Values

Forest Grove United Methodist Church:

  • believes that all persons are loved by God, and we are called to enact that love.
  • will put faith into action.
  • values art and music that glorify God.
  • believes that we can change the world through Christian education of children, youth, and adults.

2025 Goals and Actions to Support Our Values

We believe that all persons are loved by God, and we are called to enact that love.

  1. Goal1 – Provide support for persons in need:
    1. Continue to provide food for the Little Food Pantry. Provide a list of requested donations for the month.
    2. Continue to provide food for the Food Bank. Provide a list of requested donations for the month.
    3. Continue providing space for Growing Baby, USA in the Education Wing. Share about the program in one of our weekly services with a short presentation and a flyer describing the program goals and process. Provide a list of items that are desired to be donated to the program along with the process for collecting and donating the items.
    4. Collect items of gently used clothing that can be passed on to programs providing clothing to those in need.
  2. Goal 2 – Show our love and support for our Youth:
    1. Allocate funds to support the monthly programs of the Youth Group.
    2. Allocate funds to provide scholarships to the Youth so that they can participate in District and Conference programs as well as Church camp opportunities.

We will put faith into action.

  1. Goal 1 – Develop service opportunities for the members of the FGUMC congregation that meet the members where they are:
    1. Take 5-10 minutes during a worship service to have members present write letters to designated individuals expressing our love and support for them. (Possible individuals could be the Youth, the Montessori teacher, the girls in Nigeria that  Bonnie identified, etc.) 
    2. Recruit and support the members in becoming a part of the Faith Friends program in which an adult member is paired with a youth to pray for and support by being present in the younger person’s life.
    3. Support the 4th Sunday Youth Service Projects financially and/or through participation.
    4. Encourage Youth to take part in the service occasionally by selecting the hymns, performing liturgist duties, participating in communion as servers, etc.
  2. Goal 2 – Show that we recognize and support the young people who are a part of our congregation and world:
    1. Have services designed to encourage children and youth to participate by having a children’s story time, selecting hymns that are more “camplike”, asking youth to design and lead the worship.
    2. Offer an Easter Egg Hunt.

We value art and music that glorify God.

  1. Goal 1 – Provide opportunities for the congregation to share in experiences of art and music:
    1. Continue to offer coloring pages to the members who stay for Fellowship Time.
    2. Work to identify concert opportunities including, but not limited to: a bell choir, John Nilsen, and music groups from Pacific.
    3. Request that Pam Weber present a talk about the stained glass in the breezeway and garden area of the church that was designed by Bert Willemse.
    4. Look for opportunities for the congregation to participate in developing art including, but not limited to: paint night, art literacy.
  2. Support Music Bridge as an opportunity for members and the community to enjoy and appreciate making music.
    1. Include a line item in the budget for $2800 to support continuing the program on a weekly basis for the rest of the year once the current grant funds are exhausted.

We believe that we can change the world through Christian education of children, youth and adults.

  1. Goal 1 – Provide space for programs to develop and thrive:
    1. Rent rooms in the Education Wing to the Montessori School.
    2. Provide a room in the Education Wing for our Youth program. Encourage Youth from FGUMC to participate, but also extend the reach beyond our local church to provide opportunities to Youth from surrounding communities.
  2. Goal 2 – Provide opportunities for Christian Education:
    1. Offer programs for adults during the seasons of Lent and leading up to Advent. A possible Lenten activity might be the next season of The Chosen. Look for a Zoom or in-person program for the time leading up to Advent.