About Us

THE PEOPLE OF THE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH

Our History. Our Mission. Our Beliefs.

OUR HISTORY...

Our church springs from a rich tradition of studying and spreading the gospel to every corner of society, which was begun in 1729 in England and led by John and Charles Wesley. The United Methodist Church is the result of the 1939 merger of three Methodist bodies (Methodist Episcopal, Methodist Episcopal South and Methodist Protestant churches) and a 1968 union of the Evangelical United Brethen and The Methodist churches. The United Methodist church now has over 10 million members worldwide.

OUR MISSION...

Today we continue our devotion to creating disciples for Jesus Christ and making the good news available to anyone who desires to hear it. All preaching and teaching is grounded in Scripture, informed by Christian tradition, enlivened by personal experience, and tested by reason. Along with other Christian denominations, we believe in God, expressed as Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

The People of The United Methodist Church:

Help people in their community
Accept you for who you are
Offer a place to belong
Care for and support each other
Show respect for other religions
Support people facing difficulty
Welcome diverse opinions and beliefs
Guide others to find deeper meaning

OUR BELIEFS...

The heart of our Christian faith is Christ's ministry of outreaching love. We are all called to minister wherever Christ would have us work to heal and free others. United Methodists believe in God's grace, which means the unearned and loving action of God in our daily lives. In spite of suffering, violence, and evil in the world, we assert that God's grace exists everywhere. Despite any circumstance, we remain creatures brought to life by a just and loving God. The reign of God is both a present and a future reality.

Sometimes people call The United Methodist Church "the church of the warm heart" because we have a history of caring about and working to create justice for all people. It all started with founder John Wesley, who felt his own heart strangely warmed nearly three centuries ago. After this experience, he was compelled to reach out to England's poorest citizens, which he did with the help of his brother Charles. Their work launched a movement that spread to the American colonies and took hold with a fervor that still exists almost 300 years later.

During that time, our hearts have led us to build almost as many schools as churches. Methodists were among the first to create institutions of learning for settlers, women, and newly freed slaves. There are now 120 United Methodist institutions, including schools outside the United States, most notably Africa University in Zimbabwe.

Today United Methodists comprise the second largest Protestant denomination in the United States. Our churches are connected by a sytem that guides our work and governs our policies. We continue to take the lead in social, spiritual, political, and moral concerns. In the tradition of John and Charles Wesley, our members study Scripture, encourage thoughtful debate, and confront the tough issues of the day.

We still lead with our hearts, keep our minds open, and welcome everyone through our doors.

The director of an orphanage watched one of his children climb a tall tree. The little girl worked her way out on a limb to place a note on the end of a branch that extended just outside the walls of the orphanage. She obviously wanted someone to find the note. The director because curious and went outside to pull the note down. In her lovely, childlike handwriting, the girl had written, "To whoever finds this, I love you. Pass it on."

This story illustrates the aspirations of United Methodists worldwide: saying to people inside and outside our congregations that they are accepted and loved, and inviting them to help be the instruments of God's love to other people too.

Church Council (Meets 3rd Tuesdays)

Matt Delawder, Chairperson

Karen Jeschke, Co-Chairperson

Peggy Dumas, Treasurer (co-membership secy.)

Linda Haselmajer, Recording Secy. (co-membership secy.)

Tracey Warren, SPRC Chair & co-Finance Secy.

Trustee Rep (TBA)

Debra King, Community Relations Coordinator & co-Finance Secy.

Dukie McCarrell, Ministries Team (Nurture Outreach, Witness)

UMW Rep. (TBA)

Finance & Stewardship Committee (Meets 3rd Tuesdays)

Karen Jeschke, Chair

Debra King, co-Finance Secy.

Tracey Warren, co-Finance Secy. & SPRC Chair

Peggy Dumas, Treasurer

Joe Archie, member at large

Matt Delawder, Church Council Chair

Trustees Rp (TBA)

Staff-Parish Relations Committee (Meets as Called)

Tracey Warren, Chair

Joel de Guzman

Angie Delawder

Karen Jeschke

Duane Keegan

Brownie Carlson

Sarah Torres

Trustees (Meets 1st Tuesdays)

Gene Hernandez (2012) Sharon Delawder (2013) Ed Luikaart (2014)

Arnie jeschke (2012) Wally Warren (2013) Larry Milash (2014)

Claude Daughtrey (2012) George Wentworth (2014)

*Trustees Chair & reps. elected by Trustees (TBA)

Lay leadership Committee (Meets as Called)

Rev. Brian Smith, Chair

Karen jeschke, Lay Leader

Beth Torres

Julie Hernandez

MISSION STATEMENT

Our Mission is to make disciples of Christ by living out
our name, Good Samaritan, as a transforming
body of faith for our community.

PURPOSE

To be an authentic, inclusive, community of people
who continually grow in a relationship with others
as modeled by Jesus Christ through prayer, compassion, forgiveness, and acceptance of God’s gifts of diversity.

Good Samaritan

United Methodist Church ~ Addison, IL