriptures, and then make some comment upon it.

Of course, in the case of Jesus, there would have been a bit of mixed feeling:
this is the kid who grew up here just a few years ago
this is the one who we have heard of teaching elsewhere
So... who is this?
Should he read?
Should we listen to him?
Does he have anything to tell us?

But, with all this, he is handed the scroll, and he reads the appointed reading from Isaiah, and it becomes, as we look at the Gospel of Luke, it becomes a statement of his mission.

It is helpful to us that we know his mission statement.
It may well have been helpful to him, too.

For us as individuals, we could each write our own statements about what our purposes are.

For us as congregation.... we can write our mission statement too.

Why bother? Don’t we know what we’re doing?
Well, it makes things explicit, and therefore clear.
Then we can make sure that we are pulling in the same direction.

I had an image of one congregation of the people being like a bunch of energetic sled dogs.... pulling hard, and with enthusiasm. Only problem - they were pulling in all sorts of directions, and so there was no movement. They had no focus in their mission. They had no agreement on what their mission was.

Why bother with a Mission Statement?
Then we know where we are going..... and we can achieve something together.

Then we have better focus.

I think of a Fresnel lense that I had years ago - a square of plastic, with concentric circles.... but they were all formed to focus the light together. In fact, it was enough that I could burn marks in bricks

With a mission statement, we focus our energy in limited directions:
and there is an effect.

So, in the Interim Transition Committee we drafted a statement
It is important that it fits reality – the reality of the congregation.
Or the reality is worked on to fit the statement.

I remember one church, where the mission statement was short and concise:
“The mission of xyz United it to bring the light of Christ to the Community”

A beautiful statement. I love it. Positive, upbeat, recognizes that it is a community of faith - not a social organization - that it is a community of faith based on Christ. And it says that the work of the congregation is to continually take that light to the community around it.

Problem: they never went out into the community. Community outreach was in the capable hands of the R.C. church in that particular place.

And they did not do a whole lot of outreach through M&S either, as they put the photocopier repairs ahead of M&S donations.

Indeed, mostly the mission of that congregation was often just to make sure that the doors were open on Sunday morning.

Well, if that was their mission, that is what needed to be written down. Honestly and clearly. “Our mission is to enable ourselves to gather for worship every week.”

When we do that, honestly, then we may see that we need to push things. Maybe the mission statement needs to become an objective for that group
Our mission is to enable wholesome worship and to enable spiritual growth.
....
Would have meant some more work.....

Some ask:
Is not the mission statement of one congregation the same as the next?
Why bother writing a mission statement: they’ll all be about the same....
It is the mission of Faith Baptist Church to bring glory to God by loving Him and others through...

* Fellowshiping with God's people through membership and commitment to each other;
* Adoring our Savior and God through public worship and praise;
* Involving God's people in serving Him and others by...
* Training and equipping them through preaching, teaching, and discipleship; so that we might be...
* Harvesting souls for God's Kingdom on earth and in heaven.
OR

Inspired by the Christian Gospel which nurtures, empowers and liberates,
Our congregation is an inner city ministry
Called by the Spirit to be a part of the Downtown Eastside.
this ministry:
* affirms the worth of individuals
* empowers communities, and
* works for social justice.

So.... for the Valois United Church??
I don’t think either of these examples works.
And even taking examples from your neighbouring United Church’s will not be the right fit.

One of my challenges that I gave when I began meeting the Transition Committee was for the congregation to come up with a reason for existence.

Why does it matter if Valois United is here?
If this is a church, and not just a social organization,
then it needs to have a mission, a purpose, rooted in faith.
And for that mission to permeate the work of the congregation,
it needs to be clear enough that it can be written down.

And then we can share it with others.
On Friday night I was at another church, of another denomination, and I saw the mission statement up on the bulletin board. And I knew what they were about, I knew how they identified themselves.

Well, when someone comes into this congregation, if you have an accurate mission statement then you immediately have a way of “introducing yourself” as a congregation, to a newcomer - a newcomer who walks in the door, or browses your website.

Why does it matter if Valois United is here?
A mission statement will help us to answer that question.
A mission statement will help us to focus our energies.
A mission statement will increase the sense of unity and community in the congregation.
And a mission statement will make clear that we’re here for God’s work - not just because getting together is great.

So today we will work together, during a part of our AGM, on the Congregation’s mission statement.
Be a part of the present.
Be a part of the visioning.
Be a part of the future.
Let us seek God’s vision as we work toward a Mission Statement for Valois United.