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Church
of the Resurrection Core Values and Priorities
(Adopted 15 Dec 2003)
Background
The Church
of the Resurrection is a 40-year old Episcopal parish of 350 members with an annual budget
of $275,000, located in the west end of Alexandria, Virginia. Over the past three years, in recognition of the
changing nature of our surrounding community and our own membership, we have engaged in
several initiatives to discern our unique call from God.
We have studied the demographic changes
around us, reviewed our own history, identified our past and present strengths, and
envisioned possible futures for ourselves. We
have worked at this discernment through book study, surveys, parish questionnaires and
interviews, and congregational gatherings.
This work has led to the following statements
of Core Values and Priorities for Ministry and Mission.
Our Core Values
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We are a eucharistically-centered
community; we gather to share vibrant and enthusiastic worship in the Episcopal/Anglican
tradition.
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We warmly welcome all people; we embrace
and celebrate our rich diversity of culture, race, age and lifestyle.
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We are led by our love of God in outreach to
our neighboring communities and loving service to one another.
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We invite all people to grow spiritually through active
engagement with our parish ministries and mission.
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Our Priorities
I. Worship
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We strengthen our connection to God and to one another
through liturgical worship in the Episcopal/Anglican tradition. |
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Our worship experiences foster our core values as a
community: |
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We are warm and welcoming; |
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We celebrate diversity; and |
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We seek to support one another as we face the daily
challenges of living. |
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We welcome the participation of all people, including
children, young people, adults, and seniors.
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Our music supports congregational participation in our
worship, provides inspiration, and reflects the richness of our diversity. |
II. Parish Community
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We build community through large parish events, small
groups and one-to-one caring in times of joy or grief. |
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We have events and programs for people in all life
stages, all generations, and all family configurations to enrich our fellowship and to
foster participation by newcomers. |
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We encourage people to make personal connections to each
other by sharing their leadership skills, passions and quest for spiritual growth. |
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We practice listening to one another and giving honest
responses. We value each person; no one is
dismissed. |
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We include in our parish community those who are unable
to join us in worship, through home visiting, sharing the Eucharist and taking food when
needed. |
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We are committed to a ministry of hospitality that
includes a welcome to those who join us in our parish activities and to all who use our
facilities. |
III. Outreach
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We seek to express God’s love for us in outreach
and service with our neighbors locally and with our extended church family around the
world, especially those countries of origin for members of the congregation, particularly
in Africa and Guatemala. |
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We emphasize generously offering our time and money to
serve the needs of children and families for food, shelter, and quality pre-school
education. |
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We encourage wide participation in our outreach
initiatives by offering a variety of flexible opportunities for short- and long-term
involvement. |
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We offer the use of our building and facility to various
groups in the community in support of their efforts to improve the community. |
IV. Christian Formation
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We understand Christian Formation to be a lifelong
process of education and growing in faith and understanding. |
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We strive toward spiritual awareness through regular
study of Scripture.
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We seek to find God through examining issues of daily
living, interpreted through Scripture, the sacraments, our tradition, and our experience.
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We recognize the Christian Formation of children and
youth to be both our responsibility and our joy. We
support our young people with our time, concern and presence as they embark on their
lifetime journey in faith. |
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We encourage parishioners to be involved in small groups
in the congregation such as Christian formation, prayer, discussion, or Bible study
groups; as well as social or fellowship groups and other congregational activities. |
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We commit to providing the staff, materials and space in
order to facilitate all of the above. |
V. Stewardship
and Engagement
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We support our core values through responsible
stewardship of our energy, our skills, and our resources. |
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We encourage proportional giving of time, talent, and
money. |
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We actively encourage parishioners to accept leadership
roles within the church and beyond. |
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We participate in service events to build our connection
to each other, our parish, the community and God.
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VI. Building and Facilities
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We maintain our premises to be attractive and welcoming,
with easy access, presenting as few physical and cultural barriers as possible.
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We have flexible and appropriate physical facilities and
use them creatively to support our ministries and mission. |
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We use and adapt our space to accommodate our changing
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Here are some of the
characteristics that we most treasure about the Church of the Resurrection. Further
exploration of the links will help you understand our worship.
RESURRECTION IS A
CHURCH WHERE...
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We serve
Christ by caring for one another
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Worship in
the Episcopal tradition transforms us
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We
celebrate our religious identity
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We struggle
with questions of living
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We welcome
diversity
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We teach
and learn from our children
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We reach
out to our community
"What
to Expect When You Visit Us"
tells you about the welcome you will
receive at Resurrection.
The "Instructed Eucharist"
that Earl Beshears, while serving as our Seminarian Assistant, prepared and presented at
one of our services gave all of us a richer understanding of our Episcopal liturgy and
practices. He has generously shared it with us for our web site. Because of its length, it
is broken into two parts: Part 1 is the
Liturgy of the Word.
Part
2 is the liturgy for Holy Communion. They should be read in
order, just as our worship services take us through them in order.
Take the Tour of the Church of
the Resurrection on the PHOTO ALBUM
page! |
Church
of the Resurrection
