WELCOME TO WESTWOOD!

We are a vibrant, caring and progressive community that welcomes all who seek God. We gather as both broken and beloved people to worship God, serve our neighbor, share our gifts and find support from each other on our spiritual journey.

Our welcome is as wide as God's embrace. We are loved—all of us—and God wants us to thrive in this love and grace, things that aren't earned but freely given. If you're looking for this kind of place, join us and help us to fully live our mission in the world.

We don't shy away from hard questions.

Life comes with difficult questions—from the most personal to questions about the church's role in the world—and they're difficult because they don't have easy answers. At Westwood, we live into the messiness that comes with uncertainty and discernment, spending time in study and conversation around how to best live as followers of Jesus.

We know God loves everyone.

One of our core values is that “All Are Welcome," aligned with Jesus who demonstrated this abundant welcome again and again. In a world divided in so many ways, Westwood seeks to be a place of unity, a people who celebrate the diversity of gender, race, sexuality, economic status and ability, and the creative possibility this diversity brings. We are each different and each created in God’s image, and therefore are part of God’s beloved community.

God entrusts us with this world.

We are stewards. We're here to care for each other. To hear the call to create a more just society. To be an advocate for all creation—plants, animals, rivers and lakes, soil and air. To use our voice to speak against oppression. To level the field where bias and discrimination has tipped it to favor some and neglect others. To work for peace.

It's a role we seek to discern together, knowing a community like ours can be a multiplier for positive change.

Our statement of welcome.

A place where all of us belong.

In God's church we find rest, safety and strength. Whether we have been here minutes or decades, we are safe to be ourselves across every spectrum imaginable—sexuality and age and race and gender and culture and stage of our faith journey—knowing we are loved, embraced and held up as precious. This is the place of rest and safety and source of strength we seek to create in all we do at Westwood.

As God reaches out and gives unconditional welcome to all people, we follow God's lead in doing the same. All are equally welcome—and included—in God's space, and Westwood is a richer community when our congregation reflects our world. Naturally, this welcome includes people of all sexual orientations, gender identities, gender expressions and relationship statuses.

We strive to live this welcome statement to the fullest, and will continue to pursue learning, correction and growth in extending this welcome. As we are limited by language, we will continually return to this statement to ensure that all are welcome to this sanctuary without exception.

Join us in being a part of this amazing welcome that comes from God.

Our mission statement.

We believe it is critical at this confusing and chaotic time that people can know each other, belong to each other, and take strength in each other. Therefore:

Our vision is to create new connections.

Fostering relationships with people throughout our church and neighborhood.
Linking with partners who share our work in the world.
Building bridges within and across the ways our community is divided, whether by age, money, race, sexuality, religion or other boundaries.

We have the potential — in our talents, in our facilities, in our passion — to touch even more lives, meeting people at every point on their faith journey. Therefore:

Our vision is to empower discipleship through our understanding of vocation.

Promoting a deep understanding of vocation as we examine the intersection of our faith in our daily lives.
Increasing the number of people we touch with our ministry.
Multiplying those who participate as partners and leaders in our work.

We are called to be a vital and necessary part of our world.

Our vision is to be an advocate for a healthy community.

Meeting basic needs and actively seeking ways to end poverty.
Strengthening all forms of families.
Working and advocating for justice, striving to eliminate inequalities that remain in our society.