Our Vision and Mission
"In Christ, With each other, To the world"
Theme Verse:
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, that person is a
new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself
through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.”
- 2 Corinthians 5:17,18
The following paragraphs & core value statements are taken from a Working Document, based on a congregational visioning retreat of September 17, 2010.
IN CHRIST
By following Christ we talk about discipling, learning from God’s Word and through God’s Spirit how we must serve Christ. Very important in this is the preaching of the Word, our worship experience. This is described in the bee metaphor when the bees feed on honey to be healthy. It also includes our educational ministry within the church. The congregational retreat showed that we want preaching that is engaging and biblical, worship that is inspired and well-led, effective and regular equipping and training, and a strong children’s and youth ministry.
Core Values:
1 Celebrating the Sacraments in meaningful, spiritual and personal ways
2 Incorporating the arts in liturgical and visual art, drama, flowers, etc
3 A blended musical style, incorporating contemporary songs and hymns
4 A willingness to try new things and a flexible atmosphere
5 Liturgies that are thoughtful, thematic and support the preaching
6 Preaching that is authentic, biblical and effective
7 Valuing the gifts of women in all offices
8 Multi-generational, gender-inclusive participation in worship
9 Strong ministries for children and youth
10 Small groups and study opportunities for all ages
WITH EACH OTHER
This is how we accomplish our outreach task, which is found in 2 Corinthians 5: 18. We are called to be salt and light in the world, and must not hide our light under a bushel. Referring again to the bee metaphor, this is both honey-making and pollinating. A commonly used word in today’s church circles is the term “missional.” While there are many interpretations of this term, by it we mean our calling to bring the gospel of reconciliation wherever we find ourselves. This recognizes that Jubilee is not primarily a neighbourhood church because of the geographical diversity of our members, but that each one of us is called to be a faithful witness of God’s grace to the people we meet in our daily lives. Our retreat showed that our members want Jubilee Night to be revived, they want to focus on restorative justice, and they want to get more people involved in small groups such as Life Groups and Coffee Break.
Core Values:
1 Our support for one another in times of crisis, e.g., meals, cards, prayers
2 Our small groups and the fellowship and care we experience there
3 Our welcoming atmosphere, e.g., ushers, greeters, luncheons, visitor welcome team & brochure
4 Our acceptance of one another, of diverse situations, and supporting hurting people
5 Strong children’s and youth ministries
6 Participation in and revitalization of Jubilee Night
7 Welcoming refugees into our fellowship
8 Our presence in the co-op with Camp SHOUT
9 Our involvement in special causes such as DRS, Kairos, and other service projects
TO THE WORLD
Part of the pollination process is addressing the culture we live in. People are shaped by culture and through culture we have an opportunity to serve and praise God. It’s important that in preaching and in worship we not forget about the culture we live in, or reduce the gospel to merely saving souls. Not only are people sinful, but sin is intrinsic to how we organize life, e.g., shopping malls, the entertainment industry and sports, economics and government. Life Groups can also play an important role here in making each other aware of how we can bring God’s light to bear on culture. Going back to the metaphor of bees and pollination, it’s important to note that the wind also pollinates blossoms and flowers. In other words, it doesn’t all depend on the bees. Similarly the Holy Spirit is at work in the hearts of people and in culture before we even arrive on the scene. It is through prayer and seeking God’s will that our work in engaging culture must be infused with the work of the Holy Spirit.
In the section on serving and witnessing, participants at the retreat identified opportunities to serve and witness as being very important. They want to know what our collective strengths are, how to identify local opportunities, focusing on Brock and Niagara students, and looking for opportunities to serve outside the church beyond Sunday morning worship. They want a ministry statement that gives us a cohesive task as a church community.
Core Values:
1 Our Coffee Break ministry
2 Our outreach to and inclusion of Brock & Niagara college students
3 Welcoming refugees into our fellowship
4 Missionary support
5 Recognition that all of life is religion and desire to work that out
6 Service projects done by members and denomination such as DRS, Kairos, Out of the Cold, etc.
7 Camp SHOUT
8 Encouragement to support ministries outside of our denomination
9 Small groups are very intentional about finding service opportunities
10 Service trips and projects by our youth group
