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Who We Are

We are called by God to be an open hearted, open minded community,
teaching and practicing evolutionary Christianity.

What We Do:   

  • Invite and welcome spiritual seekers of all backgrounds;
  • Nurture loving community;
  • Respond compassionately to the suffering in all life;
  • Support each other to evolve spiritually;
  • Communicate evolutionary Christian spirituality to the world;
  • Celebrate the sacred mystery of life.

We Are Committed To:

Discernment:
We open to sacred Wisdom in our decision-making

Authenticity:
We cultivate authentic, loving relationships.

Diversity:
We embrace ecological, personal, cultural, and religious diversity.

Peace and Justice: 
We promote peace and justice for ourselves, in our relationships, in our world, and with all creation.

Sustainability:
We strive to live ecologically and spiritually sustainable lives.

Creativity:
We manifest Spirit through innovation and creative expression.

Generosity:  
We give abundantly of ourselves.

Joy: 
We cultivate joy in our relationship with Spirit and each other.

 

 

CMUC Vision 2014

Draft #1  2009- 03- 24

This document represents a condensed draft of the visions and dreams of congregational members at large (who responded to questionnaires and e-newsletters), a Board and Staff Imagine retreat, and a second, expanded Imagine retreat. They are correlated to the statements in a new draft version of our Purpose statement.

Worship  (Celebrating the Sacred Mystery of Life)

  • Two or more services each Sunday morning incorporating a variety of styles of worship and music.
  • Support “alternative” worship formats (Taize and contemporary)

  • Sanctuary:
  • New roof with skylights and solar panels, and an upgraded electrical system.
  • Refurbished interior
  • Up to date audio-visual capacity.

CMUC Community (Nurturing loving community)

  • Increased one to one connections through spiritual mentorship and/or small group ministry
  • Inter-active and extensive on-line community.
  • Comprehensive network of care, within which we support every person to take responsibility to connect deeply enough with another person or group so that they may receive the care s/he needs in order to evolve.

Programs (Supporting each other to evolve spiritually)

  • Expansion of Spiritual Pathways: integrated and varied program of classes, conferences, retreats and support for personal spiritual practice. Available to all – members of congregation and the general public.
  • Thriving children’s church in age appropriate groups.
  • Active program for youth

Services to Others (Responding Compassionately to Suffering)

  • (These are “emergent” initiatives executed by existing ministry teams, and any future ministry teams. Existing ministry teams will be supported to articulate their own one to five year visions)

Partnerships: (Inviting and Welcoming Seekers of All Backgrounds)

  • Increased connection with mission partners at the Centre for Peace and beyond. More jointly sponsored activities.
  • Support for establishing Evolutionary Christian School (for children)

 Marketing (Communicating Evolutionary Christian Spirituality to the World)

  • A comprehensive, intentional, and measurable program to “get the word out” about our purpose, values, and congregational life.

MAJOR INITIATIVES 2009 - 2014

  • Imagine Campaign: Fund raising for structural upgrades and transitional staffing costs for new or expanded programs;

  • Increase visibility and appeal of CMUC through:
  • promotion of message of “evolutionary” Christianity;
  • events (bring an atheist to church, arts shows, concerts, recitals);
  • street banners;
  • publicity in neighbourhood;
  • being intentional about “word of mouth” marketing
  • Web 2.0 and Web 3 technology

  • Start and publicize the expanded Spiritual Pathways (with focus Evolutionary Christian Spiriituality); make program available to congregation and public.
  • Commence second Sunday morning service when average congregation reaches 300. Support others to offer alternative Sunday services in either the sanctuary or the Great Hall;
  • Hire staff as required to meet the needs of new or expanded programs




Foundational Principles for Growth

Biblical literacy

We take the Bible seriously, not literally, as our source of inspiration and guidance. We encourage and affirm Biblical literacy. As Scripture is set in historical context and understood as metaphor and sacrament it is revelatory.

Discipleship

We are disciples of Jesus, the Christ. Our spiritual life is formed in continual dialogue and loving relationship with the living Christ. We encourage all to intentionally cultivate this relationship.

Lay Ministry

We believe that all are called into ministry by God. We support and equip lay ministers to discover and use their distinctive gifts for ministry.

Ministry Anywhere, Anytime, by Anybody

We maximize ministry by minimizing bureaucracy. As long as an initiative falls within our Mission, Vision and Values (Stability Triangle) we will do all we can to support one’s ministry with minimum bureaucratic interference and maximum support.

Gift-based ministry

We do ministry based upon our spiritual gifts. Through the use of a spiritual gift inventory we encourage all to base their ministry in their spirit-given gifts.

Diversity

We welcome and include all persons in our faith community, without discrimination on the basis of race, national or ethnic origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, mental or physical disability. We respect and encourage diversity of opinion.

Prayer

We seek God’s will through prayer in all of our programs, groups, and ministries. We encourage all to have daily prayer practices.

Evangelism

We believe that the love of God is persuasive and never coercive. We openly share our excitement of what God is doing in our midst, and celebrate what God is doing in other religious faiths as well. We encourage all to share their faith with others.


Our Faith

Faith

Faith is less about believing the “right” things, and more about a way of life which is based in radical trust in God, a guiding vision of a just and peaceful world, and a conscious allegiance to God as revealed by Jesus, the Christ.

God

God is the unnameable Source of All, the Eternal Loving Presence, Creator of All, Within All, known in and through creation, yet Beyond All, transcending our understanding, revealed for Christians most fully in Jesus of Nazareth.

Jesus, the Christ

Jesus is God’s heart, for us and with us. Through him we know God as loving, compassionate Presence. Through his life, death, and resurrection we learn the way of peace.

The Spirit

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of the living Christ, revealing God’s will and empowering the church to do God’s will. The Holy Spirit works within us to transform us in the image of the Christ and works within the world at large to lead us toward God’s future.

The Bible

The Bible is the written witness of God’s people through time. It is written by human beings from within a particular social-political context and worldview. As we deepen our appreciation of this context, the Biblical narrative becomes for us a source of inspiration and guidance.

Church

The church is the community of people who covenant with God and with each other to faithfully follow the way of the Christ and thereby witness to peace and justice.

Human Beings

As humans we are bio-spiritual beings, biologically constructed by the elements of the earth, and spiritually made in God’s image. Therefore we are intimately connected both to our Creator, being made in God’s image, and to all living creatures, being made from the same cosmic elements of the earth. Consciously aware of the gift of life and the human capacity for harm, we have a heightened responsibility to ensure the continuation of life on this planet, and to promote justice and peace in the human realm and with Creation.

Sin

Sin is a state of alienation from God, self, the earth, and others. We believe in original blessing more than original sin, and yet we have fallen from grace. As we turn our lives toward Jesus Christ, we remember the original blessing, and receive the power and grace to begin the journey of healing these relationships and to give our lives in the service to others.


Peace

As a memorial congregation, the pursuit of peace is central to our mission.


Peace includes, but is more than an inner feeling. It includes, but is more than the absence of war.

Peace is God’s dream for a creation which is just, thriving, and sustainable.

Peace is learning to communicate non-violently with one another.

Peace means treating the “more-than-human” world with reverence.

Peace means developing an economic system which is equitable and respectful of the earth.

Peace means developing political systems which are truly democratic and inclusive of the marginalized.

Peace flows from our conscious unity with God, and from our conscious unity with the earth. As we cultivate these relationships our capacity to be peace-makers is deepened.

God calls us all to be makers of peace.