In October of 2018, the members of First Baptist Church adopted the vision statements printed below to guide our work and ministry. Even then, God challenged us to champion the dignity of each person, the value of a diverse humanity unified in Christ, and the imperative of building bridges across divides of race, income, gender, language and generations.
In light of the tragic deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and too many others, we re-commit to this vision and make the following declaration:
The people of First Baptist Church Huntersville, NC oppose all forms of racism, oppression, and injustice which rob any person of their inherent dignity as humans created in the image of God. We especially acknowledge and condemn the injustice which has disproportionately affected our brothers and sisters of color.
Our ambition is to love God with all our hearts, minds, bodies, and souls and to love our neighbors as ourselves. We confess, however, that we do not always know how to stand against racism and its resulting inequalities. We re-commit to listening, learning, and submitting to the Holy Spirit so that we might be better partners and friends in establishing the Kingdom of God here on earth as it is in heaven.
First Baptist statements of Mission and Purpose (adopted October 2018)
Our KINGDOM CONCEPT:
Our church exists to glorify God and make disciples by connecting our community for real relationship with God and with one another.
Our MISSIONAL MANDATE:
Cultivating community by removing the walls that divide us and building bridges that connect us as one human family, each person created in the image of God.
Our MOTIVATION (the values we hold which motivate the above):
- Dignity & Worth of Each Individual
- Diversity
- Unity in Christ
- Service to Community
- Led by the Holy Spirit
