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FAQs: FUMC
What
are your worship times on Sunday?
Traditional worship is held at 8:00 and 9:30, and a more contemporary,
blended worship service takes place at 11:00 a.m. See our homepage
for specifics on each Sunday.
How
large is your church?
We have approximately 1000 active members.
How
do I find information about membership?
Contact Mary Hasheider, Coordinator of Hospitality and Membership
Ministries at 256-9061.
Where
are you located?
Please see our "location"
page for maps and driving directions; you can't miss us!
What
are your office hours?
The church office is open Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. We close
for general holidays and occasionally close early ... call ahead of time
if needed at 608-256-9061.
How
do I find the church office?
Our offices are now back at our church building, 203 Wisconsin Avenue,
on the second floor.
Is
parking available?
There are many options available for parking on Sunday mornings.
Click here for a map with the details. There will be a
limited number of spaces left open along Wisconsin Avenue for those who
need to be dropped off closer to the building.
Where
is the Food Pantry located?
The FUMC Food Pantry is located on the lower level of our church
building at 203 Wisconsin Avenue.
When
is the Food Pantry open?
Our hours are Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings from 10:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m. and Monday
and Thursday evenings from 5:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m. Clients must obtain a referral from First Call For
Help to use the pantry. See the Food
Pantry page for more information or to volunteer.
FAQs: Methodism
What's
different or distinctive about being a United Methodist?
There are no exclusively United Methodist doctrines. Although we
have distinctive emphases, we have no affirmations that are not also
believed by other Christian groups. United Methodists have traditionally
proclaimed the following emphases:
-
The
availability of God's grace for all;
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The
essential unity of faith and works;
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Salvation
as personal and social;
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The
church as a community of Christ's disciples who seek to share in
God's mission;
-
The
inseparability of knowledge (intellect) and vital piety (devotion to
religious duties and practices) as components of faith;
-
Seeking
holiness of heart and life both as individuals and in our society;
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A
cooperative ministry and mission in the world, often referred to as
"connectionalism";
-
The
link between Christian doctrine and Christian living.
How
old is the UM church?
The present denomination was created in 1968 with the merger of The
Methodist Church and The Evangelical United Brethren Church.
Where
did the church get its name?
John and Charles Wesley and a few other young men attending Oxford University
met regularly in 1729 for intellectual and spiritual improvement and to help
one another become better Christians. So systematic were their habits of
religious duty and their rules of conduct that other students referred
to them as "Methodists". The word "United" now in
our name comes from The Evangelical United Brethren (EUB) Church, which
united with The Methodist Church in 1968.
How
many Methodist denominations are there in the United States?
There are at least 19 Wesleyan denominations ... largest of these, with
8.7 million members, is The United Methodist Church. It ranks as the
second largest Protestant denomination behind the Southern Baptists.
How
are official positions on social matter determined by the church?
Only the General Conference, a representative body of no more than 1000
clergy and lay persons which meets every four years, officially
determines church policy and speaks on social issues. Through a set of
Social Principles, the General Conference speaks to human issues from a biblical
and theological foundation. These principles are intended to be
instructive and persuasive. Agreement is not required, but members are
called to a "prayerful, studied dialogue of faith and
practice". Official resources of the church such as curriculum must
reflect the official positions of the church.
Do
lay people have much to say about what happens in the church?
Laity and clergy have equal voice in annual, jurisdictional, and general
conferences of the church. There are also guidelines that encourage fair
representation of women, young adults, and youth in decision making. Of
course, at the local level, lay persons are deeply involved in every
aspect of the church's mission and ministry.
How
can I get more answers to my questions?
Talk to a pastor; call InfoServ, the church's nationwide, toll-free
telephone service at 1-800-251-8140; or visit their website.
Information
for these Methodist FAQ's is from Thomas S. McAnally's "Questions
and Answers About The United Methodist Church", published by
Abington Press, 1995.
©2003 First
United Methodist Church
Design by Julie Newquist, 2003
203 Wisconsin Avenue
Madison, Wisconsin 53703
Contact: chimes@fumc.org |
