We see our calling as one that looks forward
We see our calling as one that looks forward while acknowledging the past and living in the present. We are working to dislodge the grip of racism, inequity, and the destructive tendencies that have caused harm to the Earth, to all living things, and to our relationships within the human family.
We do this because we believe God calls us to care most about those whom the world places on the margins. We do this because we believe that Jesus Christ set this example in his life and teaching and willingly gave his life for the sake of a broken world, that we may be reconciled by God’s love. We do it because the Holy Spirit, the same Spirit breathed into the disciples by the risen Christ, urges us and prods us to do so.
Our ancestors include Catherine Ferguson, a brilliant woman whose ministry was recognized and supported by our early leaders who worked with her in purchasing her freedom from slavery and establishing the first Sunday School in New York. They include John Mitchell Mason, pastor and theologian, a mentor to Katy Ferguson, and a co-founder of the institution that became Union Theological Seminary, a bastion of progressive theological education.