The Union Church
Purpose Statement

- by encouraging personal, loving, and

maturing relationships with Jesus Christ;

- by modeling Christ-like lives;

- by serving the Body of Christ; and

- by ministering to the needs of others."

 

To enhance God's reputation in the world

To bring honor to His name

To help people respect His purposes

To increase peoples' desire to relate to Him

To help people understand His attributes and perfection.

Our purpose as a church of Jesus Christ is to do our work with such love and compassion, live our lives with such Christ-like values, and serve our world with such enthusiasm, that the knowledge of God is increased and the reputation of God is enhanced.

 

There are thousands of churches in Guatemala that offer people an opportunity to worship and learn in Spanish. We know of only two churches that provide ministry to people who have English as the language of their hearts. That means we have a unique opportunity and responsibility to bless people who are more comfortable worshiping in English, including those for whom English is a second language.

We believe we are called by God to remain faithful to our English-speaking roots and not allow our focus of ministry to English-speaking people to be diluted.

This church can touch the lives of English-speaking people in Guatemala in ways that would be nearly impossible in the country of origin. We celebrate that privilege.

Personal: We believe God calls each of us to an intimate, daily, life changing, personal, relationship with Him. This is established when a person accepts by faith, the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, as the only way to forgiveness and acceptance by the Holy God.

Loving: God’s fundamental command to all of us is to love Him with all we are and have. That takes knowledge, help and support. We are all in this Christian life together.

Maturing: God loves us just the way we are, but he is not willing to leave us there. We are called to reflect the character of Jesus Christ. Committed to growth, we provide; morning worship, fellowship, Bible studies, Sunday school, special age group learning activities, retreats, conferences, and many seasonal events.

None of us are perfect. We are all sinners. But as members of this church our purpose is to model lives that reflect the values and character of Jesus Christ. We commit ourselves to do that, because we live in a world that watches our actions, judges our profession of faith, and often determines the reality of God on the basis of our goodness and integrity.

We as Christians are called to be salt and light in a flavorless and dark world. We are called to let our light so shine before others that they see our good works and glorify our Father in heaven.

The purpose of the Union Church is fulfilled as we teach the truth of Jesus Christ, provide opportunity to grow in the likeness of Jesus Christ, as we call each other to accountability, and respond to our heavenly Father’s call to become like Jesus Christ.

I Corinthians 12:27 states that we believers are the "Body of Christ." As members of Christ’s body we are called to help any part that is suffering or in need. As the early church helped those of its number by having all things in common, as Paul collected money for the suffering believers in Jerusalem, so we are to care for believers whether in our midst or around the world. When one part of the body hurts we all hurt. As one cares for her or his own body, we are to serve the needs of each other in the church.

Wherever the church is need and we can help, where we can bear the burdens of our fellow Christians, where we can relieve the suffering of the persecuted, where we can serve the fatherless and widows within the body of Christ, we are called upon by God Himself to lend a hand.

Through benevolence to our own people, through assistance to needs with the Church in Guatemala, and through Francisco Gross’ service to the Church in Romania, we are all in this body together.

God is kind and compassionate. God loves all people. A way we can bring glory to him is by loving people that have needs. They do not need to be part of this church or even known by us.

We believe we are the instruments of God’s generosity. We therefore feel called to help the poor, relieve the suffering, give hand to the needy.

We are committed to this church making a difference in the world we can

 

1. Strengthening corporate worship to be as meaningful as possible to a broad spectrum of believers.

2. Using our God given individual and corporate gifts to demonstrate God’s love and bring people to a growing relationship with Him through Jesus Christ.

3. Instructing and equipping believers to experience a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ and live out that relationship in their world.

4. Building a Christ-like community where we love and care for each other, bear each other’s burdens, call each other to accountability, and have fun.

5. Continuing to manage our resources with transparency and the highest standards of integrity, efficiency, and effectiveness.