Our Commitments

1. God’s activity in creation.
2. The Covenant relationship of God with humanity. (Ezek. 37:26, Jer. 22:15-16)
3. The reconciling activity of Jesus Christ.
4. The presence of the Holy Spirit. (John 10:10)
5. The community of reconciliation (Ephesians 2:14). Jesus performed signs of forgiveness and healing and made manifest that God’s reign is for those who are in need.

6. Hope.

1. Peace is possible. A Just Peace is a basic gift of God and is the force and vision moving human history.
2. The meaning of Just Peace and God’s activity in human history is understood through the Bible, Church history and the voices of the oppressed and those in struggle for justice and peace.
3. Nonviolent conflict is a normal and healthy reflection of diversity. Working through conflict constructively should lead to growth of both individuals and nations.

As members of a Just Peace Church, we are called to change our lives, our thinking, and our actions. We are called to act responsibly to bring about justice and peace.

Lyndale United Church of Christ seeks to follow God as revealed in scripture, embodied in Jesus and reflected in one another. As God works in our lives, we perceive that God accepts everyone without exclusion. The United Church of Christ (UCC), has a history of supporting the rights of oppressed groups, such as civil rights for people of color and the ordination of women and marriage equality for all.

Therefore, we join the 15th General Synod of the UCC in recognizing and affirming persons of any sexual orientation and gender identification as equal recipients of the love and grace of God.

Further, we specifically encourage and expect bisexual, gay, lesbian and transgender people to share in all the functions and benefits of membership in Lyndale Church.

This includes leadership, employment, education, worship, fellowship and reception of all the blessings and sacraments.

We affirm stable, loving relationships between persons of any sexual orientation and gender identity.

We pledge to continue our education to become more aware of heterosexism and to confront it through advocacy in our church and community.

We confess our constant need for God’s help to persist in our efforts to remain a sign of God’s open and affirming love for all people.

Therefore, we covenant with one another and with God to keep this commitment prayerfully before us in our public worship.

1  Affirm the following: “Lyndale United Church of Christ endorses Equal Marriage Rights for All, including affirming equal marriage rights for couples regardless of gender and endorsing marriage policies that do not discriminate against couples based on gender.”

2  As of August 1, 2013, the date the Freedom to Marry Law goes into effect, rescind the following: “Effective April 9, 2006, Lyndale Church and its pastor/s will no longer perform civil/religious marriage as an agent of the State of MN. We will continue to perform religious marriages only, for all couples, same or opposite gender.”