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As the people of St. Paul's Lutheran Church of Teaneck, New Jersey, we acknowledge God as supreme creator, Jesus Christ as Savior and head of the church, and the Holy spirit as guide and sanctifier.
As a congregation created by God in Jesus Christ and led by God's spirit, we will proclaim the Gospel, preach God's word, and faithfully administer the sacraments.
Empowered by these gifts and recognizing our blessings as a congregation, we affirm that:
Christ has endowed our congregation with gifts, talents and blessings that can be shared.
As individuals we will praise and worship God by acknowledging that God's people come in all sizes, shapes and colors; by attending worship services as regularly as possible, by studying and reading the Bible, and by offering our time and talents willingly and to the best of our ability.
Our congregation is open to the full participation of all Baptized people, regardless of age, gender, sexual orientation, color, national origin, economic status, or marital status. In this community we will reach out to especially to children and youth, the elderly, the sick, the homebound, people in need, the unchurched and newcomers to our neighborhood.
We pledge to serve the people of this community through an open sharing of our facility with organizations and groups whose purposes are consistent with our mission. We will be advocates of justice issues especially on behalf of the homeless, the hungry, victims of discrimination, abused children and youth, and those without adequate housing. We will support and pray for those inside and outside of our congregation who work towards justice for all people.
We further pledge to help people outside of our community by being knowledgeable about worldwide issues. We will give our people opportunity to learn and dialogue on these topics of concern.
Through our Benevolent giving, we will support the work of the church beyond our doors in proclaiming the Gospel and helping the needy. We will help to maintain the Agencies, Institutions, Schools, Colleges and Seminaries of the church through our Benevolence gift.
We dedicate ourselves to growing in God's will and work through worship, prayer, study, service and witness. So that we express the love of God through the congreagtion and our lives. |
