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"The harvest is so great, and the workers are few," he told
his disciples. "So pray to the one in charge of the harvesting, and
ask him to recruit more workers for the harvest fields." - Matthew 9:37-38
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A Statement of St. John's Identity and Core Values
A Community
Called as we are to continue in the teaching and
fellowship of Jesus Christ and
his apostles, St. John's seeks to be a
caring and inclusive community of faith that values and lives into the
common bond as fellow travelers on a journey towards God. St. John's
wholeheartedly welcomes the stranger, the seeker, the visitor- in short, all
persons wherever
they are on their spiritual journey.
Disciples formed by Holy Habits
With Jesus Christ as the foundation, St. John's commits
itself to the path of
continual formation and reformation into the likeness
of him who died and rose for us.
Towards that end, St. John's pledges itself to adopt the
following Holy Habits as both a personal and corporate Rule of Life in order
to help everyone to work, pray,
and give for the spread of God's kingdom:
- First, St. John's accepts the Biblical Tithe as the standard for our
giving and commit ourselves to be faithful stewards of the resources God
has entrusted to our care;
- Second, St. John's will regularly participate in corporate prayer and
worship, especially the Sunday Holy Eucharist;
- Third, St. John's will engage in the personal disciplines of daily
prayer and study, especially the study of Holy Scripture, and participate
in education and spiritual growth opportunities by our parish and our
Diocese;
- Fourth, St. John's commits to taking regular Sabbath time for rest,
reflection, and spiritual renewal.
Further, St. John's Pledges to nurture and
care for the spiritual needs of children and youth. St. John's will
guide them towards becoming disciples in Christ by providing educational
programming, and by incorporating them into leadership opportunities at
worship, in our Outreach programs, and in all other age appropriate ways.
This reflects the Church's belief that, by virtue of their Baptism, young
people are not just the church of tomorrow
but are full members of the
church right now.
A Sent Community
With the Great Commandment and Great Commission as
our guideposts, St. John's acknowledges that it must be focused on mission
rather than maintenance of the
status quo, and thus, we are sent into
the world by God as his apostles.
Therefore, St. John's commits to
intentionally reaching out to the unchurched persons by proving worship,
hospitality, and nurturing that is sensitive to the needs of seekers.
St. John's further commits to
ministering to all persons, especially those
living on the margins of
society, by living into our Baptismal Covenant which calls us to strive for
justice and peace among all persons at the local, national, and global
levels.
We will seek to participate in mission oriented opportunities
provided by the
Episcopal Church and the Diocese of Pennsylvania. |