Mission and Values Satements

Mission statement:
In life I wish to return good for evil through building churches and communities that are homes to the hopeless and living out God’s call of love, compassion and justice in this world.

Vision Statement:
To fulfill this mission:
I will ask myself these questions of myself each day:

· “Do [I] make [my] home a place of friendliness, refreshment, and peace, where God becomes more real to those who live there and to all who visit there?[i]

· Is my church and community reflecting the God’s desire of justice for all people and bringing about the kin-dom of God?

· Have I lived out my call to Feed God’s Sheep, by making sure people feel fed spiritually and physically?

· Have I made sure to eat, drink, sleep and be merry today?

Personal Values
Hope, compassion, peace, kindness, justice, hospitality, faithfulness

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[i] "New England Yearly Meeting - Faith and Practice Online - The Queries," New England Yearly Meeting of Friends, section goes here, accessed October 02, 2011, http://www.neym.org/fponline/queries.html.

Rule #2 Rocking the Boat: Testimony

One of the most compelling aspects of the Quaker life, is it's testimonies. These are not beliefs, “but a description of committed actions.”[1] These fundamental principles are lived out by Quakers in their everyday lives and practice.

Here is a quick video that summarizes quite a few of the testimonies and their importance in the Friendly life:

As you can see there is a direct connection between identity and action. In Debra Meyerson’s Rocking the Boat, this connection between identity and action is one that she points to throughout the book. It is at these places of intersection between identity and action that the potential for friction and growth happens.

In chapter seven, Meyerson talks about small wins, which are an important part of how I understand change-based leadership. Yet she also talks these small gains in terms of people’s simple, lived out commitment to aligning their corporation’s culture with their vision for a more peaceful and just society. To me, the parallel between testimony (in that committed actions, done in a faithful, peaceful matter) and the small gains are remarkable.

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[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peace_Testimony