Cumnor United Reformed Church

CUMNOR UNITED REFORMED CHURCH

Statement of identity and purpose

WHO WE ARE AND WHAT WE DO

We worship God whom we know as creator and sustainer, as our saviour Jesus Christ and the inspiring presence of the Holy Spirit. We strive to deepen our faith. We share a life of prayer and action.

God calls us

To be a body where there is friendship and mutual encouragement and support
To advance, in the places where we live and work, the modest virtues of courtesy, tolerance and kindness
To have concern for the violence, poverty and despair which disfigure parts of our Inner cities, our rural areas and the wider world
To use our own modest resources to support small, demonstrative improvements in particular places
To challenge all arrangements which stand in the way of human fulfilment.

We hope that others will join us and we welcome them. We pray that more and more people will come into God's kingdom and we yearn for the unity of the whole church of God.

Statement of inclusivity

Cumnor has a long tradition of welcome and in recent years we have become more intentional in our inclusivity. Those who identify as lesbian, gay, bi-sexual or transgender find the same welcome to take a full part in the life of our church as those who identify as heterosexual. We feel blessed to have been the first congregation in Oxfordshire to register for Same Sex Marriage, our life has been enriched by those who have come to us as a result of that decision.

The offer of marriage without regard to gender or sexual orientation is emblematic of the welcome we offer to every child of God; we are glad to proclaim: whoever you are and wherever you are on life’s journey, you are welcome among us here at Cumnor URC.

It is our hope and expectation that this spirit of inclusion will be reflected in every area of our church life and especially in our worship.