Click to learn more about groups happening this fall at FUMC Belmont so you can be ALL IN.
A famous comedian once said, “Eighty percent of success is showing up.” If that’s true, United Methodists might be on to something! After all, when we become members of the church, one of the things we promise to offer is our presence.
Of course, presence means more than simply occupying a pew on Sunday morning. It means showing up for one another, sharing life together, and allowing ourselves to be known, encouraged, and challenged.
This fall, FUMC Belmont is launching a new churchwide challenge called ALL IN. Our hope is simple but ambitious: that every member of FUMC Belmont will participate in some kind of small group this fall.
Building relationships is one of our core values at FUMC Belmont because we believe that faith is meant to be lived in community. We need people who know us, pray for us, listen to us, learn alongside us, and sometimes challenge us. We need places where we can ask honest questions, share our struggles, and discover together what it means to become more like Jesus Christ.
This has always been part of the genius of Methodism. The early Methodist movement did not grow primarily because John Wesley was a gifted preacher, although he certainly was. It grew because people gathered in small groups called classes and bands. In those groups, they prayed together, studied Scripture, cared for one another, and asked how their faith was shaping the way they actually lived.
Wesley had learned from his own experience how difficult it was to follow Christ alone. He famously wrote, “The gospel of Christ knows of no religion, but social; no holiness but social holiness.” He did not mean simply that Christians should care about society. He meant that there is no solitary Christianity. We need one another if we are going to grow in holiness and take our faith seriously.
That may be more important now than ever. We live in a deeply fractured world. We are increasingly separated into groups of people who think like us, vote like us, and see the world like us. Genuine conversation has become difficult, and disagreement too easily becomes division. The church can offer another way. In Christian community, we learn to listen, speak with humility, remain in relationship, and love people whose experiences and opinions may differ from our own. Small groups give us a place to practice the patient, gracious life to which Christ calls us.
The ALL IN challenge will kick off on Rally Day, Sunday, August 16. That morning, information will be available about the many groups offered this fall. Some are already meeting, while others are brand new. Several of these new opportunities are highlighted throughout the website.
Between now and Rally Day, everyone is invited to think and pray about how they might be ALL IN this fall. Commitment cards will be distributed on August 16 so that participants can indicate the group in which they already participate or the group they plan to join. Everyone is asked to return a commitment card by ALL IN Sunday, August 30.
Have an idea for a group that is not listed? We would love to talk with you about how to make it happen! We need groups with different schedules, formats, interests, and areas of focus. The goal is not for everyone to join the same kind of group. The goal is for everyone to find a place where they can build relationships and grow to be more like Jesus alongside others.
We need each other. So this fall, let’s show up, grow together, and be ALL IN.