Saint Peter's United Methodist Church: A Light for Others

In the late 1970's, with the encouragement and financial support of the Austin District and the Southwest Texas Annual Conference, the congregation was challenged to start a new church in a new place . The annual conference had identified the present location as a new and growing part of Austin. The people cleared the land of thick underbrush and built a multipurpose facility as its first unit. The church was on the grow.

The church established itself in its new location with strong lay and pastoral leadership. In 1994 a sanctuary was built through a loan for $198,000 from The United Methodist Development Funds. Dr. Freeman said, "The sanctuary made all the difference in the world. It gave the church a presence in the community and gave the people a sense of pride. The congregation had a great appreciation for being in their new place."

However the building was not the end of anything but a new beginning. Dr. Freeman said that the congregation was looking for the completion of the story when he came. "There is a ripeness among the members of the congregation. They are anxious and willing to grow."

When Dr. Freeman was appointed in 1999, the District Superintendent told him that his predecessors had the task of leading the congregation in building in its new location. He was told his unique challenge was to organize for mission and ministry. In the year 2000, the congregation developed a Ten-year Vision for Saint Peter's. Last year the mission statement and church motto were adopted.

The motto is, "Committed Servants of God." The Mission Statement reads,

"We as servants of God protected by the Holy Spirit, are committed to teaching, preaching, and believing that through our love and diversity, we can be a light for others."

"We spent a year working on that mission statement. It surprised us all how long it took. However, it really describes who we are.", said Dr. Freeman. Currently the congregation is putting together a long range planning process to develop strategies that will bring their vision and mission statement to life.

The Staff-Parish Relations Committee, whose chair is a recently retired Motorola Executive, helped the committee develop employment and personnel policies. These policies have helped the church in its growing pains as it becomes a large congregation.

Communication is at the heart of the church's ministry. There are regular Town Hall Meetings where everyone is invited to come and talk about the life of the church. It is not a decision making process. It is simply a listening time, where everyone gets a chance to be heard. Community forums are also held at the church.

St. Peter's is a place where the community can explore issues of concern. Recently the church was filled for a US Military Veterans' Conference . A panel, made up of representatives from various agencies that relate to Veterans' issues, discussed pay, healthcare, housing, educational benefits, land acquisition, employment benefits and how to access benefits. Recently the community used St. Peter's as a forum to engage members of the local school district in a discussion around some issues of concern. The church also has a computer lab with Internet access open to the community.

A review of the December church newsletter reveals a church with a focus on bible study, prayer, worship, music, and community. It was filled with items recognizing youth and adults who had earned church, school, community, and military honors. There is a vital United Methodist Women's organization. The United Methodist Men are chartered and active in support of the church and ministries to the elderly. The people of Saint Peter's United Methodist Church love their church and it shows in the fine condition of the church grounds and facilities and it shows in its ministries.

The growth and vitality of this historic congregation is an example of healthy partnerships among lay persons, pastors, annual conference and district leadership, and general agencies including The United Methodist Development Fund.

Congregation Tithes to Community:
Castleton UMC, Indianapolis

After the property was purchased, the congregation realized that their original plan would not be feasible. They found they could not compete with office space already available in the community. They were very disappointed and could not decide what to do next. They looked at several options but none of them were a good fit. Then the pastor, Mac Hamon, proposed this challenge. "We expect our members to tithe to the church. Why shouldn't the church tithe to the community? This building represents more than a tithe of space which could be used for ministries to those in our community most in need." The congregation accepted this challenge and with that acceptance the whole attitude of the congregation was changed. They were excited, energized and enthusiastic.

The congregation renovated the building with $100,000 and volunteer labor. They opened their ministry center August 1, 2002. At least 15% of the space is used as a homeless shelter. The shelter serves an average of 50 people a month. It is able to serve this many people because of its affiliation with the Interfaith Hospitality Network. The Network provides transportation to homeless shelters for those who are homeless and who wish to be sheltered. The Castleton shelter also provides shelter to refugees. It has provided a temporary home for 2 African families, a Croatian and a Serbian family since its opening.

The remainder of the ministry center is used for local church and community ministries. These ministries range from Addiction to Youth ministries, Exercise space to Parish nursing. All of these ministries are organized and provided by church members who volunteer their time.

Castleton UMC holds a distinct place in the history of The United Methodist Development Fund. Castleton UMC received the first million-dollar loan The UMDF has ever bestowed. This loan was for the purchase of the building now serving as the ministry center. A loan this large represents quite a commitment for a congregation. The congregation had faith that the church would continue to grow and that growth would ensure the repayment of their debt.

As so often happens, the congregation has continued to grow because of its outreach ministry. Currently, they need an expanded worship area to accommodate this growth. The congregation is looking at creative ways to expand their sanctuary without rebuilding or incurring additional debt. Stewardship of existing resources is a lesson that the ministry center has taught Castleton UMC. It is their goal to grow as a congregation in number as well as grow in service to the community.

Light of the Canyon UMC

There isn't much land available in the Anaheim Hills of California. The population is growing and using almost every inch of land in this very attractive area for either business or residential space. In the midst of all this growth, the need for a church became obvious. And the seed was ready for sowing.

A group of 25 began meeting in a school. It wasn't long before this group became a congregation ready to sprout with no place for planting. With God's help they found a small plot of land (1.5 acres) in a business park for sale. Most church developers will tell you that is no more than a crack in the pavement. With the help of the California-Pacific Congregational Loan Fund, they were able to seize this opportunity to plant their church. With a few modular units they moved out of the school into a temporary church home. While they longed for a real church building, the congregation wanted to pay the land off first. The repayment process took longer than they anticipated but the time was not wasted. It was a time of spiritual preparation (you might even say, germination).

The growing congregation took the old adage, "Bloom where you are planted" seriously. With space so limited, the congregation wanted to be sure that their church would be more than a place for worship on Sunday morning. It would be an active and integrated part of the community. A building, which would fulfill their ministry needs, required planning, preparation and resources. Light of the Canyon UMC turned to the United Methodist Development Fund for the mortgage on the building. Rev. Tom Rothhar says, "Without The UMDF loan, we would not have a church building right now."

The month of December marks their first full year in their new church building. They celebrated their anniversary with a ministry fair that highlights over 20 different ministries in which the congregation is currently involved - from prison ministries to English as a Second Language classes, feeding the homeless to youth ministries, bible studies to financial and debt recovery counseling. Their church building is a ministry tool.

From a school room with 25 people to modular buildings to an empty hardware store (during the construction) to a beautiful building looking over the canyon with a congregation of 220 and growing, the congregation knows "We are a church regardless of what building we are in." It is a flower growing through a crack in the pavement, a tribute to God's grace and power, a Light of the Canyon.

Fairwood United Methodist Church

Bear Creek UMC

The chair of the building committee, Randy Garrett, said, "Please give our deep thanks to the investors, the board and the staff, for without our UMDF loan we could not have succeeded in this project."

West Highlands

Guam United Methodist

Part of the Hawaii District of the California-Pacific Annual Conference, Guam UMC reports about 150 in worship and about 50 in church school. They share the sanctuary on Sunday afternoons with a Chuukese Evangelicals, who worship in their language with their own music.

The building is also used by MOPS-- the Mothers of PreSchoolers support group--and by Guam Habitat for Humanity. Guam UMC obtained its UMDF loan in 1996.

Gold Canyon United Methodist Church

Dove of the Desert United Methodist Church

Lake Washington United Methodist Church