LOVE

Love is not just a platitude, and not something we take for granted. Love requires making a commitment in good faith, then showing up for that commitment with diligence, flexibility, honesty, and care. We expect all of our partners to operate in good faith. Practicing love in this way enables trust, the bedrock of every stable and sustainable partnership.

LEGACY

Which we understand in two senses: past-facing and forward-facing. We are a deeply rooted family of faith with 190 years of history making positive social impact in Chicago. The seeds of our heritage as abolitionists, educators, advocates, rebels, and innovators continue to produce fruits in our life together. We also feel responsible for ensuring that the work we do today leaves a legacy for the generations which will follow us. We are not “in it for us.” We expect our partners to share our value of leaving our church, our city, and our world better than we found it.

RESILIENCE

As the oldest continuously operating institution in Chicago, our church understands something about persevering through difficult times. Our church has burned down, split, faced divestment, been shot up, raided by the FBI, and slandered by a subcommittee of Congress. Moreover, we are rooted in a community of the South Side which has endured through many forms of intense and systematic oppressions. We show up when things are difficult, and we do not abandon our values and relationships when they become challenging. However, we also understand the importance of boundaries, and recognize that resilience sometimes means restructuring or discontinuing partnerships. Our partners can always expect us to be forthright, honest, and collaborative in our decision-making.

CREATIVITY

The first thing we learn about God is that they are the original Creator. When we say that we are “made in the image of God,” this is one of the things we mean. We value artists, risk-takers, and innovators across disciplines. We strive to be open to new ways of seeing ourselves and how we are called to co-create with God and our community.

FAITH

We are open to partnering with people of all faiths and no faith. We also believe it is important to be up-front and clear about our own faith commitments and how they shape our boundaries with space-sharing partners. First of all, know that we are excited to partner with people of all sexualities, gender expressions, and other identifying characteristics. We never judge, belittle, or try to convert you (though you’re always welcome to come to church!). Please also understand that we maintain boundaries around respect for our faith tradition. It is appropriate to be critical of Christianity, but inappropriate to use our space to be disparaging of Jesus, God, and the Gospel, or to conduct anti-Christian rituals. For clarifications on this, please speak with the Pastor.