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Our Mission & Covenant

Mission Statement

We are a vibrant Christian community, open and affirming, blessed by tradition, embraced by grace, and inspired by all that is possible with God. Whatever brings you here, you are welcome!

We are open…

...to everyone, regardless of things that might divide us (race, creed, color, age, sexual identity, economic status, disability)
...to the mysteries of faith
...to encountering God &Jesus’ teachings with heart, mind, & voice
...to the tension that comes when tradition meets innovation
...to the hard work required to serve God by serving others
...to the gifts of the young, the old, and the in-between
...to holding fast together, in times of trial and in times of blessing.

We are proud to be “Open & Affirming” since 1996

 

Open & Affirming Statement:

We believe that God welcomes us all and that is why in 1996 we became an Open and Affirming congregation. Below is our Open and Affirming statement. The following statement was adopted by a vote of the membership at the church's annual meeting in January 1996, after several years of study and discussion.

"The first [commandment] is... ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your soul, and with all your mind, 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).

Accepting this is the supreme commandment of the Gospel. We, the Congregational Church in Exeter, United Church of Christ , open our doors and ministry to all, affirming and honoring the dignity and worth of each person..

We believe each of us is a unique creation of God. We welcome people of any age, race. gender, sexual orientation, economic status, marital status, physical, emotional, mental capacity, and those in traditional and nontraditional families. We are concerned that Christian unity has often been compromised by fear and prejudice. Let us strive to put aside our prejudices and to work to become faithful followers of our Lord Jesus Christ who commanded us to love one another..

In keeping with the recommendations of the Fifteenth General Synod of the United Church of Christ , and that of the 1989 meeting of the New Hampshire Conference, we declare ourselves a welcoming and inclusive spiritual community and therefore to be an Open and Affirming church.

 

Covenant

WE COVENANT BY THE HELP OF THE HOLY SPIRIT TO HOLD FAST TO GOD AS OUR GREATEST GOOD, AND TO THE LORD JESUS BY FAITH AND GOSPEL OBEDIENCE, AS BECOMES GOD’S PEOPLE FOREVER. AND WE DO SOLEMNLY PROMISE AND ENGAGE BEFORE GOD AND WITH ONE ANOTHER TO MAKE THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST THE RULE OF OUR WALK AND ACTIONS; AND ALSO DULY TO ATTEND ALL THE ORDINANCES OF THE CHURCH; TO UPHOLD ITS MINISTRIES, ACCORDING TO THE FAITH AND ORDER OF THE UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST; AND TO SERVE GOD AND OUR NEIGHBORS. WE PRAY THAT GOD MAY HELP US.

AMEN.