University United Methodist Church is a church in mission. Transforming lives by Loving God, Serving Others, and Building Christian Community is at the core of our beliefs.  This mission evolves from core values that describe who we are as a church and who we strive to become:

Loving God

Passionate Worship: We celebrate God’s love by opening ourselves to the Holy Spirit through purposeful prayer, lively music, and challenging preaching. In its many styles, worship engages our souls and compels us to engage the world that God loves.

Intentional Discipleship: We actively engage in an ongoing process of growing closer to Christ by welcoming spiritual inquiry, practicing spiritual disciplines, encouraging scriptural study, and nurturing authentic relation­ship with God and one another. We intend for our lives to serve as a witness to the grace of Jesus Christ and to the promise of his kingdom on earth.

Deepening Prayer: Prayer connects us to God and to one another. We strive to uphold all activities and relation­ships in prayer, embracing different prayer styles and encouraging meaningful prayer in everything we do. Regu­larly practiced prayer leads us into deepening appreciation of God as loving Creator, ourselves as God’s beloved, and the world as blessed.

Serving Others

Purposeful Searching: Some of us have grown up in the Christian faith, and some of us have not. Many of us are re-learning the faith after life has raised important questions and other Christians have provided well intentioned but insufficient answers. All of us are searching for meaning and relevance in our lives. We want to accompany one another on a purposeful exploration of Christian faith and practice that shapes our lives and our world.

Risk-Taking Mission: We open ourselves to potential discomfort because God calls us to serve others in the name of Christ for no other reason than that God loves us all. Mission is taking action that expresses our faith; therefore, mission looks differently depending upon each person and one’s place in one’s walk of faith. Recognizing this, we celebrate each act of mission while encouraging every member to consider ever more challenging acts of mission (i.e., sharing the grace of Christ, attending a Bible Study, joining a mission team).

Traditioned Innovation: We embrace our Wesleyan heritage of belief and practice, while also continuing the Methodist insistence that faith impacts the real world. To this end, we stay true to our heritage while innovating how we practice our faith; in ways of gathering, avenues of study, means of communication, and opportunities for Christian service.

Building Christian Community

Radical Hospitality: We accept one another ‘as we are,’ welcoming all by making room for one another and acknowledging what each person has to offer. Our community is comprised of people in many different situations, experiencing unique pressures and wondering where we fit. Whether you have moved here permanently or are here for just a few years, together “we are all guests in God’s house.” You are welcome here.

Christian Community: We believe loving relationships permeate every aspect of church life. As God has first loved us, we are called to love one another (strangers, guests, family members and friends). Celebrating God’s love, we seek rest and restoration within a Christian community of acceptance and forgiveness centered in Jesus Christ.

Extravagant Generosity: We willingly align our priorities to express the extravagance of God and to impact the lives of others. We enjoy giving our time, talents, and resources to connect one another to the body of Christ, God’s grace-filled community. We pray that God may use our generosity of gifts and love to transform lives.