For national administrative standards for outreach ministries

"We are not alone, we live in God's world"
In the complex and beautiful world God created and is still creating there is much turmoil and oppression with many hurting and vulnerable people. Into such a world we are called "to do justice, to love kindness and to walk humbly" with God. (Micah 6:8) So in response to God's call and with the assurance that God is with us we work in a broken world with confidence and courage.

God "works in us and others by the Spirit"
In the mystery of this relationship, God empowers us and others to grow and become partners with God in bringing in a new world of peace and justice. The spirit offers comfort, encouragement, challenge, and new insights to enable us to move forward.

"We are called to be the church"
Where there is solidarity with the poor and oppressed there is the heart of the church. From that position, Outreach Ministries have a special calling to witness to the integration of faith and justice in the world. This coming together provides Outreach Ministries a unique opportunity to challenge theological presuppositions and practices in the institutional church and give leadership in developing a new way of being the church.

a) "celebrate God's presence"
God's presence is celebrated directly as the hungry are fed, the stranger is welcomed, the naked are clothed, the sick and imprisoned are cared for, and as the systems of oppression are challenged. Recognizing the face of Jesus in the oppressed, we find ourselves fed, clothed, welcomed, healed and set free. Indirectly through the creation of safe and secure places we open up the possibilities for God's presence to be celebrated and for transformation to take place in people's lives.

b) "live with respect in creation"
As God's stewards of the created world we are called to honour the social and physical environment, use and reuse material resources diligently and renew and recycle goods and services. We recognize the gifts people bring in the care and protection of the social and physical world and we strive to employ their creative abilities in a continuous process of living with respect in creation.


c) "love and serve others"
Out of God's love for us, we love others as we would wish to be loved. (1st John 4:19 and Matt. 19:19) Our love finds expression through acknowledging the dignity of others and the creation of spaces where people may grow and empowerment may happen. We seek to serve in such a way that we are able to empathize with others and yet respect the boundaries between us. While we love the people with whom we share in ministry, we do not love the systems which oppress, disempower, or dehumanize.

d) "seek justice and resist evil
God calls us to work for justice, for the well being of all people but especially for the oppressed and disadvantaged. Justice demands that all people share in the equitable distribution of material resources and have the same rights to choose what is appropriate for them. All people must have spaces where they may live in safety and where their dignity is respected and there are opportunities for growth. We are therefore called to constant vigilance against systems that oppress and in which we are all caught up in varying degrees. We recognize that this struggle does not prevent us from the mutual love and respect of each other.

e) "proclaim Jesus, crucified, and risen, our judge and our hope"
In the social gospel tradition, out of which our ministries have evolved, there was a recognition that Jesus, in his ministry, proclaimed that his reign of peace and justice had already come: the possibility of a new, more abundant life was already happening. He judged the power brokers and the oppressive systems, not those who are oppressed; to the latter He offered hope for a new heaven and a new earth. Following His example we are called to love our brothers and sisters and offer them hope for the future. At the same time we are called to judge and transform oppressive systems.

f) "in life, in death, in life beyond death, God is with us"
We live and work in the midst of communities of people who experience suffering and death every day. We are there as the Church Incarnate offering support, witnessing to the power of the resurrection, celebrating God's continuing presence, transforming systems and promising hope for the future. We know we are not alone; God is with us.