User:Irenicon/Oneonta Congregational Church

Oneonta Congregational Church is a Christian church located in South Pasadena, California, which seeks to provide a safe place for people of all ages and beliefs to come and experience the Gospel of Jesus through outreach, acceptance, spiritual growth, relationships, and service.



Church Name
Oneonta [oh-nee-on-tuh] is an old name that reflects the history of the church (in October 2010, it will celebrate its 100th anniversary). The Oneonta name comes from the city of Oneonta in New York State. This city, named after a local Native American tribe, is the birthplace of Henry E. Huntington, a railroad magnate who contributed to building the transcontinental railroads in America. He brought the name to South Pasadena during the turn of the 20th Century. In the past, there were many things in the South Pasadena/San Marino area with the Oneonta name, and the church continues to carry on this tradition.

Leadership
Oneonta is a congregational church, in which the congregation is democratically self-governed and does not answer to a central authority.

Congregationalists accept the Bible as the sufficient rule in matters of faith and practice. They base their polity, church government, and mission on the foundation of Scripture.

One Bible passage that has special meaning for Congregationalism is Matthew 18:18-20:

"I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. "Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. Where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them." (New International Version)

Beliefs
Creed and Covenant

We believe in the wisdom and loving kindness of God, our Father, In the saving grace of Jesus Christ, His Son, the true and living way, And in the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

We believe in the supremacy of love, The victory of faith, and the life eternal.

We therefore covenant with this church as our church, To love its members, To sustain its worship, And to seek its peace, unity, purity, and increase. We covenant to share the great work of revealing God to all people And uniting them in the spirit of Christ -- And to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.

Mission

Oneonta Congregational Church covenants together to share the love of God with our members, friends and community and to support them in their journey to know the saving grace of Jesus Christ.

Vision

We are a spiritually healthy body of believers who worship God in the Congregational tradition. We minister in relevant ways to increasingly busy communities to make our church an Oasis of Peace in Jesus Christ.

Core Values

Thoughtful Faith, Heart-Felt Prayer, Worship, Acceptance, Freedom, Service, Outreach

Framework: OASIS

O = Outreach, A = Acceptance, S = Service, I = Inter-relational, S = Spiritual Growth