A long time ago, people used to ask early Christians that same question; what does this church believe? Their answer was a good one; “you’ll know what we believe by our love.”
We believe many things at Lake Park. We believe in a God of love. We believe God has called diverse and beautifully broken people together for the healing of the world. We believe that God is incarnate in Jesus Christ, still living, working, loving, in our East Side neighborhood and across the world in places like El Salvador and Palestine and our national church the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. We believe that the Holy Spirit is working in our world, inside and outside the church. We believe that it is the church’s responsibility to learn from the world, love the world, and be hopeful about the world. We believe that everyone, every life, every person, deserves a community to call home and a loving advocate. We believe that God calls each one of us to make a meaningful impact in our world and in the lives of those around us.
We believe many things. But our belief is not a badge of honor that we wear over you or a correct set of doctrines that we judge you by. Our belief is alive and active for the purpose of love. Come, experience what it feels like to hear a loving word from God and then tell us what you believe. Perhaps you get it all better than we do.
LAKE PARK’S MISSION & PRIORITIES
We are called to proclaim the Gospel, advocate for justice, and serve others in our diverse parish.
In addition, Lake Park Lutheran Church (LPLC) has established six priorities in its mission as an instrument of God’s love in the community:
Priority 1: LPLC is a creative, relationally grounded, spiritual congregation that ministers to and draws inspiration from its diverse, highly mobile, urban community.
Priority 2: LPLC is an ELCA congregation that educates and advocates for justice, locally and globally. We are a Reconciling in Christ congregation, a member of MICAH, a care for creation congregation, and we partner with other ELCA congregations and grass roots social ministries.
Priority 3: LPLC is a radically welcoming congregation.
Priority 4: LPLC empowers its members to make a meaningful impact in the world through our church and unique vocations.
Priority 5: LPLC is a community of spiritual renewal, healing, learning and growth for all ages rooted in Word and Sacrament ministry.
Priority 6: LPLC embraces the stewardship of its own and creation’s resources as a ministry to its members and as a calling to enable greater outreach.