Our Mission
The Mission of St. John’s
Our Mission Statement reflects months of discernment and conversation in which we discovered the ways we are called to serve the larger community in which we find ourselves.
We are called to know all our neighbors and be a bridge of God’s Love; connecting, inviting, sharing, and serving each other and the diverse community of Kingston. We will do this by:
- Sharing our physical space and resources
- Being stewards of the arts
- Advocating for social justice
- Participating in inclusive and intergenerational worship
- Affirming everyone has a place at God’s Table
St. John’s comes together to worship for nourishment, learning, and fellowship. Being a part of a committed community of Christians helps us all learn how to hear God’s Holy Spirit and find inspiration for our daily lives. Still, Jesus reminds us that our ministry is to see beyond our life of prayer; to meet Christ in the world we serve.
At St. John’s, we see our Mission Statement as our reason for God placing us here and we actively pursue ways of living into this call, allowing it to shape us and determine how we use our resources and gifts.
Our Presiding Bishop Michael Curry explains it this way:
“Near the end of Matthew’s Gospel story of the Resurrection of Jesus from the dead, Mary Magdalene and some of the women go to the tomb to anoint his body. When they get there they find that the tomb is empty, the stone has been rolled away and there is no body there. Then they see and hear an angel who says to them, “This Jesus of Nazareth whom you seek, he is not here, he has been raised as he said he would be and he has now gone ahead of you to Galilee. There you will see him. It is in Galilee that the Risen Lord will be found and seen for he has gone ahead of us.”
Galilee. Which is a way of talking about the world.
Galilee. In the streets of the city. Galilee. In our rural communities.
Galilee in our hospitals. Galilee in our office places. Galilee where God’s children live and dwell there. In Galilee you will meet the living Christ for He has already gone ahead of you.”