Over the next few weeks we will begin to consider a vision for the church in Arizona. The “we” includes young adults who gather as part of The Vision Project with Becky Savage on May 8. The “we” also includes the mission center council and the mission center leadership who will be invited to participate in a visioning session on May 22. The “we” might also include “you.” This month I am soliciting your response to the question, “What is God’s vision for the Arizona Mission Center?” In seeking this vision, we live in the tension between meeting people’s needs and responding to what God is calling us to do and be. While these are not mutually exclusive, they cause us to approach the question of vision in different ways. The latter calls us to spend time in prayer and discernment, and other spiritual disciplines, listening to the Holy Spirit. We are called to be the embodiment of God’s shalom, the peace of Jesus Christ.
In preparing for our response, I would encourage our study of “We Share: Identity, Message, Mission, and Beliefs.” This will be the focus of reunions and camps this summer. There are many new resources, including video, available from Herald House. I believe these resources, which include basic beliefs and enduring principles, more clearly express who we are as Community of Christ than any time in my life as a disciple. I am more excited about who we are and who we are becoming than ever before.
