Mission Statement:

Helping Churches Help People

Metro is an outreach agency of the United Methodist Church, which provides direct social services and supports community development. Metro seeks to assist local churches in expanding their capacity to become more actively involved in the lives of their neighborhoods. We believe that as we carry out our mission, we will see churches again become vibrant centers of community life, thereby fostering local leaders.

Metro recognizes:

• The local churches are the center of the community.
• The gospel is a timeless message of hope.
• We all need a practical expression of our faith.
• Leadership creates change.

History:

Metro United Methodist Urban Ministry was founded in 1966. Metro is the social service and community development arm of the forty-eight United Methodist Churches throughout San Diego and Imperial Counties. Since it was established, Metro has been a vehicle for churches to reach the least, the last, and the lost. Metro also works with community members to effectively live in society and assist them in becoming more knowledgeable regarding their rights and responsibilities as members of their neighborhood.

The focus of the agency has been on:

• Prevention.
• A responsiveness and attachment to local neighborhoods.
• A "systems" approach that included the youth, the family, the community, and local churches as part of the prevention efforts.
• A belief that our services must be transformative, moving individuals from positions of dependency and vulnerability to a position of strength and self-sufficiency.