St. Thomas is joyfully on the way! We are becoming whom Jesus calls us to be: a spiritually-centered community dedicated to creating connections with God, each other and our neighbors, so that we might walk together with love toward justice, compassion, and hope.
(St. Thomas Mission Statement)
The earliest followers of Jesus were not called Christians; they were called followers of “The Way.” This moniker comes from the Book of Acts, which shows us that the “Way” was the way of love. Here, love was caring for one’s neighbors, especially the poor. Here, love was making sacrifices for the sake of another and carrying one another’s burdens. Here, love was prayers and community. We, at St. Thomas, are following where the Spirit leads and are joyfully on the way! We walk together with love toward justice, compassion and hope. These are big ideals and we want them big enough to hold the needs of our world, even as we exercise our own local calling.
Our Core Values
- We follow Jesus. We study his life and teachings, so we might love God and do God’s will.
- We welcome all. We respect the dignity of everyone.
- We serve those in need, whether physically or spiritually.
- We thrive in community. It gives us comfort, strength and joy.
- We embrace change so we can keep the church strong and relevant.
While there is no map on this way, we do have our core values to guide us as we walk, as we backtrack, as we trail-blaze. We understand that St. Thomas stands in a long story of the Christian Church and that story is changing. New shapes of being church will emerge and are emerging. We understand that church is not the building. We understand the gathered is the church. We understand that God builds the church for God’s purposes and we are God’s servants. Finally, we understand that we are changing and will be changed. We will be adaptive and innovative–and most of all, we will be faithful in doing a good thing for God, whether it be grand or humble.
In this, we believe we have enough and are enough for what God calls us to do. We welcome all who wish to walk on this journey with us.
A Reconciling, Affirming, and Inclusive Christian Community
St. Thomas’ Parish is a reconciling, affirming, and inclusive Christian community striving through worship, love, and service to welcome all people just as God created them. No matter where you are on your journey of faith, and whether you are single, married, divorced, separated, or partnered, our welcome knows no boundaries of age, race, ethnicity, culture, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, economic condition, physical, or mental ability. God delights in the diversity of creation, and so do we! (St. Thomas Inclusivity Statement)