Starting on Sunday, I will begin preaching on Bethel’s core values. I am hoping you will either come to church and hear about what we value or listen in via podcast or download. These two sentences may cause you to yawn or even second guess coming to church but I want to tell you that I am quite excited to be talking about what we hold dear as a church!

Some people think that core values are something we strive after. I don’t. Whether we admit it or not- core values already exists in individuals, corporations and even within the church. Identifying core values isn’t about stating who we want to be. It is quite the opposite, claiming our core values reminds us of who we already are!

There is nothing wrong with changing who you are if something needs changing, but as the tiger found out—changing his stripes was harder than he thought. Thankfully, we aren’t trying to change, we are leaning into who we are as a faith community and who we are as children of God.

If you come to church you will see our core values on the cover of our bulletin. These are the things that Bethel members shared as the most important principles that inform who we are:

• Christ Centered Community: Worship and Fellowship
• We Respond to Needs: Caring for the community and individuals
• Generosity: We share what we have to extend God’s Kingdom
• Hospitality to All: Welcoming all who come to Bethel
• Spiritual Growth: We strive to grow in faith and grow closer to God.

Maybe this doesn’t excite you… this makes my heart go “pitter-patter!” Why? When we can live into how God created us as a church we will grow in faith and foster a deep connection with God. That is why I won’t let this go! This is good for us!

Please join me over the next month to re-discover what makes us tick as a church family.

God bless,
Pr. Ben