Faith and Practice Committee’s Proposed “Core Values” 

As you consider these statements, what resonates? What tugs at your heart? What words open up for you? What words hinder you? Sierra-Cascades Faith & Practice Committee invites prayerful listening to these statements. Please email your thoughts to newsletter@scymf.org.

We note with gratitude that the following are based on a statement entitled “Our Quaker Beliefs” developed and approved by Eugene Friends Church about 2005.  

  • We are building a trustworthy church. If you feel drawn to our community, you are very welcome among us, whatever your faith language, theology, or previous experiences.

  • Jesus Christ is present. Jesus Christ is actively present with us as Savior, Teacher, Lord, Healer, and Friend. Christ is immediately accessible to all who believe in Him. Those who take time to listen to Christ can hear His voice and follow Him, individually and collectively.

  • God is the source of life, and all human life is sacred. All life has its origin in the creative work of God, and human life is to be regarded as a sacred gift from God. Because all persons have equal value and are created in the image of God, we must treat others with respect and dignity, regardless of human measures of merit or value.

  • The Holy Spirit transforms and empowers us. The Holy Spirit enlightens our paths and transforms our lives. As we yield our lives to God and become immersed in the life of the Spirit, things change. Despair gives way to hope, and weakness gives way to empowerment. All things indeed become new.

  • Scripture calls us to account and helps us know God's will. The Bible is the account of God’s love for humankind, inspired by the Holy Spirit. As interpreted by the Holy Spirit, the Bible shows us what God requires of us and provides authoritative and reliable spiritual guidance for our lives today.

  • We are called to be and to make followers of Christ. Christ through His Spirit transforms us to be more like Himself. He enables us to live lives of integrity and righteousness and calls us to bring others into this relationship. We listen to Christ, we obey Him, and we teach others how to do the same.

  • We are called to live out Christ's love. Jesus reveals the fullest measure of God's love by His example in His death on the cross. As we become more Christ-like, we hope to display this same quality of love corporately and individually to those around us.

  • We are called to be agents of God's peace and love to everyone. We are called to work for justice and to be agents of peace in a broken world. Whether situations of conflict and confusion are personal, national, or global - within the church or beyond it - we are called to be agents of the same healing and love we have received from God.

  • We emphasize traditional Friends Testimonies:

    • Simplicity

    • Peace

    • Integrity

    • Community

    • Equality