What We Believe

As an Open and Affirming/Just Peace Congregation, we affirm that we are progressive people of faith.  We are uncomfortable with rigid statements of belief and narrow minded dogma.   Yet there are some common understandings which continue to shape our lives, both individually and in community with others.  These we seek to affirm and celebrate:

We celebrate that our lives are continually in relationship: with those in our lives presently, those who have gone before us, and with those of our ancestry; with all of creation; and with the ‘CREATIVITY’ present at the origins of the universe.  Over billions of years this ‘CREATIVITY’ has undergone countless transformations, and we and all other life are its emerging products. Thus we are called to live in community, respecting all human beings, all life forms, our planet and universe. 

We affirm there is a presence in the midst of our lives, sensed as both within and beyond ourselves, which can transform us.  We describe this presence as GOD, particularly GOD who loves and a GOD whose very essence is LOVE.  We recognize all attempts at understanding and attributing meaning to this presence.  Ultimately, we affirm the awe-inspiring sacred mystery of the divine in our midst.

We especially honor the one called Jesus, a first century Jewish prophet and mystic.  He was a  visionary teacher who invited others to a life of integrity, justice, and inclusiveness, and to adopt a mission of loving GOD, neighbor, and self with all of our hearts, minds, and strength.  As we too share in this vision, we affirm the significance of his life and teachings, while claiming to be ‘followers of Jesus’.

We read the Hebrew and Christian scriptures known as the Bible.  It forms an indispensable part of our tradition and personal journeys.  We claim the right and responsibility to question and interpret its texts, empowered by critical biblical scholarship as well as from our own life experiences.  We accept that other sources – stories, poems and songs – imaginative pictures of human life both modern and ancient, can nurture us and others, in a celebration of the ‘sacred’ in life.

We recognize there are many paths to GOD, the ‘sacred’, the awe-inspiring mystery.  We respect the diversity and pluralism of our sisters and brothers of other faith traditions, even when we might disagree.  We reject all attempts to convert others!  And we encourage folks to explore their spirituality through various methods and means.

We try our best to walk a path of inclusion and integrity that involves living responsible and compassionate lives in community with others.  Such a path asks us to stand in solidarity with those who find themselves on the margins of society.  It entails non-violent peacemaking and compassionate forgiveness.  It invites passion and action for social justice, and stewardship of the earth and all its life forms.  It encourages humor, challenge, and acts of generosity.  At its center is an awareness of oneness: one with the ‘sacred’, with ourselves, with others, with the universe.