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.
What We Believe
We believe God created the Earth “and it was good” (Genesis 1:9). As created in the image of God, human beings are a part of this creation and therefore all people have inherent dignity and are worthy of respect. (Genesis 1:27-28)
We believe that the Christ was present at the beginning of creation, and that “in him, all things hold together”. (Colossians 1:15-18)
We believe that Jesus Christ came into the world to save it, not condemn it. (John 3:16-17) We believe that Jesus revealed the pattern of human life in his death on a cross and his resurrection.
In following Christ, we follow his pattern of death and resurrection revealed on the cross and on Easter, and through the power of the Holy Spirit, we are transformed more and more into his likeness. (Philippians 3:10)
We believe God has called us together as a community of faith. We care for one another, worship together, and realize that we may not agree on every point of doctrine or political persuasion, but “God alone is the Lord of the conscience.”(From the basic Principles of Church Order given in the first General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the USA, 1789)
As a church, our goal of “Joyfully seeking and sharing God’s light” is to remind us to be ever seeking, as our top priority, the kingdom of God and God’s righteousness. (Matthew 6:33) To this end, we commit ourselves, so help us God.
Affiliations
We are a congregation in the Presbyterian Church (USA) and the Presbytery of Plains and Peaks.
Our church is led by elders. Clergy are called “teaching elders” or ministers of Word and Sacrament. Lay people elected as elders each year by the congregation are called “ruling elders.” They serve three year terms and serve regardless of gender, race, or sexual orientation.
History of Westview
Provided by Charter Member, Lyle Dehning
Westview Presbyterian Church was established as a church plant on the west side of town by Central Presbyterian Church. Planning for this new church began in May 1964, and the first church service was held on June 7, 1964. At its inception, Westview rented space from the Seventh Day Adventist Church for Sunday services, and utilized office space at the Francis Street Shopping Center. Central Presbyterian Church loaned us their office and equipment in the evenings to print bulletins on their mimeograph machine.
Longmont's population in 1964 was approximately 9,000 and barely growing. To start a new church we had to have 100 members. In order to get the word out about this new church, we broadcast our entire Sunday morning church services on the radio through Longmont's station, KLMO.