Values, Mission, Vision Statements

Our members wish to share our church's core set of values, mission statement, and vision for Damascus United Methodist Church.

Values     

  “We are called to act with justice, love tenderly, serve one another, and to walk humbly with God.”

Heritage, Sacramental Living, Welcoming, Accepting, Inviting, Christian Education & Spiritual Growth, Spirit-led, Empowered to Act/Social Justice

DUMC Scriptural Focus

Micah 6:8
He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?

Philippians 2: 5-8
Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but rather, emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

1 Corinthians 16:13-14
Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong. And do everything with love.

Matthew 28: 18-19 -The Great Commission
"Go, therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

1 Peter 4:10
God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.

 

Mission Statement

Devoted Servants, Drawn to Jesus, Dedicated to Making Disciples

Devoted Servants: Joyfully obedient servants of Christ who are passionate about helping all of God’s children through our mission and outreach. We are committed to serving God in all that we do at DUMC. Through the gifts that God has bestowed upon us, we are committed to helping others find ‘abundant life.’

Drawn to Jesus: Out of love and devotion, we are drawn to be near to and one with Jesus Christ, praying that we can walk with Him in our daily lives and learn to be more like Him. We are drawn to Him through our worship, music, fellowship, mission, ministries, prayer, and our love in all things.

Dedicated to making Disciples: Understanding that loving God and serving others is only part of what we are called to do, we are also obligated to arm our fellow sisters and brothers with an understanding of Christ’s teaching so they too, can fish, and teach others to fish in order to transform the world.

 

Vision Statement – God's Vision for Damascus United Methodist Church

We are Damascus United Methodist church! We are faithful to our rich heritage as United Methodists and to John Wesley’s vision of bringing people together, encouraging them to grow in Christ, and having impact on this world by seeking justice and peace for all of God’s children. We are committed in our desire to grow our understanding of what it means to be, and act as a Christian, now and in the future.

WELCOMING, ACCEPTING, INVITING

We envision Damascus United Methodist Church as a welcoming community and a place for all!

  • We envision a community alive with worship, music, and fellowship and know people will find DUMC as a place to call home during their journey from life’s sunrise to sunset.
  • We envision DUMC as an accepting, inviting, hospitable congregation who celebrates and welcomes diversity—not limited by race, religion, or age; and abundant in life.
  • We see our church family as a caring, healing, supporting, loving church that strengthens our sisters and brothers through a warm embrace, an accepting smile, a sincere concern, a safe harbor from a cold world. “And they’ll know we are Christians by our love.”
  • We envision worship and fellowship that is deep and meaningful, but also useful and practical, again, appealing to all, regardless of where they are on their walk with Christ. We envision a church that challenges all the senses.
  • We have a vision that all people who come through the Sanctuary “Servant’s Entrance” will find a small group that allows them to be comfortable and free from judgment; they will find a place to learn, to be touched by the Holy Spirit, to identify their God-given gifts, and to serve.
  • We see worship that is sacramental, passionate, and drawing out life’s mysteries. We see smiles on new parent’s faces as their newly baptized child is introduced to the church with a laying of hands; we feel a warm embrace from our greeters in the Narthex.
  • We feel the warmth of our neighbors’ hands as we bond during the Lord’s prayer; we see Jesus in the face of all we meet.

 

FOCUSED ON SPIRITUAL GROWTH

We envision Damascus United Methodist Church embracing Spiritual growth!

  • We are humble Servants, who out of love and devotion, are drawn to be one with Jesus Christ and one with each other. We understand that loving God means loving our sisters and brothers as well as equipping them with compassion, joy, understanding, resources, and passion for making disciples.
  • Just as acorns take seeds and grow to be tall oaks, we envision our children growing up to be strong disciples of Christ, leaders in worship & mission, and leaders in the world. We recognize children are the foundation of our future, and as such, envision children’s ministries that engage all ages, are rich in learning, abundant in activity, and help them become devoted servants, drawn to Jesus, and dedicated to reaching out and growing more disciples.
  • Through our Christian education, we will infuse our congregation with love, joy, passion, and God’s Word. We will have our roots planted deep within the soil of the Word to be strong in a secular world. Our passion for growing disciples means Christian education is a foundation for what we do—from children’s nursery, to pre-school, to youth and adult Sunday School classes, to Confirmation class; from Discipleship class, practical teaching, to tutoring, Stephen Ministry, from the children’s choir to St Cecila’s orchestra. We believe spiritual education helps and inspires us along life’s journey. We hear the squeals of joy from the preschool rooms, the chatter of children’s voices in the Sunday school classes, spirited discussion in the adult classes, the roaring of thunder from the tympanums during Pentecost, the harmony of voices in the sanctuary.
  • We are all ministers! Our laity and pastors teach side by side. We see 9th graders preaching from the pulpit and young adults carrying their spiritual knowledge to other communities and other countries. We see the Holy Spirit transforming members of our congregation from being served to serving others.
  • We believe teaching and transformation is not limited to the four walls of DUMC. We see teaching when we’re improving living conditions, changing hearts, and touching communities—building homes for Habitat for Humanity, sorting clothes at Harwood House, and leading vacation Bible school in Costa Rica, Nicaragua, or South Africa.

 

EMBOLDENED STEWARDS EMPOWERED TO ACT!

We envision DUMC as a place for a diverse people to offer their unique gifts in service!

  • Our ministries are planted and flourish because of the many gifts God has bestowed on our people and the spiritual soil DUMC gives to expand and grow. We envision strong, broad, and diverse ministries at DUMC. As people called to carry on the work of Jesus Christ, we are committed to initiating and supporting efforts to bring justice and peace to God’s children everywhere.
  • Our ministries provide life to our congregation and act as a springboard for action in the church, the community, and the world.
  • We envision ministries that draw the community in, ministries that comfort, heal, and teach; ministries that equip our leaders, prepare our youth, and provide service to the community and the world. Our ministries and our outreach help others to see Christ in us.
  • We feel the love of Christ drives our love for our sisters and brothers, for the world, and all we do. We live out the example of who God wants us to be. Our congregation is full of the Holy Spirit and it is demonstrated in our desire to be servants to our community and to be one with the world.
  • We believe that as servants, through our bold actions, we can change the world through our love, our music, our zeal for diverse ministries, our practical teaching, and our desire to right social injus-tice. We empower our members to fulfill their calling through the development of ministries that touch the lives of many.
  • We envision a congregation engaged in and leading community action and being good stewards of God’s creation. We will grow these outreach programs and draw more members into action.

 

“We are called to act with justice, love tenderly, serve one another, and to walk humbly with God.”