Our vision and Mission
Our Mission Statement:
"To be a people of God serving Christ in this community, welcoming all peoples for worship, fellowship and caring support."
At Fairbank United Church, our understanding of our vision and mission is evolving and growing. As our context rapidly changes, our vision of who we are and what we are called to be and do is also evolving. And so we journey forward, open to the Spirit's guidance! Here are some further thoughts and 'snaposhots' of who we are as a community, from the perspective of our minister:
We are a community of followers of Jesus Christ who have been embraced by God's love and who seek to live that love out in concrete ways in our world - through acts of love and compassion, peace and justice. We are grounded in the story of Jesus Christ, and root our lives in God's presence in our lives and in our world.
We are committed to being a welcoming and inclusive community where people from all walks of life can feel nurtured and supported in their spiritual development in our church community. We celebrate the reality that we are an inter-cultural congregation. Our diversity enriches and blesses us. This is shown through our welcome statement which is on our home page. Our Welcome Statement reflects our commitment to embracing and celebrating God's gift of diversity.
We are committed to being the living and loving body of Christ in the world, seeking to help people experience - in real ways - God's amazing love thorough us. We are a congregation of young and old, rich and poor. We are a community which has and does give generously of its time, resources and energy to support both the mission of our local congregation and also outreach ministries and organizations in the wider community. Our support for the United Church's Mission and Service Fund has always been central to our identity. On the last Sunday of each month ("Food Bank Sunday") we bring donations of non-perishable food items to a local food bank. We support the outreach ministries of Toronto Southwest Presbytery. These types of involvements have been central to our congregation's self-understanding.
We are on a journey of discovery - Lately, we have been exploring new ways to reach out to our wider community as a people of faith. On a personal level, we have been seeking ways to grow in our faith and spirituality, and how we nurture our faith through personal spiritual practices. For example, during Lent, we were challenged to read the Gospel of Luke, to explore what Luke's gospel says to us about Jesus, and how Jesus' story and our stories intersect. We've hit the streets giving out 'Earth Hour' packages on the weekend of Earth Hour, seeking to connect with our neighbours around our shared concern for environmental justice. We've been exploring a new program called "Messy Church" to offer young families new ways of growing in their faith in a community setting. The Spirit has been calling us to explore new directions as a community! Who knows where she will lead us next!
"To be a people of God serving Christ in this community, welcoming all peoples for worship, fellowship and caring support."
At Fairbank United Church, our understanding of our vision and mission is evolving and growing. As our context rapidly changes, our vision of who we are and what we are called to be and do is also evolving. And so we journey forward, open to the Spirit's guidance! Here are some further thoughts and 'snaposhots' of who we are as a community, from the perspective of our minister:
We are a community of followers of Jesus Christ who have been embraced by God's love and who seek to live that love out in concrete ways in our world - through acts of love and compassion, peace and justice. We are grounded in the story of Jesus Christ, and root our lives in God's presence in our lives and in our world.
We are committed to being a welcoming and inclusive community where people from all walks of life can feel nurtured and supported in their spiritual development in our church community. We celebrate the reality that we are an inter-cultural congregation. Our diversity enriches and blesses us. This is shown through our welcome statement which is on our home page. Our Welcome Statement reflects our commitment to embracing and celebrating God's gift of diversity.
We are committed to being the living and loving body of Christ in the world, seeking to help people experience - in real ways - God's amazing love thorough us. We are a congregation of young and old, rich and poor. We are a community which has and does give generously of its time, resources and energy to support both the mission of our local congregation and also outreach ministries and organizations in the wider community. Our support for the United Church's Mission and Service Fund has always been central to our identity. On the last Sunday of each month ("Food Bank Sunday") we bring donations of non-perishable food items to a local food bank. We support the outreach ministries of Toronto Southwest Presbytery. These types of involvements have been central to our congregation's self-understanding.
We are on a journey of discovery - Lately, we have been exploring new ways to reach out to our wider community as a people of faith. On a personal level, we have been seeking ways to grow in our faith and spirituality, and how we nurture our faith through personal spiritual practices. For example, during Lent, we were challenged to read the Gospel of Luke, to explore what Luke's gospel says to us about Jesus, and how Jesus' story and our stories intersect. We've hit the streets giving out 'Earth Hour' packages on the weekend of Earth Hour, seeking to connect with our neighbours around our shared concern for environmental justice. We've been exploring a new program called "Messy Church" to offer young families new ways of growing in their faith in a community setting. The Spirit has been calling us to explore new directions as a community! Who knows where she will lead us next!
