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Our Mission and Values

Living a life of love. That's what this church is all about. Jesus declared that the greatest commandments for humanity to pursue are to love God with heart, soul, mind and strength and to love neighbor as self. This is what we are striving to do, learning every day how to love better. This document explains in detail what this looks like at Stamford Church. Below is a summary. One of our primary tools for helping people learn to love is our Love In Training seminars. Learn more HERE.

 

This life of love is 

  • formative, experienced through spiritual practices and habits, especially the contemplative ones;

  • missional, expressed through the pursuit of justice, evangelism and mercy;

  • inclusive, building bridges across lines of race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, culture and class;

  • ecumenical, drawing from every stream in the Christian tradition; and 

  • wholistic, nurturing deep spiritual, emotional, mental and physical health.

 

We are committed to growing more kind, more selfless, more compassionate, and more forgiving to ourselves and to others. We value critical thinking, study, honesty, and good questions over easy answers. We strive for justice, not perfection, in our inner lives, our relationships, and our communities. We prioritize serving our local community. We are a multi-ethnic church, inclusive of all, regardless of sex, gender, or sexual orientation, and egalitarian in our leadership.

We honor as our spiritual heritage those attempts that began in America in the 19th century to restore the life and spirit of Christianity as exhibited by Jesus and his apostles. Central to our faith is the sacrificial love of Jesus which orients us to a life of self-emptying love, service, and joy with and for all those in our midst. The values that extend from this central notion of faith include: 

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Spirits

An Ecumenical Spirit 

We recognize the value of different perspectives, seeking to negotiate our differences, or even set them aside, for the sake of the more important things that unite us: the value of love at the center of our lives.

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A Just Spirit 

We hold at the center of our convictions God’s love for the poor, marginalized, oppressed, and other victims of particular and general injustices. We believe that God is to be found clearly among the weak and vulnerable in our midst and that what we do for persons such as these, we do for God.

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A Sacrificial Spirit

We believe that whatever blessings we receive in each of our stations in life are not strictly for our own satisfaction, but are a means by which we might more fully bless and care for one another. Our lives are not oriented toward our own success, but by a sacrificial ethic for the sake of those in our midst.

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An Open Spirit

We refuse to discriminate on the basis of gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or socio-economic status. We are a multi-ethnic, gender-egalitarian, open and affirming, and socio-economically diverse congregation. That means we honor the particularities we each embody—female, male, poor, rich, gay, straight, queer, Black, White, Asian, West Indian—all as equals, as bearers of the image of God, and as disciples of Jesus. 

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A Mindful Spirit

We practice the pursuit of truth, honoring the life of the mind as a gift from God. We study Scripture as well history and current events in their various contexts, recognizing that such consideration can often lead to surprising insights and transformed perceptions on how we see and act in the world. We strive to create a space where all truth can be God’s truth, opening ourselves up to the contributions of the arts & sciences across cultures and faith traditions. 

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A Joyful Spirit

We believe that all that God calls us to is ultimately a call to joy. Not a fleeting or self-centered joy, but the joys found when our lives are given away and poured out for the sake of God and one another. 

Inclusion

Inclusion

We practice full gender inclusion (people may participate fully in all aspects of church life and leadership regardless of gender) and LGBTQ+ inclusion (people may participate fully in all aspects of church life and leadership regardless of sexuality). The resources below explore these practices.

LGBTQ+ Inclusion

You may find a number of resources on this topic on a separate page of this website. Click below.

On Gender Egalitarianism/Inclusivity

Sons and Daughters - documents the history and rationale of our church's movement toward full gender inclusivity.

Leadership

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Cynthia Ownby, along with her husband of 12 years, Cale, come to us from Houston, Texas where she has served as the Spiritual Life Minister for the Bering Drive Church of Christ since 2009. ... Read More

Cynthia Ownby

Lead Minister

Contact Cynthia Ownby

Staff and Elders
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Dale Pauls

Minister Emeritus & Associate Minister

Contact Dale Pauls

Dale has been on staff here since 1978, twenty-nine years as our Senior Minister. He’s also past president of the regional InterFaith Council and still... Read More

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Eddie is a professional singer with national and international credits. He oversees most of the special events at Stamford Church including weddings... Read More

Edward Pleasant

Minister of Music & Worship Arts

Contact Edward Pleasant

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Sandra Hogan

Office Administrator

Contact Sandra Hogan

Sandy has served the Stamford Church community for over a decade in a variety of key roles.  A skilled administrator, she exemplifies what it means to be a true servant.  ... Read More

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Veronica Green

Church Custodian

Elders

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John Williams 

Elder

Scott Johnson 

Elder

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Guy Bocicaut

Elder

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Debbie Pauls

Elder

Stamford Church Elders

Contact The Elders

Ministry Leaders

Directory

Grounds: Kristen Andrews

Children: Kelly Campbell

Teens/ Pacific House: Debbie Pauls

Children’s Church: Rosemary Williams

Hope for Haiti’s Children: Julie Georges

Family Care: Sylvia Smith

FriendSpeak: Tyler & Tatiana Johnson

Shiloh: Laconia Therrio

Event Set Up: Laura Lopez

Directory

If you need help setting up an account please do not hesitate to contact our office administrator━Sandy Hogan at info@stamfordchurch.orgfor assistance.

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