The Second Baptist Church stands for
freedom of the individual in all matters of faith and practice of religion.
Such a belief and such a spirit is a challenge to live with all one's powers
and creativeness in fulfilling God's purpose. Tradition is worthless
if it does not give strength and vision for the present and hopes for the
future. The tradition of freedom in this Church is truly a spirit
which has been passed on to our generation. It is the very atmosphere
of our Church, the refreshing air we breathe.
Belief in freedom means that we believe in one another; it means we place
the highest value in people, and the individuality of people; it means
that we believe that life's highest experience is the experience of a person
with God through Jesus Christ, and that no man shall be limited or thwarted
in this experience but encouraged and strengthened.
In this Church, therefore, it is not agreement that we seek but truth,
vision and friendship in order to build the bonds of unity for service
to God. Freedom to believe does not mean that we are without belief
or believe in less, but rather it is a challenge to believe more; and with
fervor to search the infinite possibilities for the enrichment of our faith.
With our heritage which has given us beautiful buildings and fine facilities,
there has been the constant temptation to place our hope in things and
numbers. We are too often dependent on attendance records and financial
reports. But basically our hope is not in numbers or in things, but
rather in a quality of life expressed through individuals and groups working
with thoroughness in the achievement of the purposes of Christ.
The pioneering spirit has led us to reach out continually into new areas
to anticipate and meet the needs of people. But variety and novelty
are never our aim, and our goals must never be dimmed with a multitude
of activities. Our goals are a deepening of our individual devotion
to God; the development of a closer friendship between all our members,
the extension of the ways of cooperation with other religious groups; and
the building of a greater awareness of human need at home and throughout
the world. All this with the fervent hope that God will use us for
his purposes through Second Baptist Church.