ABOUT
OUR Mission & Values
Mission
Joyfully Reaching Out To Share God’s Word and Love with Everyone.
Values
We are a church focused on Christ. We embrace our mission and share our faith by exemplifying Christ’s love throughout our community and God’s Word around the world.
WHAT IS ELCA?
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Our mission
Marked with the cross of Christ forever, we are claimed, gathered and sent for the sake of the world. This is the mission statement of the ELCA. As members of the ELCA, we believe that we are freed in Christ to serve and love our neighbor. With our hands, we do God’s work of restoring and reconciling communities in Jesus’ name throughout the world.
Biblical and theological foundation
Members of the ELCA are called and privileged to participate in God’s work in the world. God calls and empowers us for mission through baptism. As a community of believers justified by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8), we do not describe mission in terms of our own work but with reference to the healing, salvation and restoration that God accomplishes through Christ. We seek the guidance of the Spirit in our planning, while expecting surprising developments and unanticipated opportunities. Grounded in God’s love and forgiveness, we are equipped to live and serve here and now, in the world, with all its complexities, tensions and ambiguities. We have the courage to explore the world as saints and sinners are certain of God’s promises and of the confident hope that all God’s loving purposes will be fulfilled when our risen Lord Jesus Christ returns (1 John 3:2).
Strategic directions for the ELCA church-wide organization
The ELCA church-wide organization, working collaboratively with congregations, synods, agencies and institutions and other partners will give priority to:
•Accompanying congregations as growing centers for evangelical mission; and
•Building capacity for evangelical witness and service in the world to alleviate poverty and to work for justice and peace.
To this end, the church-wide organization continues to play a significant and pivotal role in the life of this church by working with its local and global mission partners to build, support and extend the mission of this church.
www.elca.org
OUTREACH
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
God’s Work. Our Hands! First English Lutheran Church has a tradition of Outreach Ministry that spans more than 100 years. Our members are engaged and passionate about helping others and helping causes that spread the good news of Christ. If you would like to help us with outreach, there are many ways to become involved. Contact us and find out how you can put your time, talents or treasures to work to insure the vital Outreach Ministry of First English continues for the next 100 years.
Lutheran Disaster Relief US
Lutheran Food Pantry
Damascus Road
Sleep in Heavenly Peace
Community of Hope Charity
Lutheran Campus Ministries
Habitat for Humanity
Samaritan Fund
Lutheran World Relief
Mirvada Living Foundation
Day by Day Shelter
Take 5 Club
Bella Medical Clinic
Crossways Camping Ministries
Oshkosh Teachers Closet
Winnebago County Sherriff’s Chaplaincy Program
Missionary Sponsor of Rev. Kristin Engstrom. Kristin serves as a facilitator for leadership development in Zambia in southern Africa