Missional Goals Conversation Summary
Passed by Church Council 4.25.2023

Our Vision: Fairmount Avenue United Methodist Church is a joyful, welcoming community, igniting hearts and minds for God’s work.

Missional goals focus: As we read the notes and discussed the intention of the themes above, the Missional Goals Sub-committee kept returning to the idea of invitation as the anchor for the next five years of ministry. Each theme above related to being more invitational, and creating invitational spaces and creative ways to invite community connections.

Wesleyan connection: The General Rules ask us to 1. Do no harm. 2. Do good. 3. Attend to the ordinances of God.

Scripture connections: Mark 2:13-17 (Jesus calls Matthew, a tax collector and sinner), Micah 6:8, Acts 8:26-40 (Philip and the Eunuch), Matthew 19:14 (let the children come) , Matthew 26:17-30 (last supper), Matthew 2:1-12 (Wedding at Cana)

PROPOSED Five-year goals: Becoming a more invitational community

1. Center of Community Connection. Establish our building as a Center of Community Connection (a community hub or hearth) by inviting outside groups and organizations to use our space as a place to gather, inspire and promote goodness for our larger community.

   1. We envision partnering with organizations that align with our values as a church and create space for people to engage in spiritual exploration, life-skill growth, creative pursuits, justice and compassion programs, and healing and wellness.

   2. We envision inviting participants in these groups to engage in the larger work of the church by encouraging collaboration where appropriate, using signage in the building to tell our shared story and highlight our initiatives.

   3. We envision having established partnerships with community organizations that grew out of our community research.

2. New community ministries. Create new ministry initiatives that specifically meet the needs of a growing retired community, a growing professional young adult community and growing families with young children in our neighborhood.

3. Revamp spaces. Remodel lower-level kitchen and fellowship hall to enable more invitational ministry and create plans for updates and accessibility in lower-level spaces that have not yet been remodeled.

4. Measure our impact. Establish a system to track, recognize and celebrate the good being done in the community through our congregation and community partners, the use of our building and the actions of our members.

PROPOSED One-year goals: Building on-ramps to a more invitational community

1. Signage. Install fresh signage inside and outside the building to make spaces and access more visitor-friendly.

2. Meet-ups. Establish meet-ups to create opportunities for social connection within the congregation at breweries, parks, coffee shops, concerts, etc. These activities would be hosted so someone from the church is available to greet and make connections for newish people at meet-ups. Newish people are repeat visitors who have not yet made a formal membership commitment to our congregation.

3. Training for and building invitational ministries. Discern, create and implement invitational ministries to expand our greeters’ ministry, training for the entire congregation to be planfully welcoming and invitational to visitors, establish on-ramps or an intentional process to invite visitors into the community to build connections and relationships beginning with the first visit. It is our intention to use worship, video and small group training to build this spirit of invitation in our congregation.

4. Space planning. Start space planning and work with experts to discern possibilities for kitchen and lower-level renovations, including an audit of how to make our building more accessible for people with special needs.

5. Partnerships. Explore potential partnerships with Interfaith Action of Greater St. Paul and Emma Norton Services as priority local ministries, as well as potential program partners from community research initiatives.

6. Funding. Make a plan for undesignated funds to help Fairmount Avenue UMC achieve its one-year and five-year goals, discerning how the funds might support one-year and five-year goals with an eye towards the future of Fairmount’s faith community.

Our Vision:

Fairmount Avenue United Methodist Church is creating a welcoming and joyful community; igniting hearts and minds for God's work.  

Reconciling Statement

Recognizing that we are all children of God and individuals of sacred worth, we welcome all God’s people. We are called to practice unconditional love, and therefore we accept all persons regardless of sexual orientation and gender identities. By declaring ourselves to be a Reconciling Congregation, Fairmount Avenue United Methodist Church joins many other United Methodist churches in working to eliminate prejudice and discriminatory practices in ourselves and our communities.  (passed by congregational vote May 20, 2012)

A United Methodist Church

John Wesley, the 18th Century Anglican priest who gave leadership to what was to become The Methodist Movement, shared the theological commitment to justification by faith as proclaimed by Martin Luther and John Calvin. Wesley, however, saw justification (being put right with God and the forgiveness of sins) as only the beginning of the Christian life, and put great emphasis on sanctification as the ongoing work of God’s Spirit in Christians to lead them to holy living. Fairmount Avenue United Methodist Church understands itself in this tradition. We believe we are put right with God through personal faith in Jesus Christ, God’s son. And we believe that God calls us to live lives of holiness; lives that are characterized by a deep love for God and love for our neighbors. Wesley taught that God’s grace was always at work in the world and in us even before we come to faith. But the means by which this grace is experienced in the Christian life are the study of Scripture, prayer, fasting, The Lord’s Supper, Christian conference (joining with others for fellowship and ministry), and public worship.

Wesley organized people into smaller groups where people could encourage one another and hold one another accountable for their progress in the Christian life. This concept is carried out at FAUMC in Covenant Discipleship groups where 4-7 people meet one hour weekly to share a common commitment to do acts of compassion, justice, devotion, worship and to be open to the promptings of God’s Spirit. From practicing Covenant Discipleship groups to Sunday School and other small group opportunities, faith exploration is an important part of life at FAUMC.

Wesley also expected people in the Methodist movement to attend Sunday Worship and to practice the sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s Supper. At FAUMC we observe these important rituals regularly. Wesley insisted that everyone be welcomed to the communion table, a tradition that we at FAUMC gladly embrace.

Finally, Wesley, along with his deep theological convictions, also had a gracious ecumenical spirit. He was willing to work together with other Christians, especially in acts of justice and compassion on behalf of the poor. Again we at FAUMC value this tradition and seek to work together with brothers and sisters from other churches. 

From the Reconciling Ministries Network's "Who We are section:

Reconciling Ministries Network, as part of a growing justice movement in The United Methodist Church and beyond, humbly stands on the shoulders of saints who have labored for the liberation and healing of all oppressed people. In the midst of continuing challenges that seek to separate LGBTQ+ persons and their loved ones from full communion with the Body of Christ, RMN draws from the Wesleyan understanding of God’s grace that embraces all of creation and seeks its restoration and perfection in love. In this spirit, we offer this theological statement as a guide and inspiration to fulfill our prophetic call.

An open letter on behalf of the congregation written after the 2019 General Conference:

Dear Beloved Community,

Let us begin with a word of lament.  The community of Fairmount Avenue United Methodist Church is deeply saddened by the actions taken at the Special Session of the General Conference of the United Methodist Church. We are grieved for all of those who have been harmed by the hurtful decisions, especially for those in the LGBTQ community.  We will continue to advocate for the full inclusion of all people in the church, and we will not rest until the work is complete.

As the global United Methodist Church has chosen the Traditionalist Plan, our status as a Reconciling Congregation is even more important and needed!  We advocate not just for ourselves, as a reconciling congregation, but we advocate for the young people in non-affirming churches who need a champion, we advocate for our neighbors who have walked away from a church that has hurt them, we advocate for our children and grandchildren so that they might grow into the people they have been created and called to be.

Please know that even with the disappointing outcomes of the Special Session, the work of the General Conference is not done. The votes were divided by a thin margin.  And although it would seem that there will likely be a new organizing of our denomination, I do believe that there will be a Methodist movement that allows for full equality of all people, regardless of sexual or gender identity.

So what's next...

We can reach out.  Reach out to those in your life, community, and church who may be deeply hurt by this decision. 

We can stand firm.  We are called to hold ground.  Stand up and be vocal about God’s love for all people.  We will keep building bridges of inclusion. 

We practice our faith.  By continuing to be a life-giving community, we invest in our youth, our faith formation, our worship, and our public service. We keep offering as much good as possible in the world.  We renew our covenants to one another taken at membership and baptism and we provide a place for all people to encounter God and develop their spiritual-selves. 

We can stay informed.  In the coming months there will be information coming out about the way forward from our conference and district leadership. 

Please know that I am with you in this grief.  My heart is truly broken for the current state of the United Methodist Church.  But I still believe that God is not done with this church and we have a unique voice and practice that is needed in this world.  We will not be moved from our calling.  We will continue to be a joyful, welcoming community; igniting hearts and minds for God’s work. 

Holding It All In Prayer,

Pastor Shawna

Over 100 Years at the Corner of Fairmount and Saratoga.
More than 170 Years of continuous worship.

​The Fairmount Avenue United Methodist Church congregation has worshipped together since 1852. First formed in 1852 as the German Methodist Church, members attended services in a small (24 ft x 36 ft) framed building at 6th and Wall in downtown St. Paul. The building was called the Zion’s Church. By 1859 the congregation had grown enough that a larger worship space was needed. On the same property the congregation constructed a new brick building that measured 40 ft by 65 ft and was comprised of two floors with a full basement. At the time, the tall church steeple was a feature of the St. Paul skyline. This building was called the Rosabel Church, for the name of the street that it faced.

In 1864 the first church organ was purchased and the music program grew enormously. Members became more engaged in community causes and charitable activities, for example, feeding and housing the poor, especially Civil War veterans. They formed a temperance society and a day school for children to pursue religious studies. The church continued to grow and flourish, but by the late 1880s it was surrounded by an expanding downtown St. Paul. Some of the church property was condemned and utilized for street widening and bridge construction. In 1891 the congregation chose to move to a location near Olive and 11th Streets. The new church building, called the Van Slyke Court Church, was designed by Cass Gilbert, who later gained fame as the designer of the Minnesota State Capitol and the United States Supreme Court Building. The congregation thrived, and developed a strong reputation for philanthropic activity. By the end of this era the church property was surrounded by city expansion and had increased in value significantly. The Northern Pacific Railroad bought it in 1916 for the enormous price of $55,000. The trustees found a piece of land west of downtown in an area where small grain farms had existed, and on Fairmount Avenue a new building was constructed.

Services were first held in the new building in 1917. The Education Wing was added in 1957, and in 1989 an elevator was added to enhance accessibility.

In July 2007, Cleveland Avenue Methodist Church was merged into Fairmount. Cleveland Avenue Church was an anchor and active participant in the Macalester-Groveland, Highland Park, and Merriam Park communities since 1924. The Methodist Union purchased the 225 Cleveland Avenue site in 1922 to serve more than one hundred Methodist families living in the area. During its early years the church met in a rented house on Sargent Avenue, and then in a portable school house at Fairview and Jefferson. The original building was built in 1926. To accommodate growth, a sanctuary was added in 1950 and an education wing was built in 1963. In 2006 the congregation voted to sell the property to Kehilat Sar Shalom, leasing it back until merging with Fairmount in 2007.