Our Mission
As followers of Jesus Christ, our mission is to:
-Worship together as a community of faith,
-Invite everyone to share the gift of God's love,
-Nurture each other in the faith,
-Serve others in the spirit of Christ, and
-Proclaim His way of peace, justice and reconciliation.
Faith Mennonite Church
IMPERFECT PEOPLE DOING THE BEST WE CAN
Our goal is to be a blessing to those around us and interact with grace for all. The Lord says to “Love one another,” NOT judge one another! Faith Mennonite Church embraces as a gift the diversity of our community and our world.
Why Do Church?
Everyone has a need to belong and be accepted
Humans are made to exist in communities. God made us to be in relationship with God, our creator, but just as importantly to be in relationship with each other. In fact, Jesus asserted this as the greatest commandments in Matthew 22:37 and 39: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” And, “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
We find through the teachings of Jesus that God desires us to treat everyone with respect and compassion. We are to embody and display the fruit of the spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23) Not only is this good for relationships, it is important role modeling behavior for our children.
Supportive community. A supportive church community can be a tremendous blessing during times of hardship, grief, celebration, raising children, and caring for family. It takes a village! All are invited to join us as we eat together at potluck meals on the third Sunday of each month immediately following the morning worship service.
Find meaning and inspiration in scripture. Although the Bible’s teaching is inspired by God, it was written by many different humans in differing times, cultures and contexts. A church community offers more views and resources for figuring out meaning in scripture for us today.
Get involved in meaningful service opportunities. (See below.)
What are Mennonites?
Mennonites believe strongly in discipleship and Jesus being the center of our faith. Actions speak louder than words and we need to do our best to mimic Jesus’ actions in our own lives. Community is highly important as we are always stronger together than individually. Mennonites are also known for our service to others and promoting peace, justice and reconciliation. Faith Mennonite Church is a member of Mennonite Church USA and Western District Conference.
Service to Others
At Faith Mennonite Church, we actively support the following organizations, among others:
Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) - Focused on responding to basic human needs and working for peace and justice all across the globe. MCC Central States Office 121 E. 30th, North Newton.
Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) - The goal of MDS is to restore hope for survivors of disasters in Canada and the U.S. They do this by recruiting, organizing and empowering volunteers to repair and rebuild the homes of those impacted by disasters such as tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, fires, etc. Kansas MDS Office 312 North Main St, Hesston.
Et Cetera Shop - A local thrift shop sponsored by local churches, it is a resource for meeting human need by raising money for Mennonite Central Committee and the local community through the sale of donated items. Located at 619 N. Main St, Newton.
Habitat for Humanity - A nonprofit organization that partners with people in your community, and all over the world, to help them build or improve a place they can call home. Habitat homeowners help build their own homes alongside volunteers and pay an affordable mortgage.
Offender-Victim Ministries (OVM) - A nonprofit organization that offers restorative services to those impacted by conflict, trauma, crime, and incarceration in our local communities. Guided by restorative justice principles, OVM works to improve relational skills and support healthy communities. OVM provides support and services for both offenders and victims in the central Kansas area. 209 S Pine St, Newton.
New Hope Shelter - Nonprofit organization that provides shelter, food, and clothing to men, women and children from Harvey, Butler, Marion and McPherson Counties. Located at 900 W. Broadway St, Building 7, Newton.
God is too expansive to define
Although we are a Christian congregation who believes in the Holy Trinity of God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit, we also acknowledge that God is too expansive to define or to know completely. God has the ability to present God’s self differently to different people. Therefore, we seek to share and live out Jesus’ teachings to the best of our ability, while recognizing that it should not be forced on others.
What to expect on a typical Sunday morning
Our main entrances (north and south) open into our foyer area where people mingle and greet one another. There is no specific dress code, but hats are discouraged inside the sanctuary. At 9:00am, we have Sunday school classes for children and for adults to study a particular scripture or topic. After Sunday School ends around 10:10, people again mingle and converse in the foyer, where coffee is generally also served. Our worship service begins at 10:30am in the sanctuary adjacent to the foyer. We always begin the transition to worship with a music prelude while people enter the sanctuary and choose a seat. The service itself generally includes scripture reading, prayer, scriptural reflection as to meaning for today’s lives (sermon), music, and singing. There is an area for entertaining small children at the back of the sanctuary or children may be taken to a separate nursery/toy room. People may come just for Sunday school, just for the worship service, or for both.
An Inclusive Community
As a historic peace church, Faith Mennonite Church is called to resist injustice in all forms and in all
places. We embrace as a gift the diversity of our community and our world. We celebrate our human
family’s diversity of sexual orientation, gender identity, race, ethnicity, age, faith history, economic
status, marital status, physical and mental ability, and education.
We affirm that all people are created in the image of God, and as beloved children of God, all are worthy
of God’s love and grace. We welcome the full inclusion of all people in the life and ministries of Faith
Mennonite Church as we journey toward reconciliation through Christ.
We recognize that there are differences among us but believe that we can love alike even though we
may not think alike. We proclaim this statement of welcome to all who have known the pain of
exclusion or discrimination in the church and society. We commit ourselves to making justice and
inclusivity a reality in this congregation and in the world. We invite all people to join us in our faith
journey toward greater love, understanding, mutual respect and reconciliation.