Vision Portrait of Marple Christian Church

Marple Christian Church
A congregation in covenant with the
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)

Rejoicing that we are loved by God and freely confessing our need for that love, we, the members of Marple Christian Church, feel called by God and empowered by the Holy Spirit to be the presence of Jesus Christ in our world near and far, so that God’s all-embracing love, life-affirming hope, and healing reconciliation flow through us to our brothers and sisters, whom God also loves.

God’s all-embracing love moves us

  • To give caring, fellowship and fun primary roles in both our congregational life and our lives beyond the congregation.
  • To be a true community actively welcoming, warmly inviting and joyfully witnessing to all because of the Good News of God’s love in Jesus Christ.

God’s life-affirming hope compels us

  • To worship God through prayer and praise in exciting and innovative ways, and to broaden and deepen our knowledge and understanding of God so our relationship with God and our faith in God may grow ever stronger.
  • To claim as our mission God’s promises to those who are lonely, suffering, hungry, or despairing.

God’s healing reconciliation challenges us

  • To strive to mend the brokenness within us, between us and around us.
  • To become a compassionate and engaged people, working to achieve justice and peace for all.

We do these things as a loving community that embodies the cooperative spirit of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), which:

  • Stands on the unity of all Christians; doctrines and human differences should not divide believers from one another.
  • Baptizes, by immersion, those who are old enough to make their own decision to follow Christ; however, we recognize and accept into our fellowship those who were baptized using other forms.
  • Understands all members are “ministers” — entitled to interpret Scripture and to participate in any aspect of church life to which they are called.
  • Celebrates the Lord’s Supper each Sunday, and all Christians, having accepted Christ as Lord and Savior, regardless of denomination, are welcome at the Table.