What do we believe?
As United Methodist Christians, we are a part of the universal church of Jesus Christ. We share much in common with other denominations and expressions of the Christian faith. The following is our particular emphasis.
We begin with Grace.
God reaches out to us before we can understand, recognize, or earn God’s favor. God is at work in our lives from birth, moving us to a deeper relationship throughout our lives. One of the symbols of baptism is the promise of God’s grace before we can do anything to try to earn it. Our Communion table is open to all, a sign of God’s inviting grace to all who need mercy and forgiveness. We begin with God’s gift to us!
We respond to God’s gift with a life of discipleship.
We are a “holiness” people. We respond to God’s grace by giving our lives back to God, who will transform us more and more into the likeness of Christ. We are more concerned with faithful living than right believing. We have a variety of theological views in our church, and this diversity is exciting and interesting. What binds us together, however, is our desire to show the world Christ through our lives as Christians and our lives as community.
We know that if God changes us on the inside, it will show on the outside.
We are a people whose founder, John Wesley, claimed that the “world is our parish.” We do not isolate ourselves from the world, but are fully engaged in transforming the world around us. We know that our faith is more than personal, it is intended to show the world the love of God revealed in Christ. So we reach out in many ways in mission, service, evangelism, and care.
We are a thinking people.
We invite people to grow in their understanding and deepen their faith in community. We never stop learning and growing, and we are never afraid to ask the hard questions. We look to scripture as the foundation of our Christian faith, and desire to open ourselves up to God’s Word revealed through scripture.
We are a justice seeking people.
Everyone is created in the image of God, and they should be treated like they are, but this is not always the case. We can hear the cries for justice of those suffering from racism, sexism, abuse, repression, homophobia, and so much more. This brokenness and pain is easily apparent. As those who follow the example of Christ, we seek the transformation and restoration of the world away from this sin and towards the kingdom of God.
We are a loving people.
We believe that the core of the Christian faith is to love God and to love one another. This principle animates our communal and individual lives, and breathes meaning into every interaction we have with all of creation.