From the Pastor
WELCOME TO UNIVERSITY UNITED METHODIST CHURCH!
I am delighted that you have found your way to our home on the web. I hope this window into our shared life together gives you a glimpse of who we are and what we are about. The paths to University United Methodist Church are many and varied. We welcome the faithful, the seeker, and the doubter, for we believe that God’s embrace is wide and that God’s good news is for all. Three words capture our vision and mission: place, presence and people. In our shared life together as a congregation, we are striving to be a place of blessing and belonging where all are welcome and all belong. We believe that all are created in God’s image. We are committed to and striving to be a place of prayer and praise for all God’s people. In our shared mission together as a congregation, we are striving to be a presence of compassion and peace in the world. Jesus modeled a ministry of presence. He was constantly present with those others would avoid at all costs. He showed compassion when others offered only condemnation. He preached peace when others were preoccupied with power and all its trappings. From its beginnings, the church has existed as a community of call. Jesus called those first disciples and calls us as well. We believe Jesus is still speaking to us and through us. We are seeking also to be a people who strive to be like Christ in our daily lives and follow where we believe Christ is leading us to go. In living out our faith, we are committed to and striving to be a compassionate and peaceful presence in our community and our world. Our primary task is to be a people who are Christ-like and Christ-led. We worship, study and serve together as God's people seeking to have our hearts formed and shaped into the likeness of Jesus Christ, who modeled a life of linking word and deed. He preached a sermon and then he set out to practice what he preached. We believe that the gospel proclaims and prompts; it speaks to us and also speaks through us. Our goal is to reflect and embody the love of God in Christ, through which all things can and will be made new.
A PLACE, A PRESENCE, A PEOPLE.
In the midst of all that goes on here - our worship, our study, our fellowship and our service - at the center of it all is the power and presence of God in Jesus Christ, the power and presence of redemptive love, a love that has claimed us, called us and will stop at nothing to reconcile us to the very heart of God. My prayer is that your journey with us will not end here, but that what you find here will lead you to experience first hand the joy and excitement of life here at University United Methodist Church. If you have any specific questions or if we can be of assistance to you in any way, please contact us.
May God bless you on your journey and may the peace of Christ be with you always.
Shalom,
Rev. Van A. Stinson
