St. Timothy as an ELCA Member
St. Timothy is a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. As an ELCA church, we believe that in Jesus Christ, God has reconciled us to Himself and to each other. As we gather around word and sacraments, this life in Christ is what defines, shapes, and guides us as a community of faith.
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Christ has freed us from sin and death, even from ourselves, so that we can live as ministers of reconciliation in loving and generous service of our neighbors (2 Corinthians 5:17-18). In Jesus Christ, all of life – every act of service, in every daily calling, in every corner of life – flows freely from a living, daring confidence in God’s grace. Through a wide range of daily vocations and ministries, we nurture faith, build alliances, and gather resources for a healed, reconciled and just world. As church together, we faithfully strive to participate in God’s reconciling work, which prioritizes disenfranchised, vulnerable and displaced people in our communities and the world. We discover and explore our vocations in relation to God through education and moral deliberation. We bear witness to the love of God in Jesus Christ through dialogue and collaboration with ecumenical partners and with other faiths. In all these ministries, God’s generosity flows through us into the life of the world. (Source: www.elca.org/about).
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You can learn more about how the ELCA lives out its faith through exploring some of its biggest ministries: Lutheran Disaster Response (https://www.elca.org/Our-Work/Relief-and-Development/Lutheran-Disaster-Response), Lutheran World Relief (https://lwr.org), and Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services (https://www.lirs.org/). Locally, we support our communities through organizations like Lutheran Charities of WNY (https://www.wnylutherancharities.org/), The Community of Good Neighbors (https://www.cgnbuffalo.com), The Grand Island Neighbors Foundation (https://www.gineighbors.org), and The Niagara Frontier Community Missions (https://www.communitymissions.org).
What is a Lutheran?
What is a Lutheran? Short, thin, fat, serious or funny, relaxed or uptight, with tatts and without, all types of people are Lutherans. We aren’t big on conformity but unity in diversity!
A Lutheran believes she/he has been rescued by God’s grace through Jesus’ death and resurrection. We are saved by grace through faith alone — not by good works and sacraments. It isn’t about how good WE ARE but how GOOD God is!
The Lutheran Church is the oldest Protestant tradition. Just don’t think we are in the dark ages anymore.
Women, men, and those in a committed relationships can be a pastor in this church. We engage in conversations and pray with people of other religions so we can learn about each other and work together for the care of all creation.
Everyone in the church serves God with their own skill set – no one is better than another. We all have gifts that we can use to share God’s love and help one another.
Lutherans play well with others! We are active with the Episcopal, Methodist, Catholic, Presbyterian, United Church of Christ, and other churches on Grand Island. We gather to worship, pray, and work to help others in our community, not because we agree on everything, but because we follow Jesus.
“If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.” — Romans 12:18