For 174 years, Newport-Mt. Olivet United Methodist Church has been a cornerstone of the Newport community. Though our world has experienced many changes since the church’s founding in 1850, our striving to reveal the love of God and neighbor remains a constant.
It is our vision to be a welcoming community that provides opportunities for spiritual growth for people at all stages of Christian faith. We invite you to join us as we share Christ’s love for the world through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.
We live by two kinds of faithfulness:
Personal & Social
We follow three simple rules:
Do no harm.
Do Good.
Stay in love with God.
“‘What then is the mark? Who is a Methodist, according to your own account?’ I answer: A Methodist is one who has ‘the love of God shed abroad in his heart by the Holy Ghost given unto him;’ one who ‘loves the Lord his God with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his mind, and with all his strength.’ God is the joy of his heart, and the desire of his soul; which is constantly crying out, ‘Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee! My God and my all! Thou art the strength of my heart, and my potion for ever!'”
John Wesley-“The Character of a Methodist,” in Works, Vol. 8; pg. 341.
Three Simple Rules: A Wesleyan Understanding of the Christian Life
Founder of the Methodist movement in England, John Wesley was determined to foster the disciplined practices that would lead to faithfulness in the way of Jesus. These practices were outlined in the “General Rules,” and instructions in them and accountability to them was centered in the classes that formed the United Societies of the early Methodist movement (The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church-2004 (The United Methodist Publishing House, 2004).
1) Do No Harm
“By doing no harm, by avoiding evil of every kind,especially that which is most generally practiced.”
-United Methodist Book of Discipline, 2004.
When we agree that we will not harm those with whom we disagree, conversation, dialogue, and discovery of new insight become possible. When our words and actions are guarded by this first simple rule, we have time and space to think about consequences before a word is spoken or an action taken.
“It may easily be believed, he [Jesus] who had this love in his heart would work no evil to his neighbor. It was impossible for him, knowingly and designedly, to do harm to any man. He was at the greatest distance from cruelty and wrong, from any unjust or unkind action. With the same care did he ‘set a watch before his mouth, and keep the door of his lips,’ lest he should offend in tongue, either against justice, or against mercy or truth. He put away all lying, falsehood, and fraud; neither was guile found in his mouth. He spake evil of no man nor did an unkind word ever come out of his lips.”
John Wesley-“Sermon 4, Scriptural Christianity,” in Works, Vol. 5; pg. 41.
2) Do Good
“By doing good; by being in every kind merciful after their power; as they have opportunity; doing good of every possible sort, and, as far as possible, to all….”
-United Methodist Book of Discipline, 2004
The words of Jesus and of Wesley suggest that doing good is a universal command. That is, doing good is not limited to those like me or those who look like me. Doing good is directed at everyone, even when those who do not fit my category of “worthy” to receive any good that I or others can direct their way. This command is also universal and no one is exempt from it.
“There is scare any possible way of doing good, for which here is not daily occasion…. Here are poor families to be relieved: Here are children to be educated: Here are workhouses, wherein both young and old gladly receive the word of exhortation: Here are the prisons, and therein a complication of all human wants.”
John Wesley-“Journal from August 12, 1738-November 1, 1739,” in Works, Vol. 1; pg. 181.
3) Stay in Love with God
“By attending upon all the ordinances of God….”
-United Methodist Book of Discipline, 2004
While the word “ordinance” is strange to our modern ears, John Wesley used it to describe the practices that kept the relationship with God and humans vital, alive, and growing. Wesley names public worship of God, the Lord’s Supper, private and family prayer, searching the Scriptures, Bible study, and fasting as essential to faithful life.
Worship
Our primary weekly worship celebration is every Sunday at 11:00 a.m. The sacrament of Holy Communion is typically celebrated on the first Sunday of each month and at other times throughout the year.
Children Are Welcome in Worship
Jesus said, “Whoever welcomes a child … welcomes me” (Matthew 18:5). Children are our present and our future, our hope, our teachers, our inspiration. They are full participants in the life of the church and in the realm of God.
Following United Methodist tradition, children are welcome to fully participate in Holy Communion on the First Sunday of each Month. Children’s Worship Bulletins and Sanctuary Sacks are also available as you come into the Sanctuary. These Children’s Worship Bulletins have a secret code that unlocks hours of fun learning at home. This secret code is unique to our church and allows safe and secure access to online games and activities that reinforce our weekly Scripture focus.
NMO-UMC has been recognized as A Church for All God’s Children by the Virginia Conference of The United Methodist Church and has a Safer Sanctuaries policy for the protection of our children and youth.
Invitation to Holy Communion
The United Methodist Church celebrates an open Communion Table. According to The United Methodist Book of Worship: All who intend to lead a Christian life, together with their children are invited to receive the bread and cup. We have no tradition of refusing any who present themselves desiring to receive the bread and cup. All ages are welcome to come and receive these gifts of God’s grace.
The book of Job is a complex work, exploring the intricate intersection of God’s sovereignty, human faith, and innocent suffering. This book troubles us because it asks so many unsettling questions—haunting questions that have plagued the human conscience of every generation.
October 13/Twenty-First Sunday after Pentecost
In the Crucible of the Question
Job 23:1-9, 16-17
Arguing with God is an act of deep faith—deeper, perhaps, than a passive acceptance of whatever happens as God’s will, or a carefully crafted theological rationalization for why things are.
October 20/Twenty-Second Sunday after Pentecost
Out of the Whirlwind
Job 38:1-7, 34-41
In a very literal sense, the book of Job raises more questions than it answers. At the very least, however, we are assured that God is God, and we are not; and that we are human beings who struggle with things we cannot understand. Nevertheless, our hope is tied to the firm conviction that this same God will take care of that which we don’t understand, as we see in the created world around us.
October 27/Twenty-Third Sunday after Pentecost
Happily Ever After?
Job 42:1-6, 10-17
At the end of the story, Job acknowledges who God is, repents in dust and ashes, and is restored. His deepened experience of God summons him to new insights, leads him to life outside himself, and creates in him a new being in the midst of community, where he bestows and inheritance even upon his daughters, something unheard of in ancient Israelite society.
November 3/All Saints Sunday
No More Tears
Isaiah 25:6-9 & Revelation 21:1-6
The Festival of All Saints, celebrated on November 1 or on the first Sunday in November, is a day of remembrance for the saints with its New Testament meaning of all Christian people of every time and space. As part of our celebration, we will encounter the prophet Isaiah’s image of the great banquet on the mountain, a time when “the Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces.
November 10/Twenty-Fifth Sunday after Pentecost
Her Two-Cents Worth
Mark 12:38-44
The story of the widow giving all that she has demonstrates not only her total trust in God, but also offers a glimpse into what Jesus is all about—giving the whole of his life for the redemption of the world.
November 17/Twenty-Sixth Sunday after Pentecost
Sign, Sign, Everywhere a Sign
Mark 13:1-8
How does one survive the devastation of an aggressive cancer diagnosis or other disease, or the destruction of life, property, and livelihood in a human-made or natural disaster? Looking toward the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, something that would occur during the Jewish Revolt in 70 A.D., Jesus reminds us that our focus should not be on the signs of forthcoming events themselves but rather on the One who is to come—the One who enables us to look up after such devastation and claim the certainty of God’s blessing. Indeed, the center will hold and—much to our surprise—we will discover that we have much faithful work to do.
November 24/Reign of Christ Sunday
100% Chance of Reign
John 18:33-37
On this day that the Church has traditionally celebrated as the Festival of the Reign of Christ, we acknowledge that we bow only to Jesus the Christ. As the body of Christ himself, our allegiance cannot be to any other person, principality, or power that clamors for authority over us. Today, we challenge ourselves to look beyond what we think to the truth found in God as embodied by Jesus. The truth that Jesus embodies is found in God, who is love and grace.
Advent is an in-between time. Not just a season squeezed in between Thanksgiving and Christmas, Advent is about what was and what is to be, about what has already happened and what has yet to occur. It’s a time of anticipation, expectancy. To engage the Christian journey with expectancy at its most basic level is to be a resident of two worlds. We live faithfully in the here and now, with all the joys and sorrows, victories and setbacks of life. We love, laugh, get tired, make mistakes, hurt, rejoice, and grieve along the journey through this wonderful creation and re-creation given us by God. And we live with anticipation in the life to come, having entered into the near end of the eternal journey through the waters of baptism and belief, faith, and practice. We are in between the coming of Christ and his coming again, living the “now” with hopeful expectancy that empowers us and sustains us.
December 1/First Sunday of Advent
Focusing on the Figs
Luke 21:25-36
In our text, Jesus did not say, “When the fig tree loses its leaves, you will know that winter is coming.” Describing an anticipated kingdom, he spoke of summer and new life, not winter barrenness and death. We miss that subtle detail when we focus only on what is passing away, being torn down, and being lost. Advent is a time to notice the “fig trees” around us—the new life that is sprouting and coming into bloom. This expectant season calls to our attention the Lord who will return in a glorious appearing—who is already bringing us signs of peace, community, hope, and fulfillment.
December 8/Second Sunday of Advent
The Great Leveling
Luke 3:1-6
St. Anselm once wrote: “In your self-centeredness you have not yet considered the seriousness of sin and, thus, have not received the boundless forgiveness of God.” Ultimately, repentance is a profound change in the way we see reality. It’s not blubbering or self-loathing. Repentance is insight and wisdom. John the Baptist, the hard-charging, bare-fisted prophet who appears on the margins of society, invites us into the hard questions of faith—questions that prepare our hearts to make room for the Christ who is coming at Christmas and the one who will come again at the completion of all things.
December 15/Third Sunday of Advent
What Then Should We Do?
Luke 3:7-18
Vipers, axes, and winnowing forks are not images that we often see on our Christmas trees or other seasonal décor that adorns our homes and public spaces at this time of year. We much prefer placid manger scenes, sparkling stars, and singing angels. Yet, before we get to the manger, one must confront the danger—the danger of living our lives in bubbles of quiet and convenience that domesticate the new and radical reality inaugurated in the Christ event. Before we can bow before the One who comes to us in flesh and bone and wrapped in swaddling clothes, we must gather in humility at the Jordan and see our own faces among those who asked the Baptizer the crucial question, “What then should we do?”
December 22/Fourth Sunday of Advent
Can They Hear Us Singing?
Luke 1:39-55
Christians have historically been uncomfortable with Mary’s Magnificat. When Luther translated the Bible into Herman, he left the Magnificat in Latin because the German princes took a dim view of the mighty being brought low. Thomas Cranmer did similarly when he translated the old Roman Latin missals into English, leaving the Magnificat in Latin because the royals did not care for its imagery. And yet, when Mary learns that she will bear the One who will “fill the hungry with good things and send the rich empty away,” she sings with vibrant and holy wonder. Mary’s song of hope is our song as well. Do we notice people around us signing God’s song? How about us? Can they hear us singing, too?
December 29/First Sunday after Christmas
The Sounds of Silence
Luke 2:39-52
The second chapter of Luke tells us all we know about Jesus as a child. After Mary and Joseph take their infant to the temple in Jerusalem for his dedication, we have a brief story about Mary and Joseph taking the boy Jesus to the Passover festival in Jerusalem where he amazes the scribes and religious leaders with his wisdom. Following this is silence. The text shares that “the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom, and the favor of God was upon him.” During the silent years, Jesus grows up. As if in a split second, he jumps from age twelve to age thirty. Those silent years have much to say about how God works. They remind us that God has embraced and made holy every moment of ordinary, everyday life. Behind the silence, God slowly works within the silence. Standing upon the precipice of a new year, this is good news for all!
January 5/Epiphany Sunday
From the Outside In
Matthew 2:1-12
The word epiphany means “manifestation,” or “unveiling.” The Festival of the Epiphany celebrates God making divine glory known to all the world in Jesus. The arrival of the Magi, the ultimate outsiders, reveals that from the very beginning of his life, Jesus came for all people. In our own journeys of faith, how were we drawn to Christ? What was it about the light of Christ that has brought us to this place and time? Epiphany asks these questions because they help us to see just how far we’ve come and how God has led us each step of the way.
Contact
311 Blue Grass Trail P. O. Box 133 Newport, VA 24128 (540) 544-7183
