Pastor - David Hanshaw

Fulton and Central at Sevier Street

Telephone: 479 754-2642

In the early and mid 1900's, Johnson County was renown for it's peach crop. Reflections on the past bring memories of driving south in the springtime on Highway 21 from the Ozark Mountains, and the valley below being covered with the beauty of the peach orchards in bloom. Times have changed, and many of those orchards are now gone. Still the link to this past is strong in Johnson County.

This link to our past, combined with the challenge of a growing and fruitful relationship with Jesus Christ and one another serves as the challenge and call of First United Methodist Church of Clarksville.

Our Mission is to be planted, nurtured, and shaped, in order to have a fruit-bearing and loving relationship with Jesus Christ and one another.

Our Core Beliefs are:

God, the Creator of all, created us (humankind) for loving relationships, with Him and with each other.

These loving relationships have become broken because of our sin and our self-centeredness.

Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is our savior from sin, and the restorer of our relationships with God and one another.

The Holy Spirit, God among us, empowers and guides us to grow in these relationships.

We need on-going relationships with fellow humans to grow in our relationship with God.

Our Core Values are:

On-going

Relationships

Christ-centered

Hospitality

Assisting

Responsible living

Discovering

Service (in Christ, with others)

Our Key Issues/Goals are:

To emphasize relationships over programs

To become more people, ministry, and mission oriented rather than continuing in a maintenance mode

To clarify and develop a model for growing as followers of Jesus

To grow in our relationship with God

To make room for relationships with the least and the lost

To have a greater accountability in our care for one another

To create new space and new places for the un-churched to enter

To continue worship traditions that are authentic, while creating new worship opportunities that maintain authenticity (are real)

To be more "rooted and grounded" in scripture

To establish models and lifestyles for inviting people into relationship with Christ

To live as Christ's people

Our Risks/Rewards are:

Risks: If we continue in a maintenance orientation, we miss out on a growing relationship with Christ, as well as with one another and those outside our congregation

Rewards: With an emphasis on growing relationships, we will find ourselves growing in mission, ministry, and in faithfulness to Christ and our community

Our Research/Development are:

Create a model for small-groups

Develop and implement a plan for a contemporary worship service

Create mission training programs

Continue to implement the Alpha ministry

Continue to establish the Stephen Ministry

Grow our Mother's Day Out

Increase the outreach of Kid's Club

Seek avenues for ministries to Hispanics

Establish accountability measure for ministries

Recognize that our ministry as a church changes as it grows, and that we can be ok with that