Growing deeper in Christ, Going farther for Christ

According to Matthew’s Gospel, the risen Christ made it clear: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you” (28:19-20).

Based on this “Great Commission,” the United Methodist Church has stated its purpose: “The mission of the Church is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. Local churches provide the most significant arena through which disciple-making occurs”

What We Believe as United Methodists

So, the mission of Faith UMC is to make disciples, and our vision statement is based on a personalized clarification of the United Methodist mission statement:

Growing Deeper in Christ – Leading people to become disciples of Jesus Christ through worship, study, prayer, small groups and fellowship groups.

Going Farther for Christ – Expressing our discipleship by sharing the light of Christ through service to those who are suffering in body, mind, and spirit.

Our discipleship roadmap uses the analogy of a healthy, fruit-bearing tree and gives more particulars on how we can live out our vision statement.

The Roots- Loving God

  • Word – Saturate our mind with the Word of God.
  • Prayer – Be brutally honest, but ultimately humble to hear God’s voice in prayer.
  • Worship – Show God’s worth and give God glory in all that we do.

The Trunk- Loving Others

  • Grace – “Everybody’s welcome.” (Romans 15:7)
  • Confession – “Nobody’s perfect.” (James 5:16)
  • Encouragement – “Anything’s possible.” (Hebrews 10:23-25)

The Fruits- Loving the World

  • Heart of Giving – Be rich in good deeds. (1 Timothy 6:17-19)
  • Hands of Service – Use what you have. (John 13:1-5)
  • Feet of Evangelism – Share Good News. (Romans 10:14-15)

Faith UMC Core Values: 

  • Family: A community that is guided by a spirit of mutual love, forgiveness, friendship, teamwork, communication, and belonging.
  • Character: Individual and community relationships guided by a spirit of honesty, integrity, justice, courage, and gratitude.
  • Growth: Ministry of encouragement toward Christ-centered spiritual and emotional growth and maturity, in a spirit of self-acceptance.
  • Passion: Community characterized by joy and a playful spirit, where ministry is creative and carried out with commitment, enthusiasm, and conviction.
  • Excellence: Ministry and community characterized by a spirit of excellence that glorifies and honors God and that inspires people to live out Christ’s call upon their lives.

Faith UMC’s Reconciling Congregation Journey:

Faith United Methodist Church is a welcoming, open and affirming church to all people of any age, race, nationality, physical ability, family structure, social and economic status, sexual orientation, and gender identity.

We embrace diversity in our congregation and community, and affirm the dignity and worth of every person as created in the image of God.

We invite all who seek to follow Jesus into the full life of our church, ministry, leadership, worship, sacraments, rites, and fellowship.

The above is a resolution adopted as Faith UMC’s official Welcoming Statement.

Starting in April, 2019, a series of Town Hall meetings were held after each of the English language worship services to inform our church of the latest progress toward the creation of our new welcoming statement. The meetings were hosted by the Reconciling Ministry Task Force (RMTF). As previously shared with the congregation, over the course of several years, the RMTF came to discern that the policies and practices of Faith UMC genuinely embody the full inclusion of all persons into our church. The intention of the Town Hall meetings was to inform the church of this insight, to answer people’s questions, and to give people the opportunity to affirm that they, too, share in this conviction.

The overwhelming response of the congregation was a witness to the fact that Faith UMC truly abides in the principles of a Reconciling Ministry church. Even as signed affirmation statements continued to flow in, another set of Town Hall meetings were planned in May, 2019 and one planned for the Japanese language congregation. Other informational sessions with fellowship groups were also conducted.

It was not our aim to obtain a prescribed quantity of signed affirmation statements; rather, the intention is to gather the affirmations together as a testament of the congregation’s response that we are indeed a Reconciling Ministry church, where the congregation includes church members, frequent visitors, friends and active participants in the life of Faith UMC.

All signed affirmation statements were received (over 300) in June, 2019, bound together and entrusted to the Administrative Council. In turn, the Administrative Council formalized Faith UMC’s registration as a church within the Reconciling Ministries Network (RMN), thereby conveying that we do indeed accept and include all people into the full life of Christ’s church, as our Savior himself has called us to do. 

Furthermore, Faith United Methodist Church will continue to advocate and support policies and practices that address full inclusion of all persons in the church, and that the voices of all segments of the church who desire to live respectfully and peaceably together will be heard and honored as we partner with the Reconciling Ministries Network.