1. Door County People of Faith
Door County People of Faith is a new spiritual
community that will strive to make a positive
difference in our lives and the lives of others.
Everyone's sacred journey is different,
personal, and yet valid ... so, by gathering
together to explore our questions and
experiences, we energize each other with
faith, hope, love, and expression.
Hopefully, three words will describe us best:
Welcoming. Caring. Sharing.
We aim to keep it simple!

2. We are people gathering together to
seek and to celebrate God in our
lives.

3. We see ourselves as organic over organizational,
spiritual over religious, personal over institutional.

4. Existentially, we are
“Christian.”
Sacred journeys can take many
different paths. While it is our
responsibility to discern the true
teachings of Jesus from the
myriad overlays about him, for
us the Christ (Messiah, Anointed
One) personifies the closest we
have come to embrace the divine
essence within each of us. In his
new book, The Fourth Gospel,
Episcopal Bishop John Shelby
Spong says: "Christianity is not
about the divine becoming
human so much as it is about the
human becoming divine."

5. In terms of governance, we consider ourselves
“Congregational,” rather than Episcopalian or Presbyterian.
Christian communities tend to be
organized in one of three ways:
Episcopalian, where decision-making
and discernment is vested in the higher-
ranking clergy (bishops);
Presbyterian, whereby a group of
“elders” oversees the church’s sacred
and secular conduct; and
Congregational (or Community), in
which a congregation determines its
own direction(s) as a self-sufficient body
of Christ that may agree to be “in
covenant” with other churches and
spiritual communities.
Door County People of Faith is a
congregational community. Together,
we seek to hear what God is saying,
discern the Lord’s will for us … and then
make any needed decisions
communally.

6. We comprise a priesthood of believers.
In a true community
church, all followers of
the Christ are priests
… not just the
“Levites,” Peter’s
successors, or those
with ordination
credentials.

7. Ecumenically speaking, Door County People of Faith isn’t part
of a denomination … but we aren’t soloists, either.
We believe it important to be
connected to the larger body of Christ …
which we are through our affiliation
with the International Council of
Community Churches (ICCC).
ICCC is a voluntary, international
association of several hundred self-
governing churches committed to
Christian reconciliation and unity.
A member of the National Council of
Churches, the World Council of
Churches, and the Churches Uniting in
Christ (CUIC), ICCC is a fellowship with a
mission: seeking social justice,
reconciliation, and Christian unity.
“As people devoted to following Christ,
we are committed to community, to
treasuring diversity, to living our faith in
service and love,” the Council proclaims.

8. All should be able to find support here in becoming the special,
unique individuals God created us to be ... as well as to be part
of a welcoming, caring, and sharing community.

9. We believe that God's love is unconditional ... that God's grace
is freely given, not earned ... and that each of us is wonderfully
created in the divine essence of the Sacred.

10. We don’t have “members.” Everyone here belongs
… and has an equal voice in our community.
An American Express ad said
that, “Membership has its
privileges.” Inherently, that’s
correct: Membership tends to
promote a caste system: Some
people, intrinsically, are more
“in” (or out) than others.
We are called to be one in Christ.
Membership also presupposes
an obligation of loyalty that can
create (inter)personal conflicts of
interest.
All are of equal value here … just
by being here, you’re a vital part
of our body!

11. We won’t seek your pledges, either.
Whether vows or
offerings, giving is
between you and God.
We have no building to
support, no staff to
compensate, and no
institutional obligations
to fulfill.
How – and how much –
you choose to give are
private decisions.

12. Typically, we won’t be passing a
plate.

13. We plan to dedicate at least as much of our resources to
sharing and caring for others as we do to caring for
ourselves.
Collections from Door County People of Faith initially will sustain community lifelines by supporting
24 nonprofit social welfare organizations here in Sturgeon Bay and Door County:
--American Red Cross of NE Wisconsin;
--Big Brothers/Big Sisters of NE Wisconsin;
--Boys and Girls Club of Door County;
--Christ Child Society;
--Community Clinic of Door County;
--Door CANcer, Inc.;
--Door County Child Care Services, Inc.;
--Door County Community Support Program;
--Door County Habitat for Humanity;
--Door County Human Services;
--Door County Humane Society;
--Door County Land Trust;
--Door County Senior Resource Center;
--Family Centers of Door County;
--Feed and Clothe My People;
--HELP of Door County;
--Lakeshore CAP (Community Action Program);
--Loaves & Fishes Community Meals Ministry;
--Ministry Door County Dental Clinic;
--NAMI of Door County: JAK's Place;
--Neighbor-to-Neighbor Volunteer Caregivers;
--Parents, Family, Friends of Lesbians & Gays;
--Sustain Door;
--Unity Hospice and Palliative Care

14. Checks can be payable to the community organization being supported …
while cash is best placed in an envelope with your name and address, so we
can provide you with a record of your contributions for tax purposes.

15. Checks can also be payable to Door County People
of Faith. Your contributions are fully tax-deductible.
“Congress has enacted special tax laws
applicable to churches, religious
organizations, and ministers in recognition
of their unique status in American society
and of their rights guaranteed by the First
Amendment of the Constitution of the
United States.
“Churches and religious organizations are
generally exempt from income tax and …
automatically considered tax-exempt and
not required to apply for or obtain tax-
exempt status from the IRS.”
--IRS, Charities & Non-Profits/Churches & Religious
Organizations (Updated 06-March-2014)

16. We will do our best to be compassionate and work
for the greater good in our community by being
proactive in service, mission, and social justice.

17. It's not just about where we're spending our Sundays and our
money ... but how we're spending our time and efforts. Can
you spare an hour or two to share yourself with others?

18. It is our fervent prayer to worship God in spirit and truth,
bringing hope and comfort to all in our midst ... while lifting up
the sacred and the holy that abide within each of us.

19. We believe Jesus teaches it's more important how we
live here-and-now, than focusing our fears and our
faith on the hereafter. The Kingdom of God, after all,
is among us.

20. We encourage each other to ask questions
as we seek to grow in our faith.

21. We are eager to learn from other faith traditions,
open to different styles of worship, and anticipate
new ways of understanding God in our lives.

22. We support the full inclusion of all people ... regardless of age, race,
gender identity, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, physical or
mental ability, family formation, heritage, language spoken, or ethnicity.
Our diversity, we believe, is a reflection of the divine essence that we share.

23. Please, join us here on Sundays for breakfast
with Jesus, Moses, Mohammed, Mother
Theresa, and the Buddha (among others).

24. Door County People of Faith