Our Vision
How We Live Into Our Vision
We CHOOSE: We choose to be faithful disciples of Jesus Christ and live out Christian values. We choose to love God and to respond to God’s call to serve and love our neighbors. We also choose to resist evil, injustice and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves.
To be VITAL: To be vital, we must be active rather than passive. The teaching of the Church is relevant as long as it shapes attitudes and actions that arise from it. We, therefore, work toward societies in which each person’s value is recognized, maintained and strengthened. We are committed to acts of compassion and justice in the world as modeled by Jesus Christ, the Son of God and directed by God’s Holy Spirit.
CHRIST-CENTERED CHURCH: We choose to place Jesus Christ at the center of our collective lives and believe the power of the good news of Jesus’ sacrificial love for humanity is sufficient to unite any and all people. We choose to be a people who recognize and embrace the image of God in each individual and celebrate the unique gifts each person offers.
For ALL PEOPLE: God created our human family and called it good, including the diversity of sexual orientation, gender expression (or identity), race, ethnicity, age, faith, culture, history, economic status, marital status, physical and mental ability and education. We welcome and value all persons and celebrate diversity. We know historically that many in our society have been ignored, oppressed and/or victimized by violence. We believe all forms of oppression arise from human sin and the evil we inflict on each other. As followers of Jesus Christ, it is necessary that we confess these sins, repent of them and work for a just society that is fair, safe and healthy for all people. We are supportive and active in current reform efforts within the United Methodist Church that seek to remove discriminatory rules against clergy and others who identify as LGBTQIA+.
We deplore acts of hate or violence against groups or persons based on race, color, national origin, ethnicity, age, gender, disability, status, economic condition, sexual orientation, gender identity or religious affiliation.
In our COMMUNITY: We choose to remember and celebrate that our church community includes people in Loudoun County, Reston, Herndon and Fairfax County. We also remember the words of Rev. John Wesley, who said, “I look upon all the world as my parish.” Our local, regional and global mission outreach is done in the hope that we can be a blessing to our community and the world.