A Word from Session

In all kinds of communities, including church congregations, disagreement and conflict sometimes arise. 

Recently, the Session has been working to navigate Western through conflict. The Session aims to address this conflict peacefully, looking out for the health of the entire church community. 

The Session is taking action consistent with its “responsibility for governing the congregation and guiding its witness to the sovereign activity of God in the world, so that the congregation is and becomes a community of faith, hope, love, and witness” (Book of Order, G-3.0201). 

The Session expects that people in the Western community will bring with them different ideas, perspectives, and opinions and may experience strong feelings when differences arise. Yet because we value our relationships with one another and hold ourselves to the high standard of acting as “a community of faith, hope, love, and witness,” it is important that we act with respect and trust for one another, especially when there is the potential for conflict.