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About Us We've Moved Mission Statement Statement of Faith Accessibility Council and Committees of Lyndale Church Hospitality Policy Marriage Equality The LyndaleSalem Partnership The United Church of Christ- Characteristics The United Church of Christ- Origins The United Church of Christ- What We Believe A Just Peace Church >> The Open and Affirming Statement >> April 1st, Lyndale Church moved to 2822 Lyndale Ave S. Sharing space with Intermedia Arts and Salem Lutheran Church in the Intermedia Arts building. Deepening faith and community, Living progressive Christian spirituality, Embodying and extending God's welcome, healing, justice and love The Statement of Faith of the United Church of Christ is in the form of a doxology, a prayer of praise: We believe in you, 0 God, the Eternal Spirit, God of our Savior Jesus Christ and our God, and to your deeds we testify: You call the worlds into being, create persons in your own image and set forth before each one the ways of life and death. You seek in holy love to save all people from aimlessness and sin. You judge people and nations by your righteous will declared through prophets and apostles. In Jesus Christ, the man of Nazareth, our crucified and risen Savior, you have come to us and shared our common lot, conquering sin and death and reconciling the world to yourself. You bestow upon us your Holy Spirit, creating and renewing the Church of Jesus Christ, binding in covenant faithful people of all ages, tongues and races. You call us into Your Church to accept the cost and joy of discipleship, to be your servants in the service of others, to proclaim the gospel to all the world and resist the powers of evil, to share in Christ's baptism and eat at his table, to join him in his passion and victory. You promise to all who trust you forgiveness of sins and fullness of grace, courage in the struggle for justice and peace, your presence in trial and rejoicing, and eternal life in your realm which has no end. Blessing and honor, glory and power be unto you. Amen -- United Church of Christ, USA, 1981 Wheelchairs Worship space's at Intermedia Arts are wheelchair accessible. Council and Committees of Lyndale Church Stewardship Council The Stewardship Council of Lyndale UCC is comprised of five Officers (Moderator, Vice Moderator, Secretary, Treasurer, Ombudsperson), and one ex-officio non-voting member (the Pastor). The Stewardship Council meets monthly and serves as the primary leadership of the congregation. The Standing Committees The work of the church is carried out, in part, by the following Standing Committees: Building Use & Care Committee The Building Use and Care Committee shall be responsible for routine maintenance and care of the building and grounds, planning and managing upkeep and renovation, planning and managing building use by internal and external groups, negotiating and managing building use leases and fees; in accordance with the provisions of the Articles of Incorporation and this constitution under direction of the Council. Christian Education Committee The Christian Education Committee in partnership with the Pastor shall be responsible for Christian Education and spiritual enrichment of children, youth and adults. The Committee shall also be responsible for the provision of nursery and child care, youth programs, and listening to the concerns of children and parents. Congregational Life Committee The Congreational Life Committee shall be responsible for worship concerns and issues, integration of music and worship, sanctuary preparation, Holy Communion, greeters and ushers, and communication about music program planning (choir and special music) with the Director of Music. The Committee is also reponsible for spiritual and theological issues and concerns, community care and support, intern care and in-care students as well as covenanted members. The Committee will assist at baptisms and evaluate the membership rolls each year. Personnel Committee The Personnel Committee shall be responsible for personnel policies (including salary recommendations and benefits), job descriptions and performance evaluation, search committees and hiring, compensation policies and recommendations, staff relations, day-to-day office management and administrative issues. Social Justice Committee The Social Justice Committee shall be responsible for all community relations, services and programs, new community projects, and social justice concerns and issues. Lyndale UCC Hospitality Policy One of the values we at Lyndale place in welcoming all to our building is hospitality. We believe everyone that walks in the doors should be welcomed with the love and grace of God. The following is a procedure is to be followed in case of an experience of inhospitality by anyone in the building. 1. Any issue of inhospitality, harassment or conflict needs to be brought as soon as possible to the attention of any member of the LUCC Stewardship Council , who will talk to both parties to attempt to have both parties agree on a resolution. The Stewardship Council person will report the issue and the resolution at the next Council meeting. If the issue is not resolved- 2. The Congregational Life Chair and the Stewardship Council liaison will be informed of the incident by the council person who hears the first report, and will review the incident with the parties involved. If possible, a solution or reconciliation acceptable to all parties should be negotiated within 48 hours of the incident. A report with recommendations to avoid future similar situations should be made to the LUCC Stewardship Council, Salem Council and the parties involved. If the issue is still not resolved- 3. The involved parties will be asked to write up a brief description of the issue and a copy of the documents given to the LUCC Stewardship Council Moderator and the representative of the organization involved. The Stewardship council and the representative will seek resolution/reconciliation of the issue within a week of receiving the report. Marriage Equality Statement Lyndale United Church of Christ endorses Equal Marriage Rights for All, including 1) affirming equal marriage rights for couples regardless of gender and 2) endorsing marriage policies that do not discriminate against couples based on gender. Effective April 9, 2006 Lyndale Church and its pastor/s will no longer perform civil/religious marriages as an agent of the State of Minnesota. We will continue to perform religious marriages only, for all couples, same or opposite gender. In 2005 the pastors and congregations of Lyndale and Salem Lutheran Church (28th & Lyndale) began discussing their similar buildings, issues and desire to be more green friendly and sustainable congregations. A partnership began officially in January of 2006 which led to Salem closing up their even bigger costlier building (45,000 sq. ft) and on Sunday, November 5, 2006, Salem began worshipping and focusing its ministry from the building of Lyndale United Church of Christ at 31st and Aldrich. Faced with the steep and rising costs of keeping up an extremely large (25,000 sq. ft) city building, Lyndale Church held our final worship service in the building that housed us for 85 years at 31st & Aldrich Ave. S. It will now be home to New Wine Church, now located just east of 280 and University Ave. But that decision was all part of a much larger plan. This building sale allows Lyndale some of the resources necessary to fully partner with Salem in the redevelopment of a shared ministry center at 28th and Garfield in Salem’s old sanctuary, now renovated to accommodate to congregations. The anticipated completion is the fall of 2010. Lyndale Church and Salem Lutheran Church have moved to interim space at Intermedia Arts at 2822 Lyndale Avenue South on April 1, 2009. The real estate closing for our old building at 31st and Aldrich was on March 31, 2009. Lyndale and Salem are excited by the opportunity to be tenants at Intermedia Arts, a strong and vibrant arts organization. The churches use Intermedia Arts’ space for Sunday worship, activities, and offices. A parking lot is accessible from Lyndale Avenue to the north of the building as well as parking west of the building on Sundays. An interim partnership agreement guides the two congregations. This partnership is not a merger, but a way for both congregations to be better stewards of their resources while still celebrating their individual history and identity and living within this ecumenical agreement. Sunday School, Youth Group, some staffing, and many ministry programs are shared between the two congregations. We worship together approximately four times each year. The United Church of Christ- Characteristics The characteristics of the United Church of Christ can be summarized in part by the key words in the names of the four denominations that formed our union: Christian, Reformed, Congregational, Evangelical. Christian By our very name, the United Church of Christ, we declare ourself to be a part of the body of Christ--the Christian church. We continue the witness of the early disciples to the reality and power of the crucified and risen Christ, Jesus of Nazareth. Reformed All four denominations arose from the tradition of the Protestant Reformers: We confess the authority of one God. We affirm the primacy of the scriptures, the doctrine of justification by faith, the priesthood of all believers, and the principle of Christian freedom. We celebrate two sacraments: baptism and the Lord's supper or holy communion. Congregational The basic unit of the United Church of Christ is the congregation. Members of each congregation covenant with one another and with God as revealed in Jesus Christ and empowered by the Holy Spirit. These congregations, in turn, exist in covenantal relationships with one another to form larger structures for more effective work. Our covenanting emphasizes trustful relationships rather than legal agreements. Evangelical The primary task of the church is the proclamation of the gospel or evangel-the good news of God's love revealed with power in Jesus Christ. We proclaim this gospel by word and deed to individual persons and to society. This proclamation is the heart of the liturgia-the work of the people. We gather each Sunday for the worship of God, and through each week, we engage in the service of humankind. The United Church of Christ- Origins The United Church of Christ came into being in 1957 with the union of two Protestant denominations: the Evangelical and Reformed Church and the Congregational Christian Churches. Each of these was in turn the result of a union of two earlier denominations. The Congregational Churches were organized when the Pilgrims of Plymouth Plantation (1620) and the Puritans of the Massachusetts Bay Colony (1629) acknowledged their essential unity in the Cambridge Platform of 1648. The Reformed Church in the United States traced its beginnings to congregations of German settlers in Pennsylvania founded from 1725 on. Later its ranks were swelled by Reformed folk from Switzerland and other countries. The Christian Churches sprang up in the late 1700s and early 1800s in reaction to the theological and organizational rigidity of the Methodist, Presbyterian, and Baptist churches of the time. The Evangelical Synod of North America traced its beginnings to an association of German Evangelical pastors in Missouri. This association, founded in 1841, reflected the 1817 union of Lutheran and Reformed Churches in Germany. Through the years, other groups such as Native Americans, Afro-Christians, Asian Americans, Volga Germans, Armenians, Hungarians, and Hispanic Americans have joined with the four earlier groups. Thus the United Church of Christ celebrates and continues a wide variety of traditions in its common life. The United Church of Christ- What We Believe The above description can be amplified by significant phrases commonly used by Christians, which express the commitments of the United Church of Christ. That they may all be one (John 17:21) This motto of the United Church of Christ reflects the spirit of unity on which it is based and points toward future efforts to heal the divisions in the body of Christ. We are a uniting church as well as a united church. In essentials unity, in non-essentials diversity, in all things charity The unity that we seek requires neither an uncritical acceptance of any point of view, nor a rigid formulation of doctrine. It does require mutual understanding and agreement as to which aspects of the Christian faith and life are essential. The unity of the church is not of its own making. It is a gift of God. But expressions of that unity are as diverse as there are individuals. The common thread that runs through all is love. Testimonies of faith rather than tests of faith Because faith can be expressed in many different ways, the United Church of Christ has no formula that is a test of faith. Down through the centuries, however, Christians have shared their faith with another through creeds, confessions, catechisms, and other statements of faith. Historic statements such as the Apostles' Creed, the Nicene Creed, the Heidelberg Catechism, the Evangelical Catechism, the Augsburg Confession, the Cambridge Platform, and the Kansas City Statement of Faith are valued as authentic testimonies of faith. In 1959, the General Synod Of the United Church Of Christ adopted a Statement of Faith prepared especially for the United Church. Many of us use this statement as a common affirmation of faith in worship and as a basis for study. There is yet more light and truth to break forth from God's from God's holy word This classic statement assumes the primacy of the Bible as a source for understanding the good news and as a foundation for all statements of faith. It recognizes that the Bible, though written in specific historical times and places, still speaks to us in our present condition. It declares that the study of the scriptures is not limited by past interpretations, but it is to be pursued with expectancy for new insights and help for living today. The Priesthood of All Believers All members of the United Church of Christ are called to minister to others and to participate as equals in the common worship of God, each with direct access to the mercies of God through personal prayer and devotion. Recognition is given to those among us who have received special training in pastoral, priestly, educational, and administrative functions, but these persons are regarded as ministers-servants--rather than as persons in authority. Their task is to guide, to instruct, and to enable the ministry of all Christians rather than to do the work of ministry for us. Responsible Freedom As individual members, we are free to believe and act in accordance with our perception of God's will for our lives. But we are called to live in a loving, covenantal relationship with one another--gathering in communities of faith, congregations of believers, local churches. Each congregation or local church is free to act in accordance with the collective decisions of its members, guided by the working of the Spirit in the light of the scriptures. But it is also called to live in a covenantal relationship with other congregations for the sharing of insights and for cooperative action. Likewise, associations of churches, conferences, the General Synod and national boards and agencies of the United Church of Christ are free to act in their particular spheres of responsibility. Yet all are constrained by love to live in a covenantal relationship with one another and with the local churches in order to make manifest the unity of the body of Christ and thus to carry out God's mission In the world more effectively. The members, congregations, associations, conferences, General Synod, and national instrumentalities are free in relation to the world. We affirm that the authority of God as revealed in Jesus Christ and interpreted with the aid of the Holy Spirit stands above and judges all human culture, institutions and laws. But we recognize our calling both as individuals and as the church to live in the world: - Ministering to its needs - Contributing to the welfare of all - Being enriched by those aspects of culture that help to make human life more human - Working through institutions and supporting laws that reflect God's just and loving purposes for the world - Seeking justice and liberation for all This is the challenge of the United Church of Christ. From the United Church of Christ, USA |
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