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Mission & vision statements
Prospect UMC’s Mission is:
To offer ourselves fully, working with the Holy Spirit, to help those living apart from Jesus to know Him and be transformed by Him.
Mission strategy
We do this by…
- Growing more deeply in love with Jesus through
- Regular worship, personal daily devotional life, ongoing & deepening prayer life and scripture study, as well as strategic fasting
- Becoming more fully like Jesus through
- Radical obedience in our living and giving of the earthy resources entrusted to us as well as willing sacrifice of our time to use spiritual gifts to further the Kingdom of God
- Reaching out in love on behalf of Jesus by
- Witnessing to what God has done/is doing in our lives, inviting others into the life of the church, and loving others through meeting felt needs by acts of charity not to, but with, those in need
Prospect UMC’s Vision is:
To become fully submitted disciples of Jesus, impacting our world one person at a time with His love.
What we believe
God
We believe that there is one, and only one God, who has always been. God exists in three eternal distinctions in his divine essence: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This is seen clearly in Matthew 3:13-17. This God created the universe and all that is in it. He rules this created universe as sovereign, sustaining and holding all creation together in his omnipotence (Colossians 1:15-17). We believe God is holy yet loving even revealing his nature to humans through creation and most clearly through his Son (Romans 1:19-20, Colossians 1:15,19).
We believe that Jesus Christ is the eternal, pre-existent Son of God (John 1:1-2). He became flesh, born to the Virgin Mary conceived by miraculous conception through the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:26-35, 2:1-7, 21). He is fully God and fully human and lived a perfect sinless life fulfilling God’s Law and then offered himself as a substitutionary sacrifice for human sin (2 Corinthians 5:21). His death on the cross and his shed blood are sufficient to atone for the sins of every person. He was buried, arose bodily on the third day, and appeared for a time to his disciples before ascending into heaven, sitting at the right hand of God, where He intercedes for those who believe on him and await his literal return (Luke 22:69-70, Hebrews 7:25).
We believe that the Holy Spirit is a divine Person, equal with the Father and the Son; indwelling all those who are born again (Mark 3:29, Rom. 8:9). By God’s prevenient grace, the Spirit of God works in the lives of those who have not received Jesus as Lord (John 6:44). The Spirit works in conversion through God’s justifying grace (1 Corinthians 2:14, Galatians 3:3). The Holy Spirit guides those born of the Spirit in all truth and empowers them to mature in faith and grow in conformity to the image of Christ through God’s sanctifying grace (John 16:13, 1 Peter 1:2).
Humans
We believe that humans (male and female) are created in God’s image and likeness (Genesis 1:26) to have dominion over the earth. God created humans with the ability to choose whether to accept or reject a relationship with God. In order for humans to fully realize their humanness, we believe that they must be in relationship with God.
Sin
We believe that humans have rejected God and deified themselves failing to obey God’s holy standard (Genesis 3:1-6). This rebellion has marred the likeness of God in human beings and broken relationship with Him. The only way for reconciliation with God and forgiveness of sin is through the cross of Jesus as persons trust completely in him as his completed work to atone for their sin (2 Corinthians 5:18-21). Apart from Jesus Christ, there is no means of salvation (John 14:6, Acts 4:12).
Scripture
We believe that the Holy Scriptures are inerrant and infallible in all its teachings; verbally and plenarily inspired by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Scriptures are the authoritative Word of God for all people and necessary for growing and maturing as a disciple of Christ (2 Tim. 3:16, 1 Peter 2:23).
Staff Information
Receptionist: Loretta Magers
Custodian: Ron Carr
Organist: TBD
Choir Director: TBD
Pastor Information: REV. CAROLYN J. CHRISTMAN
Bio:
Pastor Carolyn grew up in the small town of Pleasant Hill, OH (Miami Co.) and graduated from Newton School in 1980. From the age of 10, (the age when she accepted Jesus into her heart), she knew she wanted to be a teacher. She graduated from Bowling Green State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education and a minor in both Music Education and Elementary Math. After 20 years as a school band director and music teacher, Carolyn responded to God’s call into full-time vocational ministry to help churches in conflict develop healthy relationships. In May 2008, she received her Master of Divinity from United Theological Seminary in Dayton, OH and Associate Certification in Pastoral Supervision from the Pohly Center for Supervision and Leadership Formation. She also has extensive training in conflict management/mediation. Previously, she has served as pastor to DeGraff UMC for three years and the Bradford UMC congregation for one year. She also served Anna UMC (as youth minister) for one year, as well as a Chaplain Intern at Kettering Medical Center, prior to being appointed to Prospect UMC in July 2012.
Pastor Carolyn has been married to husband Dan for 27 years and they presently have four children (Dan, Jr., Zach, Emily, & Audrey), a daughter-in-law (Elizabeth), and Basset hounds named Buster & Buddy. If you are new to the community of Prospect or knew to us, we invite you to stop in at the church, introduce yourselves, join us for Sunday morning worship, get involved in our missions and ministry, etc. We would love to get to know you and we would welcome the opportunity to journey alongside you and help to nourish your faith as you explore and grow in your spirituality.
