OUR VALUES
Our Lead Academy have been looking at our church values which are:
* Unity * Grace * Hospitality * Humility
Unity:
Our Unity serves God’s mission to share his love in our communities
Belonging to God
Belonging to each other
Belonging together
Belonging in our communities
Being stronger together
Being able to challenge each other
Being interdependent
Being able to ‘give way’ if our good ideas are superseded by better ones
Being able to discuss, value and critique each other’s contributions so that we move forward
Enjoying each other’s company
When one person is honoured, we all celebrate
When one person suffers, we all suffer
When making a decision, if we all agree, we have a common mind
When making a decision, if we disagree, we try to disagree well and continue working well together
We appreciate what each of us brings and find ourselves richer, wiser, more creative and having more fun when we are together
Our unity is rooted in our dynamic God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Hospitality:
How do we define Hospitality?
Reaching out to others and welcoming them.
Encouraging acceptance of all.
Sharing what we have – one young boy offering his 5 loaves and 2 fish to Jesus to feed the 5,000.
The Good Samaritan responding to the needs of the injured man by caring for him.
God uses young and old alike and each person’s gifts.
Welcoming – and making space for all at the table – in our homes – in our lives – at Holy Communion.
Learning from others and welcoming what they offer.
Being open to others’ experiences, especially when different to our own.
Building others up by being supportive and encouraging.
Offering the hospitality of listening.
Being open to receiving hospitality ourselves.
Receiving the hospitality of God.
The invitation is for everyone - there is room for all, so will you join us in demonstrating hospitality, by showing God’s love in action in our communities?
Humility:
What do we mean by Humility?
Humility is the quality of being humble.
Having a right sense of who we are.
Before God.
Before others.
We show humility when we
Choose to trust and rely on God’s grace
Choose to live simply, respectfully, sacrificially
Choose not to think too highly of ourselves
Choose to listen to others
Choose to put others first
Choose to forgive because we have been forgiven much
Choose to serve the needs of others
Choose to give God the credit.
As we show humility, we honour God and make his love known.
Look out for more on Humility in the months to come.
Grace:
What’s grace?
A son demanded his inheritance from his father and travelled far from home. He wasted his money having a wild time and was soon penniless and hungry. When he was at rock bottom he came to his senses and set off for home. While he was still a long way off, his father who had been looking out for him every day, ran to meet him, hugged and kissed him and threw a party like you’ve never seen before!
That’s grace!
Welcoming and forgiving.
Liberating.
Love without strings attached.
Overflowing generosity.
Unearned and unlimited.
The love of God,
shown to us in Jesus.
We love because he loved us first.