Decades ago, when Transfiguration was crafting a mission statement, they kept coming back to one of the promises we make at baptism: "Will you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself?" They recognized our purpose in this promise and it became our guiding star. Now 30 years later, you can ask just about anyone at the Fig what our mission is and they can tell you: to seek and serve Christ in all persons.

Not that it's simple or easy. It's one thing to promise to be "nice" to people, or to "tolerate" people, but it's another thing to see Christ in all people! But the gospels tell us loud and clear that this is how we should live: loving each and every person as though they are Christ himself.

It Starts With Welcome

So what does this look like? It starts with who and how we welcome. Transfiguration has a long history of loving embrace to those who have been excluded elsewhere in society. We were the first church in our diocese to raise up women for ordination to the priesthood, and female clergy have been on staff here for over 40 years. We have been an affirming place for LGBT persons for nearly that long, too, and queer people serve on staff and in all sorts of congregational leadership roles. There are no asterisks next to some members due to their identity, because through Christ we are all one and the same.

Our mission propels us outward, too. Transfiguration helped found many of the leading social service agencies in Dallas, including Austin Street Center, Genesis Women's Shelter, Now Forward. Jesus says he is found in the least and lowest in our society (Matthew 25), so we seek him there in order to serve him.

And our mission compels us to take stands for peace and justice. We march in Pride, write letters to Congress, confront the legacies of racism in our community, and stand with migrants and refugees.

Our baptism provides our mission, and our mission generates our values, and our values lead us into the world to seek and serve Christ in all persons. We would love to welcome you to join us in this humbling and challenging way of love.