The Gaithersburg Presbyterian Church strives to be a caring community of faith, search the heart for God, seek the mind of Christ, serve others in His name; that we might glorify our Lord.

This vision statement was developed to provide a sense of common direction and purpose for the many ministries of GPC.

It is to be the hub or the wheel from which the spokes of our ministries reach out.

During the fall of 1994 and in the spring of 1995 the session prayed and reflected, shared and listened and tried to discern the will of God for our church. The result is the vision reflected above.

The model of the church which all felt to be the most important was that of a "caring community of faith".

The ministries and mission of our church should be directed toward this goal; each ministry keeping its self-understanding and identity focused on this vision and so should conduct its business and activities accordingly.

Therefore, we seek the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to guide and direct, to inspire and encourage, so as to help us make the important decisions and to strengthen us for the fulfillment and application of those decisions.

The Holy Spirit works within individuals as well as in the community, so it is our hope that we may be able to work to create an atmosphere of openness and trust whereby an individual is given freedom to "search the heart for God."

At GPC an individual should be afforded the right to ask any question about their faith and beliefs, and should be encouraged to do so. The road to understanding and faith is paved with these kinds of questions.

That is why we also believe that each member should be challenged to "seek the mind of Christ."

We believe the mind of Christ is revealed in his Word, through his Spirit and among his people.

Real faith always seeks understanding.

Faith does not end with understanding; rather understanding becomes the impetus for action.

That action is shown in the way that we "serve others in His name." The Bible says, "faith without works is dead"(2).

We seek a living faith, which is shown in the ways we serve others in his name.

All of this points to one singular purpose, "that we might glorify our Lord."

One of our church confessions maintains that the purpose of our lives is to "glorify God and enjoy Him forever."(3)

We believe that a life lived for the glory of God will not be one of drudgery or obligation, but will be one of freedom and joy. It is our prayer and the vision for our church that we become a people

who experience the freedom God gives and the joy of the Lord.