About Us
Our Worship
Our worship services are relaxed and informal with a blend of traditional and contemporary aspects, ritual and a wide variety of music styles. Children, youth and adults are all encouraged to be active participants and leaders in our worship life.
We value diversity of theology, culture, andof identity with a strong commitment to both personal spiritual growth and social justice as we serve the community together.
We are a reconciling congregation of the United Methodist church which means we welcome people of all sexual orientations and gender identities to full participation in the life of our church. We have a strong commitment to racial justice as well and continue the work of racial reconciliation in our community and personal lives.
We are wheelchair accessible throughout the church and provide large print hymnals and Bibles.
We would love to have you visit soon!
Children
Your child's faith development is important to us here at Champlin UMC. This is why we have made it a focus for your child to feel they are a part of our community as well. We provide a Sunday school option for all families to help build their child's faith. We also encourage children to sit in on worship for the first 15 minutes, up to the children's time with the pastor, so that families can worship together before going off to kids care. We also provide nursery care for our youngest of friends!
Connect Time
After the service we really want to get to know you, your family, and anything that may be on your heart, both good and bad. We provide a connect time where we take the time to meet and greet, new comers, members, and friends of the church alike. We believe in being connected with one another. You are always welcome to come and be as social or anti-social as you feel comfortable with. Our connect time is also shared over treats and coffee so we hope you choose to stick around!
Our
History
In 1872 12 members came together to become a Methodist church in Champlin and a year later a church building was built. Membership continued to grow over the following years, a new building and many remodels later. In 1957 Dr. Charles Sexton was appointed to Champlin, making him the first black pastor of an all white congregation in MN. By 1965 there were over 100 people participating in the church and the building had met its potential. In November the furnace exploded and services were held at a Champlin school until the long awaited new church building was completed on donated land from Henry and Bernyce Lefler. The first service was held in this building on The Mill Pond in November in 1966. Since then the church has continued to find and grow its own identity with elements of theater and a wide variety of music were added to the traditional style. Over the years, programs such as CHUMS (a children's Christmas program) and CHOW (Wednesday community suppers), missions like Meals on Wheels, Simpson Shelter and Youth Mission Trips continued to grow in popularity in our congregation and community. In May of 2018, our rainbow doors were added to the east lawn as a symbol of commitment to the lgbtq+ community. Champlin voted unanimously to become a reconciling congregation on Mother's Day, 2019. In 2022 CUMC celebrated 150 years of loving and serving with hearts and hands! ​
Our Guiding Principles
Connected with God's Spirit through prayer, we reflect these beliefs and values in our guiding principles and choose to:
-
Create a community for all people using inclusive language as a means to celebrate the contributions of all.
-
Hold strong to our United Methodist roots of social justice and stand, as Jesus does, with the outcast and oppressed.
-
Pursue peace so that all may have the spiritual, emotional, and intellectual wholeness that God intends.
-
Use language that keeps God's possibilities limitless.
-
Encourage all ages to be critical thinkers who feel safe asking questions in church.
-
Follow the teachings of Jesus, while also affirming the legitimacy of others' pathways to God. We embrace all humanity’s search for meaning in life.
-
Take the Bible seriously, but not literally. We also find inspiration in studying and listening for God’s word in other forms of spiritual expression.
-
Strive to protect and restore all of God’s creation in order to maintain the integrity of the earth.
-
Work together with others who share our goal for a healthy and safe community for everyone.
Norms during our work together:
-
Be open and honest – say what you think and feel in the room, not in the parking lot.
-
Maintain confidentiality (where appropriate)
-
Be aware of your level of participation. Allow equal airtime for each member so discussion is fair-share.
-
Treat each person as an equal.
-
Respect others’ time and talents.
-
Set vested interests aside.
-
Assist all group members to be more productive.
-
Accept and support all decisions not identified as shared decisions when made by the leader or others.
-
Listen to understand others’ perspectives.