All are Welcome

Throughout the month, we have been looking at the core value statement of our congregation:

At Abiding Presence:
All Are Welcome
We are a Faith Family, Together
We are God's Hands and Feet in the World
We See People as Christ Sees Them 

On this Reformation Sunday weekend, it is fitting for us to look at our first core value, “All are Welcome.”

So, what do we mean when we say, “All are Welcome?” First and foremost, we mean you are welcome. But we mean more than that, too. So, here’s a glimpse of what this value means to us.

No matter who you are or where you are on life’s journey, you are welcome at Abiding Presence:

· If you are young or old or somewhere in between, you are welcome
· If you have brown skin, black skin, white skin, or any color of skin, you are welcome
· If you are single, married, widowed, divorced or in a complicated relationship, you are welcome
· If you are LGBTQIA+, you are welcome
· If you are sick or well, happy or sad, you are welcome
· If you are rich or poor, powerful or weak, you are welcome
· If you believe in God some of the time, none of the time or all of the time, you are welcome

You are welcome here, so come:
· Come with your kids, your spouse, your extended family or by yourself
· Come with your gifts, pain, hope and fears
· Come with the church experiences that have helped you or hurt you or with no church experience at all
· Come with the life experiences that have shaped you and challenged you

Come and be part of the faith family of Abiding Presence where when we say “All are Welcome” we mean all and we mean you, too.

This welcome statement has been personalized for Abiding Presence, but is one many churches have adapted from Gordon Brown’s Shaping Sanctuary. Thankfully, there are many Christian churches that offer a clear welcome to all.