Vision, Mission, and Values
Creative Community in Action
Vision
Mission
Paddington Uniting Church as:
-
‘Sacred Space’ creating community connection through intentional initiatives that encourage arts, music, education, social action and creative worship as manifestations of God’s presence in the world
-
An intentional learning community that encourages creativity and community transformation through discipleship, social awareness, and community development
Values
Faith-We encourage everyone to explore their faith journey through various mediums. We are not bound by rigid dogma or unhelpful doctrine.
Inclusiveness-We welcome everyone regardless of their gender, race, sexual orientation, age, socio-economic situation or their physical, mental or emotional status.
Justice-We acknowledge that we live in a broken world tortured by injustice and human suffering. We are committed to working for justice in our world.
Creativity- We celebrate everyone's unique and creative talents and invite these to be shared with others through our various programs.
Grounded in God
Theological Reflection on the Paddington Uniting Church vision to be ‘Creative Community In Action.’
Creative...
The Psalms sing of a God who ‘stretched out the heavens like a tent’ and created the Leviathan ‘just for the sport of it.’[1] God our potter took the very dust of the earth and through Holy breath formed it into the clay.[2] This clay was lovingly and carefully moulded to create all that is, including humanity.[3]
This incarnational and eschatological creative action of God continues to be manifested in God’s community through the continued grace of the Holy Spirit who gives a ‘variety of gifts’ for the ‘common good’.[4]
In this way, we the Church, Christ’s Body in the world, are called to be active participants in the incarnational and eschatological dance of all of God’s creation.
[1] Psalm 104.2, 26
[2] Genesis 2.7
[3] Isaiah 64.8, Romans 9.21, Jeremiah 18.1-6
[4] 1 Corinthians12. -7
....Community...
When asked “What is the greatest commandment,’ Jesus replied in a beautifully simple way “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’[1] From this we learn that those we consider neighbours are the manifestation of God’s community for us in the world. But who is our neighbour?
After responding to the question about the greatest commandment, Jesus is asked ‘Who is our neighbour?’ He replies with the parable of the good Samaritan.[2] Here, if we look closely we discover that our neighbour is not the just those within the community of faith, but all the people found in a particular place at a particular time, namely, in this instance on the road to Jerusalem. Our neighbourhood is the place where we find ourselves. It includes the broken, the outcast, those who identify as religious, and those who don’t. It also includes those whose communities of the heart are elsewhere, and those who at first glance are bystanders, but ultimately become those who participate in the healing and restoration of all. Everyone in the parable is a neighbour.
Woman Wisdom in the book of Proverbs affirms this understanding of community. Rather than calling out to the people in the confines of the church, Wisdom takes her stand ‘on the heights, beside the way, at the crossroads,’ besides the gates in the front of town and at the entrance portals.’ [3] No-one in the town is excluded from her message. Everyone in her town is empowered to hear. Everyone in her marketplace is a neighbour. This is the community of God.
[1] Matthew 22.36-40
[2] Luke 10.29-37
[3] Proverbs 8.2-3
....in Action
The Good Samaritan and Women Wisdom act in ways that plant seeds of hope. They are the salt, and yeast of their communities. Through them the creative community, endowed with a variety of gift, through the Holy Spirit becomes the creative action of God in the world.
In the parable the Good Samaritan, the Samaritan acts. He loves his neighbour as Jesus commands by seeing him, acknowledging him, and providing him care. Part of his loving action is to invite others to contribute their gifts, as he seeks future support for the man who are then able to provide a different sort of care. Through this collective action God’s creative love is revealed.
Similarly, woman wisdom acts. She ‘cries out and takes her stand,’ providing ‘good advice and sound wisdom’[1]for all who are willing to hear. Others are drawn into the story, as they hear her message and acting on it in ways that ‘yield fruits of justice’ that are ‘better than gold, even fine gold.’[2]
[1] Proverbs 8.14
[2] Proverbs 8.19
Creative Community in Action
This is who we seek to be at Paddington Uniting Church. Creative Community in Action. We seek to use our diversity of gifts to be active participants in the work of God to love our unique neighbourhood in such a way that ‘yield fruits of justice’ that are ‘better than gold, even fine gold.’[1]
[1] Proverbs 8.19