Text Box: Nearly ten years have come and gone since the Session of Lycoming Centre Presbyterian Church put pen to paper and outlined our ten core values. These values seek to answer the questions--- “Who are we?” and “What kind of ministry culture do we want to build?” In other words, what are the shared attitudes and beliefs that define our church and shape its practices? As with any organization, a church’s culture can be encapsulated into an “ethos,” or a statement that summarizes its true guiding beliefs. Ideally, the ethos of an organization should flow out of its stated mission and core values. Unfortunately, even the best vision can be subverted by “alternative” values, attitudes and underlying beliefs. These “alternative” beliefs are rarely articulated, but they have enormous impact on the health and effectiveness of a church, no matter what its stated purpose. For example, the following seems to be a common ethos among many mainline churches in North America today: We can find something wrong with anything. The idea of change is great, just not here. The world isn't safe, so we will protect you. Visitors are welcome to come back, if they really want to. We’re saved by grace, but living under law. The Session clearly understood that simply changing a church’s mission statement or establishing its core values does not automatically change the church’s culture. Culture takes a long time to create, and even longer to change. However, slowly but surely, I am seeing that our church is beginning to reflect the values that we established nearly a decade ago. Moreover, I see a renewed and ever-expanding emphasis of “glorifying God throughout all of life.” Our new ethos? “The more the merrier!” Glorifying God with you, Billy Text Box: Core Values Revisited Text Box: Centre News Text Box: LYCOMING CENTRE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH Text Box: Our Core Values

· We worship God for His glory throughout all our lives.

· We have a hunger for God's Word.

· We pray frequently, powerfully, corporately and personally.

· We proclaim Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord and urge all people to follow Him.                                             

· We endeavor to love one another in visible, authentic, practical  and God-glorifying ways.

· We honor the spiritual shepherding of pastors, elders, and  deaconal care of all our people.

· We will work to identify, develop and utilize the spiritual gifts God has given to the church.

· We endeavor to do all things with excellence.

· We affirm and treasure our Reformed tradition.

· We are called by God to be a transforming influence within our presbytery and larger denomination, the Presbyterian Church (USA).

                                                                                                                                                                                                       

Text Box: Our Mission Statement

In response to God’s sovereign love and mercy

found in Jesus Christ, we endeavor

to be a people who glorify God

 throughout all of life

in

Worship

Education

and Outreach.