WE BELIEVE, AS A UNITED METHODIST CHURCH, THE FOLLOWING:
MISSION - DEARBORN FIRST UMC
Our purpose as a local church is to Connect with God, Care for Each Other and Serve the World.
VISION - DEARBORN FIRST UMC
We strive to be a welcoming, inclusive, socially-engaged, and growing faith community who believes all are created in God's image. We embrace Jesus’ call to transform the world through worship, study, and service.
VALUES
As a congregation we value:
WORSHIP & FAITH FORMATION that is inclusive, engaging, and accessible, strengthened by strong preaching and music of all kinds.
HOSPITALITY & CARING COMMUNITY that is warm, welcoming, inclusive and intergenerational, values diversity, nurturing all within - including staff and clergy - and is a place where all voices are heard.
COMMUNITY OUTREACH & SOCIAL JUSTICE focused on strengthening community, as well as serving and advocating for the disenfranchised related to hunger, homelessness, poverty, immigration, and racial, sexual and gender discrimination in our community and world.
LEADERSHIP & COMMUNICATION that creates a strong infrastructure to support and equip our ministries, characterized by quality facilities, strong teamwork among clergy, staff and lay persons, effective communication, and support of our United Methodist connection.
AFFIRMATION & INCLUSION: The congregation of Dearborn First UMC affirms and celebrates that all people are beloved children of God, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. We want our church to be a place where everyone is welcome to experience the fullness of their faith in all its forms - including ordination and marriage.
We had hoped that the larger United Methodist Church would take important steps toward a more just inclusion of LGBTQIA+ people by this point, and have been disappointed by the delay.
We are frustrated and disappointed by the position of our denomination, which limits our ability to be a fully inclusive church, especially regarding same-gender weddings and ministerial candidacy.
So why do we maintain our United Methodist affiliation?
Seven years ago, our congregation voted overwhelmingly to become a Reconciling Congregation in affiliation with Reconciling Ministries Network, an organization mobilizing United Methodists to seek inclusion and equity for LGBTQIA+ persons in the United Methodist Church. We are committed to calling for change from within.
And because we still have hope.
Hope that the LGBTQIA+ community continues to accept our invitation to worship, serve, and create a caring, more complete community here at Dearborn First UMC.
Hope that through our voices and actions, we can make a difference and transform the world together.
Hope that our denomination will heed these voices and take necessary steps in 2023 toward a more equitable and inclusive church.
Until then, we will continue to build a faith community that loves all people, together.
We live this mission and vision as a local congregation, supporting and aligned with the mission of the larger United Methodist denomination.
MISSION OF THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH:
The mission of the UMC is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. Part of how we live out this mission is by proclaiming the Gospel and loving God and our neighbor. This is our response to God’s incredible grace and love. John Wesley and the early Methodists placed primary emphasis on Christian living, putting faith and love into action. This has continued to be a hallmark of United Methodism today.
JOURNEY
We join with all Christians through the ages in an understanding of God as a Trinity. God, who is one, is revealed in three distinct persons: the ultimate Creator, Jesus as God made flesh, and the Holy Spirit, which is God’s activity in our midst. As Christians, we receive Salvation through God’s grace and love for us. It is an eternal life in unity with God. We view faith as a journey, not something that simply appears at conversion. Faith is both a gift from God and a choice we make. We try to cultivate our faith through participation in a community of believers and being open to God’s work in our lives. To learn more, click here.
UNITY AND THE CONNECTED CHURCH
As United Methodists, we are united in our denomination, and united in Christ. We believe that no local church is the total body of Christ. No congregation stands alone. The United Methodist Church celebrates a worldwide connection, which operates through a structure that unites congregations regionally, nationally, and globally, and "enables us to carry out our mission in unity and strength.” 1
Every local church is linked to an interconnected network of organizations that join together in mission and ministry, allowing us to accomplish far more than any one local church or person could alone.
(To learn more about how the United Methodist denomination is organized, and our connection as a congregation, click here.)
FAITH IN ACTION
As a congregation, we do not claim to have all the answers, but we are learning to live with the questions. By God’s grace, we aspire to grow in love a little more each day, and to follow the charge often attributed to founder John Wesley: “Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.”