Happy New Year! The new year offers people the opportunity to reflect on the past and set some goals for their future. This specifically turns into a time of self-assessment. Who am I, and how can I be better? How we answer this question determines what types of goals we set for ourselves. Then, throughout the year, check back in with our goals and see how we are doing. Well guess what? The church does the same thing! The Leadership Board of Sewickley United Methodist Church is constantly staying in touch with who we are, holding ourselves accountable to the goals that have been set and discerning each year if there are new God-Sized goals the Holy Spirit is wanting us to commit to. In this first newsletter of 2026, I want to invite you to get to know who we are and the goals we have set to help refine and determine who God wants us to be.
If you are looking to skim this part (trust me, I get it) please at least read the bold sections to aid in your understanding of who we are.
Who we are is defined in our Mission Statement. As we are a congregation of the United Methodist Church, our Mission Statement is the same as you will find from the greater denomination.
Mission Statement
Make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.
How we live out that Mission Statement is determined by our Vision. The Vision Statement is unique to each congregation within the United Methodist Church.
Vision Statement
Be present with the community as a welcoming and growing church, living out the radical love of Jesus.
The appropriate question to follow is, “As we are present with the community, how are we reflecting the fact that we are a welcoming and growing church? And how are we living out the radical love of Jesus?” What follows is our three core values: Community, Inclusion, and Faith in Action. Under each of the core values is where you will find our God-sized goals. But before we get into our God-sized goals, the Leadership Board determined it was important for those who seek to learn more about us via our website or social media platforms to understand our view on scripture. If you look at almost any other church page, they have a statement that outlines this view as relates to them. Therefore, we have an Inspiration Statement that goes before our Core Values and God-Sized goals.
Inspiration Statement
We believe in the sanctity of scripture as the inspired word of God which is revealed to us through the life of Jesus Christ. We interpret scripture through the Holy Spirit who is active and still speaking within the world today.
It is our prayer through making this statement that the many people who have been harmed by churches who are literalists of scripture (which I would argue is impossible) know that we are a safe place to wrestle with those very texts that have been used to shame them. Scripture is good and holy but is meant to be a conversation that pulls us closer to God and not push us further away. Scripture, like God’s very breath (ruah), is meant to be a pathway to life, not a pathway to death.
Through the inspiration we receive, through God’s word and the Holy Spirit who is working in our lives, we then move to the God-sized goals. You will find the core value with a God-sized goal (G.S.G.) attached and then the metric we will use through the year to help hold us accountable to the goal that has been set. We also do a deep dive into the goal halfway through the year to determine if we need to shift the metric a bit.
Community
Bound together by God’s love, we engage all with empathy, compassion, dignity, and respect.
G.S.G. = to increase intergenerational engagement.
Metric: net growth in the number of opportunities for intergenerational engagement among and between different church ministries.
Inclusion
We believe in the sacred worth of all people without exception. Therefore, we welcome, want, and value all persons, regardless of age, race, ethnic and religious background, gender identity, marital status, sexual orientation/expression, immigration status, neurodiversity, and ability.
G.S.G. = to represent and support diversity within the life of the Church.
Metric: Increase in representation of African American, Hispanic, LGBTQIA+, and Neurodiverse persons within the Church.
Faith in Action
In communion with the Holy Spirit, we pursue peace and justice for those who experience exclusion, lack of resources, systemic injustice, or targeted harm by giving our time, talents, and resources.
G.S.G. = to support people or groups who experience exclusion, lack of resources, systemic injustice, or targeted harm.
Metric: increase in ministry programs operating outside the walls of the church to serve the identified groups.
You will soon be able to find this information updated and neatly listed under the “Our Church” section of our SUMC website. Please join us in prayer over these goals as we get ready to embark on a new year here at Sewickley United Methodist Church. We are so glad that you are with us on this journey. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to myself at pastor@sewickleyumc.org or any member of the 2026–2028 classes of Leadership Board which includes: Jenine Furry-Clifford, Lynn Colosi, Amanda Pelphrey, Hurst Bartley, Johnathan Burnett, Kara Wayne, Michael Harris, Breonna Frisk-Miller, and Shane Mills.
From one light to many others,
Pastor Hannah Loughman
Photo by Julia Wolf