A mission statement is defined as “a formal summary of the aims and values of a company, organization or individual.” Here at Love, we hope our mission statement helps you understand that everything we do, we do for our community. Everything we do for our community, we do because Jesus calls us to love those in our community. Everything we do for those we love, we aim to do well, by valuing the dignity of each person as we carry out our mission.
Following Jesus Christ, who transforms lives, we equip our community to love, serve and connect with dignity.
That’s it. That’s the formal summary. It might not seem like much, but to us there’s a lot packed in. Let’s break it down.
“Following Jesus Christ, who transforms lives”
The reason we have Jesus Christ first, is because He is the reason for everything we do. We want to emphasize that we follow Him, we don’t lead the way. As Christians, we love to play the Savior. We often like to think we are leading, but having this start our mission statement is our constant reminder that He is leading, that He is our model, and that He is the one who transforms all of us. This is our constant reminder to aim for humility in all that we do. As Christians, we like to believe we transform others, but Jesus Christ is the only author of change.
“We equip our community”
If you are equipped, you have the necessary items or tools you need for wherever it is that you’re going. Here at Love, we are here to equip our community with three crucial things for life: love, service and connection.
As you search for ways to serve, we want to show you the limitless unique ways you can do that through our campus and community. As you connect, we want to equip you with the physical resources you might need available through our donations and resale stores, so that you can focus less on the stuff and more on the relationship. As you love, we want to offer training that encourages you to be so free to love that you focus less on what the person lacks and more on all that the person you are walking with has to offer.
We are so grateful that we have the historical footprint we do in the community, so that many people’s starting point – for serving, for help, for resources and training, starts with Love. As people continue coming to Love, we continue to search out more ways to collaborate with surrounding non-profits and for profits, so that you find what you are looking for, and our community can continue to collaborate well.
“To love, serve and connect with dignity”
We could create long, long lists of all the ways our community loves, serves and connects through this organization, but we also don’t want to limit the ways. Instead, we invite you to come see it for yourself and take a tour. We value creative ideas, collaboration, and openness as we strive to continue doing these three things for and with our community.
The last two words of our mission statement is what sets us apart. Everything we do, we first ask this question: is this a dignified approach to ministry? The answer has to be yes in order for us to continue. Over the past 5 years, we have seen a drastic shift when dignity remains intact- when dignity is elevated- when dignity is the goal.
Individuals who came ashamed replace shame with hope. Individuals who were hurt by the church have the confidence to try a church community again. Individuals who defined themselves by their need now define themselves by their God-given gifts. Individuals who served others on a pedestal now walk with humility, empathy and greater understanding. Individuals who help others have less burnout and resentment, as they shift their perspective on how they view a person in need. Individuals who serve with dignity experience service like Jesus teaches and Jesus intended.
As we continue to strive to live out our mission, we invite you, our community, to love, serve and connect with us. If you know us, maybe come meet us again, because just like you know, people can change.
We can’t wait to see where Jesus takes Love.