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STATEMENT
OF First Lutheran Church
of Above
all, our mission or purpose for existence is to worship, and to confess,
witness to, and serve the Triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
proclaimed in Holy Scripture, according to the Lutheran Confessions
(1529-1580) under the direction of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America. Included
in this primary mission are the following emphases: In our worship we: Honor
the historical liturgies, upholding the apostolic faith and practice, and
seasons of the liturgical year. Honor
the sacrament
of Christ's Holy Supper, celebrating it at every Sunday liturgy with
bread and wine, extending it to all baptized, including infants and
members of other Christian denominations.
Honor the music of the great hymnody of the Church, seeing in it a
richness that properly matches the grandeur of the apostolic faith.
In our congregation we: Honor
the authority of the Holy Office of parish pastor and support their primary work of
promoting, protecting, and proclaiming God's Law and Gospel in its
written, spoken, and visible forms.
Honor
the rigorous study of
the details and complexities of Holy
Scripture in church classes under the instruction of the parish
pastor. Honor
entering into discussions over
the great societal issues of our day without avoiding controversy, so
that we may better understand our world and the minds of our membership
on these matters. Honor the beauty and majesty of our church building
as God's holy house
wherein we do far more than meet together, but primarily behold the
awesome splendor of God's presence. Believe that church membership is not easy,
but a high calling to live a life of sacrifice in our witness to
Christ's Cross, by giving of our money to the church, by giving of our
time to further the work of the church, and by being ever ready to
witness anywhere to God's truth, justice and righteous purity. Believe that the best way to raise our young in the
church is through sustained home instruction and example, supplemented with In our community we: Serve by funding and participating
in programs for the poor, powerless and voiceless, and by defending
them against injustice and abuse. In conclusion we: Affirm that we are created in the image of God
and through Holy Baptism and spiritual regeneration we bear one
another's burdens, so that we can provide help in times of trouble and
advance maturity and independence among us. Approved
by Church Council May 13, 1989 Adopted
by Congregation, July 30, 1989 Reaffirmed
by Congregation, January 26, 1992
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