b'Our Mission and Values Fromthebeginning,FirstBaptistChurchhasbalancedaninwardfocuswithanoutward vision. Through the generations we have committed ourselves to genuine worship, growth in Christlikeness, and growing relationships. At the same time, we are a people who look beyond our walls to challenges in our community and the world beyond, responding to the needs of others in compassionate and concrete ways. OUR MISSION STATEMENTThe long-standing mission statement of our church is To reach people for Jesus Christ and together become more like him. This statement expresses our central commitment to Christ and desire to imitate him in all that we are and do. It also captures our missional heart, which propels us, as the recipients of Gods good gifts, to share that grace with others, caring for their needs and inviting them to faith and fellowship. Our mission statement also recognizes our own neediness. We do not reach down to others from a position of spiritual superiority, but we reach out to those who are fellow strugglers, all of us pilgrims together on the journey of faith.OUR CORE VALUESAs a congregation, at various times we have expressed our sense of basic values in light of our current context. In this period of pastoral transition, our church has engaged in a series of congregational conversations in which we shared together our sense of who we are and where we are going. In the first conversation last fall we considered what we value most about our church at this point of our history. The fruitful discussion resulted in five fresh statements of our core values. 4'