Not Just Us, Justice!

As we review our Ends Statements – our reasons to exist and what we are trying to achieve – we come next to Community Involvement.

At Horizon our mission is to welcome radically, love boldly, grow spiritually, and serve courageously. Who are we welcoming, if not members of the wider community? How bold is our love, if we only love those in our inner circle, those inside the congregation? And while we might be able to grow spiritually in isolation, why talk of service at all, what to speak of courage, if we are not involved in our local and global community.

Our Horizon Vision is even more explicit in expounding our need to reach out: We envision a beloved community, filled with compassion, helping all to thrive in a just world.

These words underscore our need to not just be a haven, that is, a place of refuge for those that make it in the door, but also an outreach center, sharing our good fortune and message of hope to all in the world around us.

With that said, Horizon Board Policy 4.5 states what that means and looks like.

Community Involvement

Our lives and the lives of those with whom we engage are transformed and our world is improved as we:

  • act on our principles by advocating and working for justice, equality, peace and freedom

  • create opportunities and take meaningful and visible actions for community service and advocacy

  • open our doors and our hearts to those who seek comfort, courage, and meaning

  • reach out across differences and stand together in opposition to injustice of all kinds

Some ways that Horizon gives back to our friends and neighbors has included our Metrocrest food drives, our monthly Share the Plate collections, and our ongoing participation in groups such as Faith in Texas and others. If you have suggestions for new ways Horizon should become involved in our community, please reach out to any Board member.

To keep up with Board activities, check out the most recent Board Meeting Minutes on the web site, under Governance at the bottom of our home page.

– Michael McKee, Horizon Board of Trustees

Elizabeth Gustwick