Crafting a New Vision and Mission for Old First’s Outreach Work

Crafting a New Vision and Mission for Old First’s Outreach Work

Join us next Sunday, April 19th for an exciting (if slightly different than normal) worship service.

We are beginning to reflect on Old First’s Outreach ministry and together commit to an updated vision and mission for Outreach. 

It’s the first time we’ve revisited out Vision and Mission Statement with an eye towards editing and updating since we approved it in 2008. A lot has changed around Old First, in our city, and our world, since then. And we’d love to have as much input from as many as possible from the beginning…

What’s our Vision and Mission Statement? We’re glad you asked:

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Mission and Vision Statement

As people of an historic and ever-renewing congregation of the United Church of Christ, we seek to know and to share the transforming power of God: Creator, Christ and Holy Spirit,

  • through following the teachings of Jesus Christ, the source of our salvation and the
    head of the Church;
  • through regularly gathering together for vital, Biblically-based worship of our God;
  • through shared life and learning as a community of faith;
  • through personal spiritual practice;
  • through faithful stewardship of our resources: financial, property, and human;
  • through Spirit-led, collaborative decision-making;
  • through love and service to those in need, physically and spiritually;
  • through love and respect for one another;
  • through the full discernment and expression of our God-given individual abilities;
  • through embracing, honoring, encouraging, and learning from the diversity among us;
  • through active engagement with our city and all its people; and
  • through accepting God’s challenge to look beyond our assumptions, to face boldly our questions and doubts, and to reach outside of our every-day comforts.

With God’s help, we strive in faith to be a wellspring of hope for diverse people in our neighborhood, the city, the region and throughout the world.

adopted by the congregation of Old First Reformed United Church of Christ, April 4, 2008

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There have been many changes over the last few years within Outreach (the end of the Men’s Winter Shelter, the creation and hiatus of Sunday dinners, the opening of Old First House, the COVID move to takeaway breakfasts and more recently the move back to sit-down Saturday Breakfasts). So, we are excited to take the time to step back and look forward with fresh eyes… to open a new chapter of outreach by re-defining Old First’s Outreach mission.

We hope that you will join during worship next Sunday April 19th. An additional follow-up meeting will take place after worship on Sunday April 26th to identify priorities to turn our updated vision and mission into action. 
We’re in this together for the difference we can make!