Our Innovative Mission Education

We promote a Christian religious heritage and values through a multi-faceted program of mission education and celebration, which reinforces our identity as a Wesleyan-Christian ministry, strengthens our culture of servant ministry and integrates our values into the fabric of UMC. A few examples of our innovative initiatives are noted below.

Commissioning & Missioning Services

We have implemented Commissioning Services for our Board of Director Members, Executive Directors and Housing Administrators; Installation Services for our new Directors of Mission and Pastoral Care; and Missioning Services for all associates in
each community, which celebrate our calling to be in ministry with and to older adults. Therefore, we educate our associates about our mission, seek to inspire their investment in it, and create a culture that embraces a deeper understanding of servant ministry, in addition to delivering exceptional customer service.

In order to nurture associates’ ownership of our mission, vision and values, and ensure that its celebration and education remains an ongoing focus, we have created Associate Mission teams in each full service community and combined associate and resident-based Housing Mission teams in our Senior Housing Communities. The Associate Mission teams are responsible for celebrating our mission, vision and values, and engaging in outreach ministry within their local communities. This ensures that mission education will be an ongoing initiative and invites associates to take leadership roles. The Housing Mission teams are responsible for engaging in creative outreach ministry.
This supports residents’ sense of meaning and purpose through opportunities to serve and give back to others for all the blessings they have received.

Encouraging Associate Mission-Oriented Service

In addition to creating Mission teams, we encourage and support associates’ participation in mission projects to give back to the greater communities around our sites. For example, our corporate Human Resources team implemented an ongoing service project that allows Home Office Associates to volunteer one Friday morning per month at fulfill (the Monmouth and Ocean counties food bank). Associates participate during work time on several occasions per year on a rotating basis, so everyone at the Home Office has an opportunity to participate, and UMC gives valuable ongoing support to the food bank. Associates experience a sense of purpose in giving back to the community and value United Methodist Communities’ support of their service beyond the office walls.