Vision and Mission

OUR VISION FOR THE FUTURE: We will be for the greater Janesville community a growing family of loving Christians who welcome all people to strengthen their faith and experience spiritual growth in Jesus Christ.

OUR CORE VALUES

Cargill United Methodist Church is a congregation of the United Methodist Church. Our historical roots go back to a revival movement in 18^th century England begun by an Anglican priest named John Wesley. The core values taught by Wesley that still guide us today in our way of following Jesus are:

There are three simple rules for becoming a Christian.

Stop doing what you know is wrong
Start doing all the good you can.
Grow your faith daily with prayer, Bible reading, worship, Christian fellowship, generosity, and service to others.

The Christian life begins with a personal relationship with Jesus, who was sent by God to be our Savior, guide, and model for living. John Wesley called this experience the “warmed heart.”
The experience of God’s love necessarily overflows in our lives to bless others through service and acts of charity in the world. John Wesley called this experience the “open hand.”
Therefore, all Christians are called to ministry in the world as representatives of Jesus Christ.
All who wish to love and serve God as followers of Jesus Christ are welcome to participate in our worship, fellowship, and ministry.
Those who choose to become members are expected to worship 3 of 4 weekends each month, to pray regularly, to participate in at least one growth or service experience each year, to set aside a portion of their income for God’s use through the Church, and to invite others to worship with us

OUR VISION STATEMENT

We will be for the greater Janesville community a growing family of loving Christians who welcome all people to strengthen their faith and experience spiritual growth in Jesus Christ.

OUR MISSION STATEMENT

We will live out Christ’s message of love and forgiveness for all people by caring for each other, the community and the world through:

Gathering as a community to worship God.
Teaching the gospel of Jesus through a variety of Christian educational opportunities.
Inviting families and individuals into Christian small group fellowship.
Reaching out to invite others to follow Jesus.

BIBLICAL FOUNDATIONS FOR OUR MINISTRY

I. We seek to balance

A. Jesus’ Great Commandment in Matthew 22:37-39 – “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.”

B. Jesus’ Great Commission in Matthew 28:19-20 – “Go…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.”

II. We seek to bring persons to a personal commitment to Christ.

A. Through spiritual growth like that of Nicodemus in John 3:1-6

B. Through caring fellowship like that offered by Jesus to Zaccheus in Luke 19:1-10.

C. Through Christian education like that offered to the Ethiopian in Acts 8:26-39.

III. We call persons to a decision for Christ as did Peter in Acts 2:38- “And

Peter said to them, ‘Repent and be baptized everyone of you in the name of

Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins.’”

IV. We challenge persons to grow in discipleship through membership

Expectations like those of the first Christians in Acts 2:42-47.

a. “And they devoted themselves to the Apostles Teachings”—for us means participating in at least one study experience each year.

b. “Day by day they spent much time together”—for us means being part of at least one small group.

c. “They broke bread …praising God” – for us means worshipping at Cargill Church at least three times per month.

d. “And all who believed had all things in common”- for us means support the work of Christ and his church financially through systematic tithing of a specific portion of income.

e. “And day by day the Lord added to their number”- for us means inviting at least one person or family you know and who trusts you to visit Cargill Church with you within the first three months of your becoming a member.

OUR WORSHIP

We believe worship must be Christ-centered and stand on the traditions for worship described in the Bible. In early Old Testament history worship included sacrifice, prayer, music, and dancing along with adoration, praise, thanksgiving, confession, seeking God’s presence, and humble consecration. Later in Old Testament History, Scripture reading was added. In the New Testament, since many of the first century Christians were Jews, they built upon the above forms of worship and added baptism (a symbolic ritual using water for joining of the community) and communion (the symbolic reenactment of Jesus’ Last Supper with his disciples to remember what God has done for us and to experience the spiritual presence of Jesus with us)

We believe that any form or style of Christian worship that honors these biblical foundations can be effective, and we try to make sure all our worship experiences include the following elements:

· Praise

· Self-Assessment

· Confession

· Assurance/Forgiveness

· Proclamation/Teaching

· Vision

· Opportunity for Commitment

We also believe that no single form, or style, of worship is able to meet the spiritual needs of all people. Therefore, we offer three different worship experiences each weekend:

· Contemporary Rock on Saturdays at 5:00 PM (informal, jeans, rock band, music with a beat, video clips, drama skits, Bible reading and a message are used to create a ritual that includes the above elements of Christian worship.)

· Traditional on Sundays at 9:00 AM (formal, clergy in vestments, organ and choral music, liturgies, unison prayers, Bible readings and a sermon are used to create a ritual that includes the above elements of Christian worship)

· Modern on Sundays at 10:30 AM (informal, casual attire, a blend of organ and instrumental music, hymns of the church and praise choruses, video clips, drama skits, Bible reading and a message are used to create a ritual that includes the above elements of Christian worship)