What We Believe
“With Christians of other communions we confess belief in the triune God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This confession embraces the biblical witness to God’s activity in creation, encompasses God’s gracious self-involvement in the dramas of history, and anticipates the consummation of God’s reign.
The created order is designed for the well-being of all creatures and as the place of human dwelling in covenant with God. As sinful creatures, however, we have broken that covenant, become estranged from God, wounded ourselves and one another, and wreaked havoc throughout the natural order. We stand in need of redemption.” - 102 “Basic Christian Affirmations”, The Book of Disciple of the United Methodist Church, 2016.
God
We believe God is revealed to us in three persons in one, the Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God reigns over the universe that He has created and sustains it by being active and involved in creation. God is present in our lives, in the sufferings, the celebrations, and all moments otherwise. God will ultimately judge humanity. In His infinite love for us, God offers us redemption, a way to be reconciled to Him: through salvation in Jesus Christ.
Jesus
We believe Jesus is the incarnation of God – meaning that God was the actual person of Jesus in Nazareth and was simultaneously fully human and fully divine. We believe that Jesus is our Lord (the one whom we devote our allegiance to and follow willingly) and our Savior (the one who offers us the free gift of hope, love, peace, joy, and salvation). We believe that Jesus overcame the power of sin and death on the cross by His Resurrection, fulfilling God’s promise to us.
Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is God with each of us that profess Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. It is God inspiring and empowering us to live obediently to Him. The same Holy Spirit that came upon Jesus is the same Holy Spirit that resides in all believers across time and space.
Humanity
We believe that God created human beings in His image and are given the gift of free will. Through sin we have become corrupted and strayed away from God. We believe that all human beings are in need of a relationship with God, and through our free will we choose to accept or reject this relationship and, ultimately, reconciliation.
The Bible
We believe that the Bible is the inspired word of God amongst accounts, tellings, and stories from those who witnessed christ. Ultimately, these all come together to tell a single story of God’s love and his relationship with the people of God. The Bible contains all things necessary for salvation and is, in general, a life guide to bringing out the best human character. this guide can be for our life and our faith and expressed how we are called to love God and love one another.
Sacraments
We celebrate the two Sacraments that Jesus participated: Baptism and The Lord’s Supper. Other churches and denominations believe there are more such as marriage, Anointing the Sick, and Penance. While we, of course, believe in the importance of all these, the United Methodist Church considers Baptism and the Lord’s Supper the two most important because of Jesus’ direct participation.
Baptism
Baptism is the beginning of new life and a sign of God’s love for us. It is the cleansing of our sins made possible by God’s mercy and forgiveness. Through baptism, we are initiated into the Church. Persons of any age, including children, may be baptized in our church by means of sprinkling, immersion, or pouring. Infants and children that have been baptized will have the opportunity to profess their faith in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior through Confirmation.
The Lord's Supper
The Lord’s Supper, also known as the Eucharist and Communion, is a partaking of the symbolic body and blood of Christ through bread and wine (juice). It celebrates the birth, life, death, and resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. By receiving this gift of grace offered to us, we are reinvigorated and empowered to go into the world for God’s mission and ministry. We practice an “open table” approach that welcomes everyone who loves Christ, repents of their sin, and seeks to live in peace with one another to receive Communion. This act of grace is offered by God regardless of church membership or denominational affiliation. Meaning, you do not need to be a United Methodist or a member of our church to partake.
The Church
We believe that the church is the body of Christ – those that have accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior – whose responsibility is to be an extension of Christ’s life and ministry in the world today. As a body of believers, the church is called to worship God together, to grow in faith, and to go into the world to make disciples for Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world through acts of mercy, charity, and piety.