Hear Min's Story:
Hear Sophia's Story:
Read Ron and Jane's Thoughts:
Here is a list of what Ron and Jane came up with to describe the welcome of First Presbyterian Church Red Wing.
Read Our Story:
Over the last three years Pastor Greg has been participating in a Doctor of Ministry program through McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago. The program is called “Prophetic Leadership for Radical Change” and over the three years he has learned a lot and been challenged to think about the prophetic role of the church in our current times. In the midst of my program the pandemic hit which changed a lot of our work quite a bit.
In the process and in discernment he saw that our congregation was already doing prophetic work in the community and within its own walls. We are actively welcoming to those who have felt left behind by the church and the world. We do our best to listen to different voices, to repair harm that we may have done, and rejoice in who God has called us to be. To that end, he began a project called “Pathways to Welcoming” that would help us live more fully into the welcoming spirit that we already possess. The goal was to have an intentional sense of welcome to those outside our church. We completed a four week class where we discussed listening, storytelling, diversity, and speaking. About 14 people participated in the class and at the end we wrote a statement that we believe articulates our values to those who are not already connected to our wonderful congregation.
The welcoming statement builds on our current mission statement and provides a clear message of love and inclusion.
The statement reads:
“First Presbyterian Church of Red Wing, Minnesota, is a congregational family that seeks to grow in the love of Jesus Christ and to share that love with the community and the world.
We welcome all who seek to follow Jesus regardless of race, age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, nationality, ethnicity, physical or mental ability, marital status, family arrangement, education, political affiliation, economic circumstance, or theological perspective.
We commit ourselves to loving God and building a community where all are loved.”
This statement was presented to the Session and adopted at its February meeting.
We will continue to live a faith-rooted life, committing ourselves to loving God and building a community where all are loved.
