Congregational Commitments

As people of faith we often look and find many ways in which the world is out of sync with Jesus' vision. Using our gifts to alleviate suffering and change the world to be a more loving place can't be done single handedly. One of the blessings of being part of the church is dividing the work among the entire faith community to enact Jesus' vision as a congregation.

Below are several ways WGPC joins other churches to make a difference larger than we could do alone. As Presbyterians connecting with others in our denomination we are making a bigger impact. Look below at how your support of the church is spreading the good news!

If there is one ministry that particularly calls you, let us know and we'll get you connected!

Earth Care Congregation Matthew 25 More Light Presbyterians Presbyterian Hunger Program

Earth Care Congregation

We are an Earth Care Congregation

WGPC is proud to have been approved as an Earth Care Congregation by the PC(USA). To achieve this recognition, our Session committed to the Earth Care Pledge, which challenges us to live in a manner consistent with God’s call not only to care for creation but to commune with creation because of our love for Christ. Please contact our Mission Outreach Coordinator, Beth Kazlauskas, if you have any questions.

Matthew 25

We are a Matthew 25 Congregation

Our congregation has accepted the PC(USA)'s invitation to follow Jesus' teachings in Matthew 25:31-46 by becoming active disciples and making a difference in our community and the world.

As part of our Matthew 25 commitment, we pledge to embrace these three areas:

Building congregational vitality by deepening and energizing our faith and growing as joyful leaders and disciples actively engaged with our community as we share the gospel of Jesus Christ in word and deed
Dismantling structural racism by fearlessly applying our faith to advocate and break down the systems, practices and thinking that underlie discrimination, bias, prejudice and oppression of people of color
Eradicating systemic poverty by acting on our beliefs and working to change laws, policies, plans and structures in our society that perpetuate economic exploitation of people who are poor

More Light Presbyterians

We are a More Light Congregation

What does being a More Light congregation mean?
Being a More Light congregation means that we are dedicated to allowing the full participation of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and asexual (LGBTQIA+) people in the life, ministry, and witness of the Presbyterian Church (USA) and in society. All are welcome, embraced, and loved.

The History of More Light Presbyterians
After the 1978 Presbyterian Church U.S.A ruling that openly LGBTQIA+ people could join and participate in Presbyterian churches, but not serve in official leadership of the church, several Presbyterian churches took issue with this ruling and declared themselves to be More Light Churches because there was “yet more light to shine forth on the scriptures” on the role of LGBTQIA+ people in the church. In 1992, the two groups merged to form More Light Presbyterians as a non-profit organization. We are officially a More Light Presbyterian congregation per a vote of the Webster Groves Presbyterian Church Session.

Why is WGPC More Light?
It is a matter of being faithful to the Gospel, being a welcoming church that allows no barriers to membership and service that are not essential to faith. It is a justice concern, a stand for inclusion and equality. It is a pastoral care concern for LGBTQIA+ adults, youth, children, and their families and friends. It is an open declaration of love and respect for all of God’s children.

Presbyterian Hunger Program

We are a Certified Hunger Action Congregation

In 2019 WGPC became a Certified Hunger Action Congregation. This designation by the PC(USA) recognizes the work that we are doing in each of these six areas:

Hunger Alleviation: providing and/or sharing food in a dignified way with an eye to long-term structural solutions. This includes our Give-A-Meal-A-Month ministry, the healthy snacks we provide to the Webster Groves School District, the sandwich ministry for those who are dealing with homelessness, and the meals we pack with Rise Against Hunger.

Development assistance: addressing the root causes of hunger and poverty through equitable and sustainable development. This includes the work that we do with Home Sweet Home to help those who were unhoused, financial support of the Presbyterian Hunger Fund through One Great Hour of Sharing, and the grants we will be making from the Dorothy Meyer gift.

Hunger Education: learning about systemic causes of hunger, leading towards faithful action that is informed and directed by directly affected people and partners. This includes many education hour offerings related to hunger and homelessness, the dinner and lunch that we hosted prepared by local Syrian immigrants and a book study on Waking Up White.

Lifestyle Integrity: adopting sustainable personal and corporate lifestyles to restore justice and protect all of God's creation. This includes being an Earth Care Congregation, providing fair trade coffee, hosting Partners for Just Trade in our building, supporting fair trade sales, using Eco-Palms and many other earth friendly resources, and educating the congregation on environmental issues.

Corporate and Public Policy Witness: advocating and campaigning for changes in policies and practices to end hunger and its causes, promote self-development, and care for creation. This includes efforts by our newly formed Advocacy team to focus on racial equity issues along with hunger and root causes of poverty. We have written letters, participated in marches and joined with other local advocacy groups.

Worship: incorporating prayer, education, and preaching about ending hunger and its causes into worship. Throughout the year we incorporate a variety of topics into worship through prayers, sermons, readings and music.