Our vision statement for Westview is
"Joyfully Seeking and Sharing God’s Light".
Joyfully — Joy is found 250 times in the Bible. It is an attribute of the people of God and one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit (Gal 5:22). Joy is exuded by people devoting their lives to God. This came out very strongly in our group process as indicative of Westview’s character. The apostle Paul encourages us to “be joyful always, pray continuously,” so this is key to our vision for Westview. Joy plays out in so many ways here — our fellowship times, our music, our children, our dinners, all our activities together.
Seeking — Jesus said, “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God” and “Seek and you will find.” We are a congregation of seekers and learners. We hunger for God and His presence in our lives. We seek meaning and guidance from Scripture through Bible study and classes. We listen and learn from each other. Seeking is an ongoing process. It is a process by which we become mature in our faith and in our love of God. This includes a desire to bring in those who may not know God. Part of seeking is also a sense of accepting each other as God’s children.
Sharing — This evokes images of abundance and generosity. The early church shared everything among themselves as they worked for God’s kingdom. It includes the Great Commission—sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ. We have a share in a wonderful inheritance and we are called to share the news with others. Our outreach activities and mission trips, as well as our personal interaction, show Westview as a sharing congregation.
God’s Light — Light was an important concept for our group. During our lectio divina process, one of our members had an aerial image of Westview as a glowing beacon in the dark. Light encompasses all the gifts and blessings of God—love, grace, forgiveness, compassion. As we seek and share God’s light, we become the light of the world as a reflection of God’s light. Jesus told us to let our light shine and the source of our light is God.
We continue moving forward with this vision: Joyfully seeking and sharing God’s Light.