Our commitment to unconditional love means that we welcome and affirm without judgment ALL people. Yes, we mean all races, nationalities, ages, genders, marital states, and sexual orientations. We mean the rich, the poor, the brilliant, the ignorant, the irreverent, the powerful, the homeless, the disabled, the uneducated, the illiterate, the religious, the mentally ill, the beautiful, the ugly, the average and the merely above average. We could go on and on, but we really mean everybody, and that includes you, too.
Justice in Action?
Travis Park's commitment to justice means our congregation strives to remove political, cultural, and societal barriers both in the church and community that prevent people from being who God created them to be. This commitment is not based in anybody's idea of political correctness, but in the actions and teachings of Jesus. The closer our lives mirror his life, the more available we are to experience and become God's new creation.
"I have found some of the uneducated poor who have exquisite taste and sentiment;
and many, very many, of the rich who have scarcely any at all...
I want you to converse more, abundantly more, with the poorest of the people...
they have (many of them) faith and the love of God in a larger measure
than any persons I know." -- John Wesley
Travis Park makes unconditional love and justice in action a reality for persons who are poor or homeless by:
Welcoming congregational inclusion and participation as a vital part of the Travis Park church family.
Affirming personal dignity and worth through acts of inclusion and justice that stand with persons in the margins.
Empowering personal transformation through compassion and caring that address the concerns of the whole person, physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.
Receiving into membership and giving the full rights, privileges and ministries of our church and denomination.
Encouraging participation in Corazon Ministries’ and Haven for Hope’s multifaceted services, from food and clothing to health clinics and addiction recovery to personal hygiene and sanctuary from the streets to job placement and prayers groups.
Encouraging friendships in which persons are valued and known by name and accepted as brothers and sisters in Christ, neighbors and friends.
Calling forth and incorporating personal gifts (prayers, time, talents, financial gifts and service) to be shared in our church’s specific ministries and missions.
Supporting transitions into workplace and housing opportunities.
Enabling experiences of personal woundedness to become a source of compassion and care for others in the congregation and community who are also personally wounded physically, mentally, emotionally, or spiritually.
Travis Park makes unconditional love and justice in action a reality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT)
persons or groups by:
Welcoming congregational participation in all Travis Park ministries such as worship, education, fellowship, outreach and leadership.
Affirming them as they truly are without judgment or expectation to change their sexual orientation.
Encouraging friendships in which persons are known by name and being valued is a shared experience.
Receiving into membership and giving the full rights, privileges and ministries of our church and denomination.
Calling forth and incorporating personal gifts (prayers, time, talents, financial gifts and service) to be shared in specific ministries and missions.
Seeking full participation in all areas and levels of the UnitedMethodistChurch.
Empowering works of inclusion and justice that help overcome and transform barriers that diminish our common humanity.
Enabling experiences of personal woundedness to become a source of compassion and care for others in the congregation and community who are also personally wounded physically, mentally, emotionally, or spiritually.
Supporting the work and mission of Reconciling Ministries Network as a United Methodist Reconciling Congregation.
MLK March, 2009
230 E. Travis Street, San Antonio, Texas 78205 (210) 226-8341
