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Encounter God - Walk Together - Seek to Serve
It's been about a year since we began a visioning process with the Church Council. The Dream Catcher Gatherings at people's homes offered me a chance to get to know people last fall, but it also affirmed much of the council's ongoing conversations about who we are as a congregation and who we want to be.
Today, as we regroup in the midst of a pandemic it feels like we are starting from scratch with everything. BUT there is something really great about starting from scratch with a new vision. Yes, many of our ministries will return in the coming months, but they will probably look different. At the same time, we are starting with a clean slate as we envision new ministries and begin aligning our ministries with our vision and discipleship plan.
Our mission is the same as the larger United Methodist Church: To make disciples of Christ for the transformation of the world. Our vision is how we want to do that in this place with our particular gifts and passions: Welcoming wanderers along the Way. A vision is not what we are now, but what we are trying to be. We may never be perfect, we are after all, human, but the vision gives us direction and a focus for our ministries.
A discipleship plan helps us see all our ministries as part of a process of making disciples. Or, you might say, it is the paths that lead us to a deeper faith. We are always growing and maturing in our faith and we want to know how to move along in that process.
We have three ministry paths that are part of our church structure and discipleship plan:
Encounter God (in worship)
Walk Together (in faith)
Seek to Serve (the world)
Our website and weekly e-newsletter are in the process of being reorganized to reflect our vision and ministry paths. We encourage everyone to use all three ministry paths as you wander along the Way with us.
The Way is capitalized in our vision statement because Jesus is the Way the Truth and the Life. (John 14:6)
The new logo has been a team process with the help of Alexa Boogertman. We appreciate her patience as we decided how to best represent the three ministry paths on the Way to Christ. And YES! We have some "bling" already printed with the new logo! You can pick up a window cling and/or a tablet/phone stand next time you are in the building!
We are: Welcoming Wanderers! We are: Hawley UMC!