Open

Mission Statements are funny things, lots of peopple claim to have one but when you ask what it is they say "It's in a file somewhere." I am very fond of the traditional ones: "To boldly go where no man has gone before." or "Beanz Meanz Heinz." The point is that unless you can remember them, or say them in a simple way they are not worth having. they need to be part of the property that you can carry out of a situation when everything else collapses.
I was reminded of my mission statement today on a visit to huddersfield, where i used to be University Chaplain and was involved in the regeneration of the centre. it was whilst doing some work with one of the Huddersfield churches I found the perfect one word mission staement. I have kept that one word mission statement and used for my churches here, it is the word: "Open." I'll preach on it tomorrow at Todmorden. Working out how we can be a faithful faith community but also and open one has been the journey we have been on for the last ten years in this area.
It's amazing how one word could encompass so much of what we are and where we have gone.
An open faith, open to God and open to others, open for business and open to the community. Open to change and open to renaissance, we have therefore change and been reborn.