We are Christians
We believe in God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We affirm that
Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the salvation from our sins and the giver of eternal life.
We strive to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ as found in the Bible, for in His life
we see the example for our own. We desire Christ to be the central focus of our individual
and corporate lives. We acknowledge and celebrate the unity of the worldwide body of
Christ in all of its diverse manifestations.
Who seek God's Leading
Through prayer, study of God's word, and mutual reflection, we
continually seek God's direction in all of our planning, decisions and actions. Our
spiritual reflection, worship and discipline gives us direction, motivates our creativity
in servanthood, inspires our pursuit of knowledge and refreshes our spirits.
As we serve others following the example and teachings of Jesus
We strive for Christ-like servanthood as we reflect through our
actions Jesus' special concern for the suffering, the afflicted, the oppressed, and those
poor of spirit, body and mind. We are committed to reach out in solidarity to those who
are in need as we seek to continue Christ's ministry of compassion, justice and healing.
We are convicted by the words of Jesus, as found in the Gospels, that whatever we do for
those most in need, we also do for Him.
We Promote Total Health
Among the many human needs, we are called to focus on a ministry of
Total Health. We define Total Health as the capacity of individuals, families and
communities to work together to transform the conditions that promote, in a sustainable
way, their physical, emotional, social, economical, environmental, and spiritual well
being.
We Respond to Needs
We commit ourselves to listen to the voices and concerns of others
who express needs and we strive to respond in timely and appropriate ways. We commit to
encourage and honor local initiative, promoting the use of local resources and protecting
the dignity of the poor. We will use our resources to meet these expressed needs in a
sustainable manner, encouraging innovation, creativity and flexibility, and valuing the
local knowledge of those with whom we serve. We emphasize actions that address long-term
health development needs, while recognizing a responsibility to meet the immediate health
needs of individuals, families and communities who face health risks and life-threatening
situations.
We Build Partnerships
We proclaim the value of collaboration, of working together to
achieve common goals. We commit to promoting unity, equality, voice, participation,
cooperation, resource-sharing, interdependence, growth and integration among all people
and groups. We recognize as our primary partner those with whom we seek to serve. We are
partners as well with our own staff, donors and supporters, churches, agencies and
governments who share a common commitment to promoting health and healing among
individuals, families and communities. We place great value on our staffs and their
families, and we seek to create opportunities for personal and professional growth within
the organization.
We Do Justice and Love Mercy
We affirm that all people are created equal in the image of God, and
should therefore share fairly in both stewarding and enjoying the gifts God has provided
us in the Creation. We strive to do justice and love mercy, and we seek to comfort, lift
up and defend those who are downtrodden in order to build a healthier world for all.
We work for Reconciliation and Peace
We strive to be peacemakers, actively exercising the ministry of
reconciliation we have been given as Christians, encouraging genuine repentance and
forgiveness and working to support processes that enable the peaceful resolution of
conflict. We will work for genuine reconciliation between genders, races, people groups
and with the whole creation in the situations of strife, pain, brokenness and violence in
which we find ourselves. We will work to create opportunities for genuine forgiveness and
grace, even as we promote and defend justice, expecting the day when we will be reconciled
together with all things to God in Christ.
We Act with Integrity and Accountability
In all that we do, we seek to act with integrity, openness, honesty
and accountability. We recognize that the financial and material resources with which we
work are not our own, but have been entrusted to us for use in alleviating the suffering
of others. We value people as reflections of God's image, and we strive for integrity and
accountability in our relationships with donors, staff and partners. We commit to managing
these resources with God's direction to the maximum benefit of those we serve.
We Pursue Excellence
To ensure excellence in our programs and activities, we strive to
attract talented, honest and committed people, to develop our staff, and to seek
partnership with other leaders in Total Health. Through research, planning and
participatory decision-making, we will design and implement effective programs with
meaningful impact. We will set measurable goals and objectives to accomplish our plans.
We Desire to Learn
We recognize our responsibility to strive for a better understanding
of the social, economic, political and spiritual elements of our ministry. To gain this
understanding, we will be students of the cultures, environments and contexts within which
we work, investigating and learning from developments and trends, and engaging in
disciplined research and study. We will promote a learning environment where critical
thinking and dialogue are encouraged and celebrated.
