There is the drug culture and the way it destroys lives. There is the breakdown of family life. Israel continues its assault on the Palestinian people, practicing what amounts to apartheid. We are experiencing the dangerous deterioration of the earth's environment even as we argue over the best solutions and whether there really is an ecological crisis or not. We see the increase of violence across the face of the earth and we continue to see poverty in the United States in spite of the longest period of economic prosperity in modern history.
Racism continues to divide people.
Because there are people everywhere, even some inside the church, who need to hear the Good News and who need to see it lived out in a true community of faith. For almost eight years now, you and I together have been seeking to discern where God would have us go. We developed a Vision Panel in 1994-'95. This Board did the first Mission Imperative Statement back in 1996. We identified six vital issues.