We believe that Cedar Ridge is a community uniquely gifted with abundant resources and talented members. We also believe that as followers of Christ we are called to engage and serve the world around us, whether it is on our doorstep or halfway around the globe. Our unique gifts and talents should be used to glorify God by actively living out on Earth as it is in Heaven.
We also recognize that while we are uniquely gifted as a community of believers, we are not alone in our gifts, nor do we have all of the answers. Therefore, we commit ourselves to engaging the world in the way of Micah 6, by loving mercy, doing justice, and walking humbly with our God.
We do not adhere to the old Missions paradigm of the 19th and 20th centuries that divided word and deed, and made westerners the sole possessors and providers of God's goodness. We believe in a new, yet ancient way of walking in the world, one that seeks to know our neighbors for who they are and love them regardless of their background, creed, race, or political beliefs. We will seek to love in a way that puts us on an equal footing with those we encounter, understanding that while we have much to give we also have equally as much that we need to receive.
Our vision is for a community that follows the way of Jesus by putting others needs in front of our own. That pursuit is not for the few experts or committed within the congregation, but rather for everyone, as part of our corporate and individual spiritual journeys. Global Engagement is for young and old alike. While we recognize that not everyone at Cedar Ridge can go and serve in the farthest reaches of the globe, we also believe that we all have a part to play. Every member of Cedar Ridge can and should be engaged globally whether it is through the purchases we make, the money we donate, or the prayers we offer up. Children, youth, singles, families, young and old alike, all have a role to play.
We also understand Global Engagement to be an essential part of Discipleship. It is through serving that we more closely understand the way of Jesus and it is through growing spiritually that we better understand the way to serve. Therefore we believe that our discipleship should always be leading us further outside of our comfort zones to engage with the world around us. Likewise as we engage with the world we believe that it will have deep implications on our spiritual lives, on how we view the world, how we view others, how we view ourselves, and how we view God.
Ultimately Global Engagement is not about doing everything. We recognize that while we have much to give and much to receive, we also have limits. We cannot possibly meet all of the tremendous needs in the world. There are too many places, people and challenges for Cedar Ridge to be all things to all people. We must be selective and intentional about how we engage the world corporately. In order to do this we need a framework that will help guide us as we make critical decisions about how we will invest our time, talents and resources corporately for the good of the world. There are literally thousands of opportunities for us to consider, but we need to create a fair, transparent and honest way to evaluate those opportunities.
The Global Engagement Team is working to develop a framework that will help Cedar Ridge sift through the many challenges and needs that the world faces. We recognize that there are many needs as well as many good ways to serve. We also recognize that some opportunities do not line up with the mission and vision of Cedar Ridge and therefore must be passed up. While Cedar Ridge has many talents and resources to share with the world we also know that we are limited and therefore need focus. This emerging framework will help give us focus so that we can corporately go deep and long in a few places, without spreading ourselves too thin.
Wherever we choose to go corporately will not negate the possibility that members of Cedar Ridge might support or be involved in other ministries, either as individuals or as part of small groups. Cedar Ridge will support and applaud those efforts as long as they serve to strengthen the vision and mission of Cedar Ridge. However, Cedar Ridge cannot and should not get behind every individual cause or effort as a wider Church body. Our guiding framework will keep us focused on what we can do together as a Church, while allowing individuals to pursue their interests and passions.
In the coming few months this emerging global engagement philosophy and framework will guide decision making around opportunities past, present, and future. We will explore where Cedar Ridge can connect our resources to great needs, as well as where we might grow and be transformed by others. Please pray that God would lead Cedar Ridge to lasting, meaningful, and rich relationships with brothers and sisters around the world.