Where We've Been. Where We're Going.
Christians are people with a story to tell. We believe that God is a God of history and that we are both heirs of this story of mighty acts of God as well as participants within it.
OUR CHURCH'S ROLE IN THE STORY BEGAN IN 1845
In 1845, twenty men and women in this city made a covenant with each other, binding themselves together as a church to be known as the Presbyterian Church of Shreveport. The church members met first in homes then within two buildings in downtown Shreveport between 1845-1925. In 1925 the church moved to the current site at 900 Jordan Street, incorporating a cornerstone and windows from the old building. Since its inception by its founders, this church has strived to become a beacon of light and hope to its members and this city. As we move into the future of this church, we cast a vision for mission-driven values and to use our facility to create a welcoming, accessible, updated church that meets the needs of our members and those we are called to serve. Being a caring and welcoming part of the community is important to us and we want to honor and advance the promises our ancestors in the faith to "devote our hearts and lives to the service of God, in the Gospel of his Son ... that we may have some humble agency in the promotion of his cause in our country and in the world." Our vision for the future calls us to use our sacred spaces for the worshipping community - in our congregation, our city and our world.
OUR ROADMAP TO ENGAGED MINISTRY
We have adopted a strategic plan as part of our plan for the future of our church to guide the conversation about where God is leading our ministry. The Strategic Planning Process, led by a committee through meetings, prayer, and joyful conversation, combines an overarching vision with discrete goals for the next few years of the church’s life. The aim was to strike a balance between reflecting who we are and reflecting who we feel called by God to be. In other words, the goals are aspirational, but not removed from reality.
VISION:
(Luke 10:27 • Matthew 22:37-40)
As disciples of Jesus Christ, claimed and called – each one of us with a ministry to share – we strive to embody the commandments:
• To love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.
• To love your neighbor as yourself.
GOALS:
With gratitude for God’s faithfulness in our past and with hope for a vibrant future, we will build on the strengths of our Reformed tradition ...
TO LOVE GOD WITH OUR HEARTS, SOULS, AND MINDS AS WE:
• Prioritize worship as the heart of our life together as a community
• Nurture and provide opportunities for our souls to encounter and experience the living God
• Develop a comprehensive plan to nourish our minds as we learn, interpret, and illustrate the good news of the gospel in ways that inform our discipleship in today's world and anticipates the future
TO LOVE OUR NEIGHBOR AS SELF AS WE FOCUS ON THE MINISTRY OF HOSPITALITY TO ALL, WE WILL:
• Extend a sense of welcome and invitation through our programs, spaces, and attitudes to the city and neighborhood in which we live and serve
• Intentionally find and sustain ways that we can engage as a community in God's mission in the world, both locally and internationally. Specifically, to engage in ways that connect us - person-to-person, neighbor-to-neighbor - as we participate in this mission
• Care for one another - sharing in the fullness of one another's lives which leads to Christian community
• Seek and develop partnerships that amplify and make more effective our ministry to all the people of God
