Values

Our CALLING, MISSION and values

1. Calling, Mission and Values

Member care is rooted in our calling, mission and values.

OUR CALLING

A calling is the vision that God has “called” us to become. A calling is the answer to the question: “What has God uniquely created you for?”

Our Calling: To be used of God to serve our community and to be know for demonstrating exceptional Christ-like service.

OUR MISSION

A mission is the answer to the questions: “Why do we exist?”.

Our Mission : To put Christian principles into practice that build a healthy spirit, mind and body for all. “

When we say to build a healthy spirit, mind and body for all, we mean that we seek to build strong kids, strong families and strong communities.

When we say “Christian principles”, we understand that a summary statement of all the Christian principles to put into practice can be found in Mark 10:30-31 – “Love God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind and all your strength and love your neighbor as yourself.”

OUR VALUES

Values shape the way we do the things we do. Our values define how we will accomplish our objectives.

Our Values:

· Caring

· Respect

· Honesty

· Responsibility

· Faith

A CLOSER LOOK AT CHRISTIAN PRINCIPLES

Christian principles are found throughout the Bible. There are three principles that we find most relevant to the YMCA and are listed below. Staff and volunteers need not be a Christian to work at the YMCA but our mission is to put these principles into practice through programs that build a healthy spirit, mind and body for all. Expression of these principles are highly personal and individual and staff are allowed a great deal of flexibility and latitude in determining how they will express these principles. Staff need to determine what level of commitment they are willing to give and strive to meet that level of commitment.

THREE BASIC PRINCIPLES:

1. Loving God

The bible expresses an important principle in Mark 12:30: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind and all your strength.”

What does love for God look like as portrayed in this passage?

o Your heart: This is the center of your motivations, desires, and inclinations. Loving God with all your heart means that your desire to please God in all that you do.

o Your soul: Your soul is the part that connects with God on a relational and emotional level. Ways to connect include prayer and worship.

o Your mind: This includes your thought life and what you know about God. Loving God with your mind involves a choice to obey his commandments and a choice to get to know Him as He has revealed himself through his written Word.

o Your strength: loving God with your strength means that you use your gifts and talents to serve Him and His kingdom.

How can a YMCA employee or volunteer express this principle? Certainly this principle can have a wide variety of interpretations and applications. For someone who does not believe in God, perhaps one level of commitment is to not openly criticize others who do believe in God. For someone who has a deep faith perhaps their level of commitment would be to choose one of the above examples of loving God with their heart, soul, mind or strength.

2. Loving Others

A second important principle is found in Mark 12:31: …”Love your neighbor as you love yourself”

Love is described in 1 Cor. 13:4-8: “love is patient, love is kind, love does not envy; love is not proud, it is not puffed up. Love does not behave unseemly, seek its own, is not easily provoked, does not think evil nor rejoice in iniquity but rejoices in truth. Love bears all things, believes all things and hopes all things. Love never fails.

A love for others can be shown in several practical ways. One can choose from the list of descriptions from 1 Corinthians 13 or perhaps choose from the following ideas:

· Be open and approachable.

· Greet people. Initiate conversation with members

· Show genuine interests in their lives.

· Know and use their names

3. Service

A third important principle is found in Mark 10:45: “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve and give his life a ransom for many.

This principle can be called “service”. Service is putting the needs of others before oneself. What does “service” look like? A popular term in the market place today is “Customer service”. In fact, we strive to give excellent customer service to our members. Yet, service is not the same as working. A person forced to serve or paid to serve is not really serving. They are working. For example, a man who delivers packages for a living does so because it is his work and he receives payment for it, but if he sees someone struggling with at heavy package and goes out of his way to help, he is going beyond his job. So, serving is doing something for someone where you are not expecting to see any reward for your efforts.

Demonstrating the value of serving here at the YMCA means that we go ABOVE what is expected in just providing good “customer service” and doing things for people out of love and compassion.

Here are some ways our staff will demonstrate serving:

	Hold doors open for people.
	Do jobs that are not in “your” job description just because they need to get done.
	Ask members how their visit is going – ask them if there is anything you can do for them. If they have a request, do what you can to meet the request and then go above what they expected.
	If you see someone struggling with something, offer to lend a hand.
	Respond to complaints about service or programs promptly and then WOW them by exceeding their expectations.
	Get to know their needs and expectations and seek to meet those needs and expectations without being asked.
	Encourage them by congratulating accomplishments.

A CLOSER LOOK AT OUR VALUES

Everything we do is shaped by the values we hold. The values have roots in biblical principles but are also commonly held values by many. While a person may or may not share the Christian roots of the values, all volunteers and staff are asked to find ways congruent within their own value and belief system to express these values.

THE VALUES:

Caring

Caring is being sensitive to the well being of others. Caring is helping them when they are in need. It is putting others before yourself. Caring is rooted in the principle of loving others.

Caring is reflected in the following verses:

Luke 10:27 – “Love your neighbor as yourself”

Luke 9:48 – “Anyone who takes care of a little child like this is caring for me….your care for others is the measure of your greatness”

James 2:8 – You must love and help your neighbors as much as you love and take care of yourself.

Caring can be expressed in a variety of ways. Some examples include:

	Welcoming members with a smile
	Getting to know members by name
	Asking: “How are you doing today?”
	Being willing to listen
	Meeting the needs expressed by members and other staff
	Going out of your way to show love to another person.

Respect

Showing respect means to treat others as you would have them treat you. It is valuing the worth of every person because they have been created by God with intrinsic worth. Respect is being cordial even if you disagree with someone.

Respect is reflected in:

Luke 6:31 – Do to others as you would have them do for you.

Romans 12:10 – Honor one another above yourselves.

Respect can be expressed in many ways. Staff should express respect in ways that are consistent with their own values and beliefs. Some ways might include:

· Treating others as you would have them treat you.

· Address other adults using “sir” or “ma’am”

· Being cordial even if you disagree

· Showing value to others by encouraging them or appreciating their efforts.

Honesty

Webster’s dictionary defines “honesty” as the quality of being truthful; trustworthy, true, frank, sincere and open. What does “honesty” look like? Honesty is demonstrating integrity: your actions and your words are the same. Honesty means that you are truthful even if being truthful makes you look bad. Honesty means that you act in a way that builds trust. Honesty also involves doing what a person knows is right. Furthermore, honesty is keeping your promises.

Honesty is a quality that is rooted in the character of God. Honesy is an expectation that God has for those who follow him as expressed in the Old Testament by the commandment that “you shall not lie” and in the New Testament with the statement to “let your yes be yes and your no be no.”

Honesty is reflected in the following biblical passages:

Proverbs 19:1, 21:28 – Better to be poor and honest than rich and dishonest. No one believe a liar but everyone respects the words of an honest man.

Proverbs 12:22 – The lord detests lying lips but he delights in men who are truthful.

Exodus 20 – “You shall not lie…”

There are many ways that honesty can be expressed. Staff members should choose ways of expressing honesty that is consistent with their values and beliefs. Here are some ways our staff can demonstrate honesty:

	Do not exaggerate.
	If you say you will do something, do it.
	Give members and guests accurate information and if you do not know, get someone who does know.
	Do not make excuses for situations. Accept responsibility and admit mistakes and wrong doing when warranted.
	Do not gossip
	Tell the truth with compassion and love

Responsibility

Responsibility is being accountable for your behavior and actions. Responsibility is doing what you ought to do.

Responsibility is reflected in the following biblical passages:

James 4:17 – Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and does not do it sins.

2 Thess. 3:10 – In a man will not work, he shall not eat.

Ways that we demonstrate responsibility can include:

· Admitting and correcting our mistakes.

· If we see a problem, take action to fix it.

· If something is not getting done that needs to be done, see that it gets done.

· Enforce policies regarding safe and appropriate behavior.

· Taking responsibility to provide excellent member service and express the principle of serving by exceeding member’s expectations.

Faith

Faith is value that means you develop your relationship with God. Demonstrating faith means that you are a seeker of truth and that that you trust God with your life. Faith is defined in the bible as being sure of what you hope for and certain of what you do not see. A genuine faith will evidenced by appropriate action and behavior. James 2:17 says that faith without action – faith that does not impact the lives of other people who are in need – is a dead faith. One way to express our faith is to meet the needs of others through the principle of serving.

The bible describes faith in Hebrews chapter 11:

Hebrews 11:1 – “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Hebrews 11:6 – “and without faith it is impossible to please God because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

Proverbs 3:4-5 – “Do not lean on your own understanding, but in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight.

Romans 4:3,20 – Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness…he did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief but was fully strengthened in his faith, giving glory to God.

John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world that he gave his only son that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life”

James 2:17 – Faith, if not accompanied by action, is dead.

It is certain that an organization as large as the YMCA will have staff and volunteers that reflect a wide spectrum of belief systems. While the YMCA is a Christian organization, one does not need to be a Christian to work or volunteer here. Still, being a faith based organization, we do want to express our value of faith. Staff and volunteers are encouraged to express the value of faith consistent with their conscience but in a way that is non-judgmental of others viewpoints, not in opposition of the value, and at a level of commitment they are personally comfortable with.

The value of faith can be expressed in a variety of ways. Some ways of expressing faith include:

· Believing in God or for those who do not believe in God, make a commitment to be a seeker of truth.

· Trusting the promises of God

· Loving God or for those who do not believe in God allowing others to express their faith without criticism or ridicule.

· Express the Christian principle of serving and meet the needs of members you encounter and exceed their expectations for service.

EMPLOYEE AND VOLUNTEER EXPECTATIONS AS THEY RELATE TO THE MISSION AND VALUES

Our mission and values define who we are as an organization. Everything we do should reflect our mission and values. Employees and volunteers do not have to be Christian to work and serve at our YMCA but will be asked if they feel comfortable in this kind of environment and if they believe they can find some level of commitment to our values.

OVERVIEW OF THE PROCESS

During the initial interview, the interviewer will describe the mission and values. It will be emphasized that hiring and termination decisions are not affected by our values commitment. Furthermore, potential staff will be told that while we are a Christian organization, a potential candidate will not be asked about their faith. The candidate will be directed to consider the environment and values expectations and the candidate can decide if the YMCA is a good “fit” for them. Upon hiring, staff will be given a values commitment sheet and a description of the values and asked to determine their level of commitment. This is a self-directed task and no one will be told how to determine their level of commitment. The values commitment sheet is a way to keep our values and principles in the forefront of everyone’s mind and a way to encourage tangible expression of the mission and values.
Monthly, staff will have an opportunity to self-evaluate their accomplishment of the commitments they have set. They will rate their expression of values according to the following scale:

J = Exceeded my own expectations

K = Met my own expectations

L = Did not meet my expectations

The self-evaluation process allows another opportunity to keep our values and principles at the forefront of people’s minds and encourages their continued expression.

As we emphasize a particular value throughout our facility, we will allow members and staff opportunities to nominate staff that best exemplify that value. Staff receiving the most nominations will be recognized for their contribution.

Mid Willamette Family YMCA