|
Circle of Mercy is a welcoming, inclusive, and celebrative community of believers. We are committed to spiritual formation that nurtures prayerful discernment, invites compassionate service, and prompts prophetic action. We believe that turning to God also means turning to the world—especially to its broken places—as agents of healing and hope. We are an ecumenical congregation, drawing from a variety of confessional traditions, but choosing to be affiliated with the Alliance of Baptists and the United Church of Christ. We participate and offer leadership in a variety of mission involvements locally, nationally, and internationally. At the heart of our community life is worship. Every Sunday evening, a lively mix of adults and children gathers around a welcoming table to sing and pray, share concerns and celebrations, reflect on the intersection of Scripture and life, meditate in silence, and break the bread of communion. There’s always room for others who are on a journey to engage their faith and the world. Our congregation adopted the following statement to identify ourselves as an open, welcoming, and affirming congregation.
Circle of Mercy is an open and affirming congregation, recognizing that all persons are created in the image of God with inherent dignity and worth. We affirm and offer thanks for the wide diversity of God’s creation. We seek to be an inclusive community, welcoming into the full life and mission of our congregation all persons, including those of every race, ethnic background, culture, age, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, and economic situation. We invite everyone who so chooses to participate fully in the worship, work and leadership of our congregation under the terms of covenant membership. We recognize that lesbians, gay men, and bisexual and transgender persons have historically suffered abuse, discrimination, and exclusion by the church universal. Therefore, we commit ourselves to be intentional in welcoming lesbians, gay men, bisexual and transgender persons into the full life of our Circle, to provide hospitable space for persons wrestling with issues of sexual identity, and to work for justice for all persons in the larger community. We believe that God calls us into faithful, loving, committed, life-giving relationships. We honor, affirm and celebrate these relationships among all people. We recognize that our Circle consists of many members but, at the same time, is one body. We believe that in our diversity we discover a unity of faith and purpose that transcends all of our differences. We believe that the richness of our diversity enhances our life together and deepens our wisdom and understanding about our call "to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with God." |
Circle of Mercy Sunday Worship September-May, 5:00 p.m.
(June-August, 5:30 p.m.)
Religious Education, 3:45-4:45 p.m.
Parish Hall of St. George's Episcopal Church
1 School Road, Asheville, North Carolina 28806
Casual dress • Family Friendly • Potluck meal follows worship
 |
|
|
Home |