“The mission of the Church is to restore all people to unity with God and each other in Christ.” 

We follow the teaching of Jesus Christ by living as ambassadors of reconciliation (2 Cor 5:20) – in Greek the word is katalasso, “called to the side of the other.” We practice reconciliation by seeking to restore unity among humans, between humans and God, and between humans and creation. 

Our response to others springs from our recognition that we are all beloved of God. Therefore we strive to join the reconciling Spirit of God at work in the world, wherever the lost are found, the oppressed find justice, the broken are healed, those in need find mercy, those in bondage find freedom, and enemies make peace.

We reconcile by loving our neighbor, near or far, easy or difficult, with the love of Christ that sees them as they are and meets them there. We practice love as sustained compassionate attention. We reconcile by remembering that there is no such thing as other people. We know that we are all in this together, that I am because we are.

We orient our lives in the world towards the common good.  We reconcile both by responding to needs, and by speaking and working to confront and change the systems and powers of this world that corrupt and destroy the creatures of God.

We practice reconciliation through church ministries that respond to human needs, and in the daily discipline of loving those who are hard to love, in our family, workplace, and community.

We practice reconciliation with attention to balance and the need for rest, play, and nourishment to recharge our capacity to respond. We recognize that we are sometimes called to act together, and sometimes to respond in different ways to different needs. We recognize that people’s capacities and resources differ, and honor all acts of mercy and justice. We seek and rejoice in opportunities to share the work of reconciliation with people and organizations beyond our household of faith.