Who we are
These statements summarize who we are as a congregation and how we seek to treat each other.
Our Mission
We gather as an inclusive and loving community of faith to worship God and pray. We challenge ourselves to live the teachings of Jesus. We seek to be thankful and responsible stewards of all that God has entrusted to us. On our journey we accept God’s call to render loving service toward humankind and strive for righteousness, justice and peace. We welcome all who seek community with us under the blessing of the Holy Spirit.
Our covenant of relationship
Relying on God’s grace and help, we pledge to God and to each other that we will honor our relationships within the Nelson Church. We strive to:
Be welcoming
Recognize and warmly greet visitors and newcomers, and embrace all who choose to gather with us.
Respect and celebrate that people hold a diversity of spiritual beliefs using different words, rituals, and traditions.
Invite the wider community to participate in all aspects of the church.
Connect with and seek to know each other, from the very youngest to the eldest. Cherish and respect all, celebrate joys, and offer friendship, comfort and solace.
Use caring communication
Speak with care, being mindful of the impact our words may have on others.
Have the courage to speak up in a group to share our perspective, and refrain from saying outside a group what we were unwilling to share within the group.
Speak only from our own experience, respect confidentiality, avoid gossip, and encourage others to do the same.
Make clear the intent of in-person and email conversations, e.g., to understand, to explore options, to inform, to make a decision, etc. Switch from email to in-person conversation if there is a tone of conflict.
Have the courage to surface troubling undercurrents when we sense them.
Speak directly to the person with whom we need to address a problem or issue, address hurts as they happen, and recognize that we all make mistakes. Seek and offer forgiveness with sincerity.
Seek a confidential counselor/facilitator if we need help addressing something.
Share in the work of the church
Participate in all aspects of church life, including worship, committees, fundraising and service.
Be generous with our time, talents and resources. Work together in joy and express gratitude for each other’s contributions.
Discuss and clarify roles and responsibilities within the church and maintain clear, timely, and formal cross-committee communication.
Support each other and anyone in the Nelson community in times of need. Listen for the expectations and needs of the wider community.
Practice transparency and seek mutual understanding of the financial values that underlie our financial policies and our decision-making process.
Create a safe environment
Be kind. Refrain from bullying, intimidation or any form of harassment.
Listen with the intent to understand and the willingness to be influenced. Support each other to raise doubts and concerns. Presume the speaker has a positive intention.
Affirm that congregation members from Nelson and from outside Nelson have equal value and standing.
Give each other permission to request a pause in order to listen for God’s voice in silence.
We will do our best to honor this covenant with God, one another, and our broader community. We will remind each other to embrace this covenant. We will seek help to bring ourselves back into covenant with one another if we cannot do so on our own.
What is this stuff?
A vision statement is something short and easy to remember that says who you want to be in five years. We may not be there yet, but everything we do moves us in that direction.
A mission statement adds breadth and depth to the vision statement. We have had the same one for many years. It is long, but we like it.
A covenant of relationship lays out our promises to each other and explains the kind of community we strive to be. We adopted this covenant at the November 2020 Annual Meeting.