We have a vision statement!
Depending who you talk to on the Discernment and Visioning Team, this either took one meeting or six years. 🙂 Either way we are excited about it.
Our vision statement: Energizing downtown Rockford and beyond with God’s grace.
There it is. We think this can really guide us to do and be God’s mission for the coming years. I said recently from the pulpit: Some people might say, “Energize downtown Rockford?? Are you crazy?” Well, yes we are. Crazy enough to believe that God has put us here for a reason, that neither church left downtown when they had ample opportunity to do so. Crazy enough to know that God can do immeasurably more than even we can imagine. Crazy enough to trust we will see God’s grace at work as we align ourselves in this very place with justice, compassion and mercy.
But our mission doesn’t stop downtown. “And beyond” takes us to where we live, work, serve and play. We follow God’s calling to Winnebago and Pecatonica, to Roscoe and Rockton, to Oklahoma and Angola. This is all about God’s grace and with God’s grace. One of the first things that I was drawn to when I started to learn about this congregation was God’s grace. You seek to be gracious with one another and you understand God to be a God of grace. What an important message for us to take to our community that God does not want us to be confined to a box of rules and limitations, but rather that God sets us free to love, to experience abundant life and ensure others can, too.
Energizing downtown Rockford and beyond with God’s grace.
I am excited to be on this journey with you.
Peace,
Rebecca
P.S. We have a mission statement, too. More on this soon. Second First Church seeks to love, know and worship God by welcoming all people, serving our neighbors and sharing God’s Grace.[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]