First Presbyterian Church of Merrillville
Thursday, March 28, 2024
Go and Make Disciples!
Guiding Vision
First Presbyterian Church of Merrillville
 
 
We are Children of God called to seek the life God has intended for us. We are a community of faith where God’s Word is “a lamp to our feet and a light to our path.”
 
We trust in the power of God’s forgiveness and His desire to recreate us in the image of Christ.  We strive to be a congregation where the faithful may find salvation and the careless be awakened, where the tempted may find help and the sorrowful comfort, where the weary may find rest and the strong be renewed. 
 
Together, as God’s people, we embrace being the church – the body of Christ – the hands and feet of Christ in the world. We respect one another, celebrate each other’s joys, support each other’s needs and bring our concerns together to God in prayer.
 
We glorify God through worship[i], guided by the preaching and teaching of our pastor[ii]; fellowship of our congregation[iii]; Bible study; community outreach[iv]; and active participation in the life of the church.
 
We understand that our ability to be generous comes from our gratitude for God’s blessings in our lives.[v] In order for our church to flourish, all of us have a responsibility to be faithful stewards, using our gifts and talents effectively toward His greater glory.
 
Redeemed by God, we seek to open our arms to all who yearn to know God’s love.
 
We rejoice in the opportunity to serve the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. We strive to be sensitive to the needs of our community and open to new and creative ways to love and serve our neighbors. We seek out others to share in ministry together.[vi]
 
We envision ourselves growing in our responsiveness to God’s voice as we dedicate ourselves to attentive prayer and Bible study.
 
We acknowledge our dependence on God, trust God to walk with us into the future, and hope in God’s ability to transform us into a holy people that others might be drawn to God through us.
         


[i] Worshiping Community
[ii] Discipling Community
[iii] Welcoming Community
[iv] Serving Community
[v] Grateful Community
[vi] Shared Ministry Community
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Key Result Area
from the Guiding Vision
of the First Presbyterian Church of Merrillville, Indiana
 
 
 
1)    A Worshiping Community
Προσκυνέω  proskyneseis,  to prostrate oneself, to bow down and worship.
 
2)    A Discipling Community
Μαθητής  mathētēs, ‘to follow, to be a disciple.
 
3)    A Serving Community
Διάκονος diakonos to serve,  a person who renders service—‘servant.’
 
4)    A Grateful Community
Χάρις     charis an expression of thankfulness.
 
5)    A Welcoming Community
Δέχομαι dechomaio to welcome, to receive, to accept, to have as a guest.
 
6)    A Shared Ministry Community
Κοινωνία koinonia an association involving close mutual relations and involvement, fellowship