A Letter on Our Mission Statement

by Pastor Kathy Barlow-Westmoreland

From the Pastor's Heart...

I don't know if you have ever noticed it, but underneath our Logo on the newsletter and our Sunday bulletin are ten words:

"...committed to living and sharing the Love of Jesus Christ."

These words were developed by our Council/Session last year in an effort to define who we were as the Union Church. We have a mission and vision statement, and they are good and faithful statements, but lengthy. We wanted something that would describe what we were about, that any of us could use in talking about our church family.

I think these words are true reflections of who we are as the body of Christ that is the Union Church. We are committed to the way of Jesus Christ and by living the love of Christ, we cannot help but share it. It doesn't mean we have all the answers to life's questions, but we are committed to journeying together in Christ. That commitment means we struggle alongside one another in difficult times, we are patient with others who are not as far along on the journey as we are, we share in the joy of life's victories. It also means that we are committed to working together in mission and ministry (that's the sharing part of Christ's love!). We know that if we aren't sharing Christ's love then we aren't really living it either.

These words do define us, but they also challenge us. Are we committed to the way of Jesus Christ? Are we committed to sharing the love that sustains us beyond our circle of comfort? Together we become accountable to one another to this commitment. Together we will work toward making this statement a daily reality in the life of our church.

Blessings, Pastor Kathy

St. John's Westminster Union Church
1085 Neeb Rd. Cincinnati, Ohio 45233
(513) 347-4613