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About Us

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"Love God with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and love your neighbor as yourself" - Luke 10:27 and Deuteronomy 6:5

We are a community of people who support one another; celebrate and honor diverse life experiences, faith traditions and spiritual backgrounds; and seek to love God and follow Jesus Christ. 

 

We are an independent congregation, i.e., "non-denominational," founded by immigrants over 124 years ago, Greendale People's Church continues to take seriously Jesus' call to love our neighbors in practical ways. For example, we regularly celebrate baptisms, weddings, memorial services and funerals for people without a church home. And we have and/or continue to serve in ministries that include hunger action, nurturing healthy community, working toward racial reconciliation, fostering ecumenical relationships, and supporting the spiritual and pastoral needs of diverse people in the greater Worcester area. 

Spirituality. Healthy Relationships. Inclusivity. 

 

Positive, uplifting worship; humble prayer; genuine community; and compassionate service with others are hallmarks of Greendale People's Church. Whoever you are, wherever you are on your journey, come, celebrate, and let's explore the journey together. Greendale People's Church, where Christ is central, diversity is cherished, and all are welcome.

Recently we explored how as a community we both celebrate diverse spiritual practices, faith traditions and understandings and also hold several beliefs in common.  The following depict as best we can the sentiments expressed through our many conversations:

Mission Statement:

Greendale People's Church is an open, welcoming, inclusive community seeking to love God and follow Jesus Christ through worship, prayer, and service to others.

Core Values:

We value spirituality.  We gather together as to enrich our faith.  Our faiths are diverse.  We respect each other’s unique spiritual journey and what that means to each person.  We support each other on that journey.  We create opportunities to examine our faiths, serve each other, practice spirituality and participate in a diverse faith community.  In these ways, we learn and grow as individuals and as a people.  We are a dynamic faith community.
We value healthy relationships in all aspects of community life.  We foster opportunities to create and strengthen bonds with God, our church family, and the community.
We value inclusivity.  We are a welcoming church.  Whoever you are, wherever you are on your life or spiritual journey, you are welcome here.

Challenges to our values: We admit that in times of stress, leaders, staff and members sometimes behave in ways that don’t match our values.

We recognize that healthy communication is a major aspect of living in community. We strive to:

  • Communicate more clearly, and more often.

  • When we do not agree, disagree respectfully.

We recognize that change is inevitable and invokes uncertainty. We strive to:

  • Listen to new ideas.

  • Consider new ideas, even if at first, they seem uncomfortable/unfamiliar.

We recognize that every person has unique gifts and strengths, life experiences (struggles and triumphs), commitments and perspectives. We strive to:

  • Resist making judgements about each other.

  • Remember that each of us is human, and perfectly imperfect.

Church Covenant:

We accept as the guiding principle of our lives and conduct the teachings of Jesus, who, when asked what the greatest commandment was, said: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul and with all thy mind. And the second is like unto this: Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself."

We believe in a church that shall work in Christian unity in harmony with Christ's Prayer, "That they all may be one," a church whose only label is Christian and whose only head is Christ.

Greendale People's Church is in covenanted fellowship with other like-minded community churches in The International Council of Community Churches, a multiracial ecumenical fellowship committed to community, treasuring diversity, and living our faith in service and love. Together we witness that Christians need not be divided by denominational lines but may know oneness in Christ through worship, fellowship, and service.

 

Welcome to Greendale People's Church,

where Christ is central, diversity is cherished, and all are welcome.

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