The following statement of witness was voted by the congregation at a special meeting on Sunday, March 21, 2004.
STATEMENT OF WITNESS
"The first (Commandment) is....`You shall love the Lord your God with
all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.' The
second is this; `You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no
other Commandment greater than these." (Mark 12:29-31)
In a world that is too often hurtful and hostile, we humbly reach out
with compassion and gentle strength to all of God's people.
We agree that all people are uniquely created in God's image. We are
deeply concerned that fear and prejudice have often compromised
Christian unity. We pray that we will be able to accept the challenge
to put aside our prejudices and work to be faithful believers and
followers of our Lord Jesus Christ, who commanded us to love one
another.
Therefore, we the Franklin Federated Church declare that we will keep
striving to reach out and create a community of caring, ministry,
healing, and spiritual nourishment which welcomes people of all races,
ages, genders, sexual orientations, economic levels, and physical or
mental abilities.
We promise to respect one another's opinions, to pray for strength and increased awareness, to actively work toward increasing Church unity, and to intentionally turn away from judging, as only God is capable of pure impartiality.
Affiliated with
The United Church of Christ & The American Baptist Churches
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
