ABOUT US | Mcumc1

Our Mission, Our Vision and Our Values

Our Vision

To cast God’s love and hope into the entire Community

so that each man, woman, and child can be offered a relationship with God and the church.

Our Mission

Together we reach, transform, and equip people for a lifelong relationship with Christ.

Our Values

Missions

Missions: We seek to serve by meeting the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of people in our local and global community. Our hope is to forge relationships that will sustain lasting and meaningful blessings and solutions. See our mission’s page for details!

Worship: We believe it is our privilege to worship the God who has given us life, salvation, and purpose. We celebrate that people connect with God through a variety of worship styles. Through Sacramental, Traditional, and Contemporary services we gather in God’s presence to glorify God and to seek God’s forgiveness, healing, and wisdom for our lives.

Worship

Outreach: We are a gathering place where people are blessed, changed, and then sent back into the neighborhood to share hope and healing. We seek to reach out to our neighboring communities through personal relationships and relevant programs. Our members and worshipers are trusted to share God’s love in their daily lives and to eagerly invite friends and family to get to know God better. Our Hope Community Preschool and Family Ministries provide opportunities for us to bless the community with relevant ministries that teach children, promote health, and give us another way to be a blessing and share God’s love.

Outreach

Biblical Teaching

Scripture: We believe that the Bible is God’s living word which shares the mighty story of God’s love and redemption. We teach the Bible in worship and small group settings in ways that invite each learner into deeper dialogue with the Lord. We seek to understand the message being communicated by God through the scripture by exploring the author, context, literary genre, and audience of the text. We encourage dialogue between a variety of theological perspectives.

Community

Community: We believe that the journey of faith is best lived with the encouragement and support of Christian friends. We seek to build community within each worship service and also encourage each worshiper to participate in a small group where their faith and relationships can grow.

Tenacity

Tenacity: Mt. Carmel was founded in 1854. We believe decisions should be made with future generations in mind. God calls us to be strong and courageous about our faith and mission. Our ministry is designed to strengthen our people and our community for a lasting faith journey!

Statement of Clarity and Encouragement from the Leadership
of Mt. Carmel UMC to our Congregation and Community.

Given the outcomes of the postponed 2020 Session of General Conference of
the United Methodist Church held April 23 - May 3, 2024, we feel called to offer
these assurances to all who worship, grow, and serve as a part of
our Mt. Carmel community.

Mt. Carmel continues to be a house of prayer and service for all God’s
people. All persons are of sacred worth and value and will be welcomed, loved,
and respected in our community. All persons are welcome to be immersed in
God’s grace at baptism, to be fed through Holy Communion, to celebrate in
worship, to grow through discipleship and to serve, regardless of race, gender,
marital status, age, sexual orientation, or citizenship status.

We acknowledge that General Conference removed our denomination’s
restrictions regarding same gender marriage and the ordination of LGBTQIA+
persons. We will continue to pray for Christ’s church. We hope the denomination
at large and individual congregations, pastors, and lay members will acknowledge
the larger conversations regarding diversity in Biblical interpretation and
contextual ministry realities as we move forward.

Mt. Carmel is a place where persons are encouraged to continually seek God’s
direction and to refine convictions regarding personal holiness and social
justice. We reject notions that lump persons into camps or that politicize spiritual
and ethical matters; rather, we challenge our worshipers to engage in rigorous
ethical discernment that is grounded in scripture and informed by tradition,
experience, and reason. We recognize that we are not yet perfected in knowledge
and, thus, individually we can come to different conclusions. Uniformity is not
our goal; rather, it is our desire that each of us, in our convictions,
can become Christ-like in our love of others.

We encourage all who worship and serve at Mt. Carmel UMC to remember who
we are. We do not define ourselves as a single segment of the church, rather, we
are Christians seeking higher ground where God’s will can emerge. We are a
diverse people hoping to witness to the power of the gospel as we move hand in
hand from the altar where we are nourished into the community we are called to
love and serve. We are honored as always to share this holy journey with you.

(LGBTQIA+ is an abbreviation for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or
questioning, intersex, asexual, and more. These terms are used to describe a
person's sexual orientation or gender identity.)

Adopted by the Church Council of the Mt. Carmel UMC,
Frederick MD
June 20, 2024