The community of the First Congregational Church of Wallingford has been on a faith-filled journey to discover God's call for our church in this place and time. The Jeremiah Project is based on the scripture from Jeremiah 29:10, "I know the plans I have for you. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you; plans to give you a future with hope." A renewed Vision and Mission will serve as inspiration and guidepost for our decisions and actions moving forward.
The weekend of June 20 and 21, 2020 was Affirmation Weekend, when we had the great blessing of being able to affirm our Core Values, Vision and Mission Statements as the culmination of the Jeremiah Project. You can still click on Online Church or our Facebook page to watch a short video presentation.
Our journey began at the end of summer 2019, when our Church Council committed to begin a Vision and Mission process with guidance from consultants at Agile Church.
In the fall, close to 80 church members and friends volunteered to participate in Jeremiah Project small groups that met together on a weekly basis for six weeks. Each group had guides who shared readings and discerning questions for the group members to discuss. The feedback about this experience was overwhelmingly positive, with many small groups continuing to spend time together even after the six weeks of official meetings were complete.
In early December, representatives from each of the small groups came together for an all-day Vision Summit. This was a day of thoughtful discussion and sharing of the input that had been gathered through the small group process. The focus was on discerning our church family's Core Values, Vision (who God is calling us to be), and Mission (what God is calling us to do).
A Vision Writing Team was consecrated during worship on January 12, 2020. The members of this team are church members who participated in the small group process as well as the Vision Summit. They are skilled writers who embody a range of experiences within our church. Most importantly, they felt called to help consolidate the input gathered from the small groups in order to craft meaningful guiding statements for our church.
On February 8, the Vision Writing Team spent a full day with our consultant, Coy James, working hard together to represent the collective input of the small groups into proposed statements, which then were available for review and comment by the congregation. Following that feedback, the Writing Team finalized our Core Values, Vision and Mission Statements, which were then presented for congregational affirmation:
United in Christ, we:
Uplift Individuals
Celebrate Shared Humanity
Cultivate a Community of Faith Among All Ages
Pledge our Mutual Love and Support
Walk Together in Service
We offer a home for those seeking deeper meaning or purpose in their lives through the exploration of Jesus Christ's teachings. The love and compassion found in those teachings commit us to uplift each individual and celebrate our shared humanity.
We commit to developing a nurturing environment where all are loved, valued, and inspired to meaningful participation in the life of the church. Through our Christian faith, compassion and service, we will dedicate ourselves to making a positive impact on the lives of people in our community and beyond.
We look forward to continuing this journey as we live into God's holy call and our future together.
First Congregational Church of Wallingford
23 South Main Street
Wallingford, CT 06492
(203) 265-1691
info@firstchurchwallingford.org
We are a vibrant church that is both steeped in history and on the move. We have been at the corner of Center Street and South Main Street since 1675 and yet, exciting new things are happening here.
