What Your Church Expects From You
Just as you, as members of the church, have expectations of that relationship, so the church also has certain expectations of you as new members. During the service, when you are brought into the fellowship of the United Parish, you will be asked a very important question: Will you be faithful to the United Parish of Upton, and uphold it by your prayers, your presence, your gifts, and your service? If you decide to accept this responsibility, it means that you, as new members, are willing to take your place along side the other members of the church in supporting it in these four crucial areas.
Your Prayers – It is appropriate that
this “prayer” support is placed first. The
Christian faith and life revolves around open channels of communication with
God. We are encouraged as Christians,
and even directed, to spend much time in prayer: it is an opportunity for each
of us to come into God’s presence with our needs, our trials, our hopes, and
our joys.
Your Gifts – The United Parish of
Upton is active both locally and globally.
Locally, the church provides a variety of services to the community including:
Ø Regular worship service to
offer worship and praise to God, and to spread the good news of the Lord,
Ø Christian education in the
form of Nursery and Sunday School programs for our children and youth, and a
number of adult education programs for adults of our congregation,
Ø Community outreach in the
form of pastoral support, financial support, visitations, and collation in
times of need,
Ø Fellowship through a number
of community events including several church suppers, yard sales, and
festivals.
Globally, the church provides support through its constituent churches. Special collections are used to help support victims of floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, etc., both here in the U.S. and abroad. Finally, though our Missions committee, we as a church help to support a variety of local United Church of Christ and United Methodist Church projects, and most importantly your support helps the church to sponsor two children, one in the U.S. and one in Sierra Leone.
These activities take both time and money and your financial support is greatly appreciated. A pledge card is enclosed. This card helps our financial committee to plan more accurately in the budgeting process. Please complete it and place it in the offering plate or send it to the Financial Secretary in the church office (529-3192).
Your Service – The United Parish offers
a wide range of ministries to our members and the community. For the most part, volunteers from within
the church must do this work. We urge
you to look for an area in the life and ministry of the church where you might
serve. A list of our committees and
commissions is provided in this packet.
Please review these summaries to see where you might best serve.
These are the four basic areas where your church asks for your particular support. Please give them your prayerful consideration.
What You Can Expect From Your Church
As members of the United Parish of Upton, you are entitled to expect certain things from your church family:
Ø We try to provide a full range of worship opportunities to further spiritual growth. These include our regular worship service at 9:45 A.M. each Sunday morning, as well as several other services at special times of the year, e.g. Christmas, Lent, Easter, and Communion (the first Sunday of each month.)
Ø You are invited to participate in personal growth groups, such as the Living Faith Spiritual Growth Course held annually, Meditation and Prayer groups, the Alpha Course (an introduction to the Christian Faith, beginning Winter 2002) and social groups set up for different age levels: the Young Adult Fellowship, the “’Tweeners” for adults in the family years; Prime Timers for adults with older children and empty nesters; and The Top of the Hill Gang for retirees.
Ø As part of our responsibility to you, we offer an excellent Christian Education program. The Sunday School of United Parish meets each Sunday during the 9:45 service. The Youth Group meets each Sunday evening and is available for both junior and senior high ages.
Ø Because we believe that fellowship is an important part of the Christian life, you will find several opportunities to share with other church members throughout the year. The church sponsors a number of suppers (Ham & Bean supper, Men’s Turkey supper, Spaghetti supper), yard sales (Spring and Fall), and other special events.
Ø The church and the pastor are also available to meet your special needs. If you need personal counseling of any kind, the pastor is available upon request. You should feel free to contact the church concerning matters such as Baptisms, Weddings, Funerals, visitations, or any other matters of concern to you.
These , of course, are by no means all of the ways in which the church seeks to serve you. As a matter of fact, we are constantly seeking new areas in which to be of help to you! As you become familiar with the church and its programs, we hope that you will make suggestions concerning ways in which we can serve our members more effectively.
We believe that the model that Christ himself demonstrated is the appropriate one for the church: the model of the servant. Throughout his life and ministry, Jesus sought to be the servant of all; to meet needs and offer his help in all circumstances. We hope that you will find the United Parish a very “willing” servant.