What We Believe

Our spiritual goal as United Methodist is to embody the love of neighbor in a constant and consistent fashion, so that when people look at us, all they see is the love of God shining forth from us. This is our understanding of God's grace working in us.

There is one eternally existing God who has three distinct persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. He is the creator of all that exists, both visible and invisible. God is perfect in love, power, holiness, goodness, knowledge, wisdom,  justice, and mercy. He is unchangeable and therefore is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

God has revealed himself to us through his son, Jesus Christ, who is the visible image of the invisible God, the holy scriptures, and through all of creation itself.

As humans, we've been made in the image of the Creator, and like God, we have the capacity to love and care, to communicate, and to create. The first humans, Adam and Eve, were created without sin and appointed as caretakers of the rest of God's creations. When they chose not to obey God, they ceased to be what they were made to be.

We believe that the church is the body of Christ: an extension of Christ's life and ministry in the world today. We believe that the mission of the church is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. It is a community made up of all past, present, and future disciples of Christ, and that it is called to worship God and to support those who participate in its life as they grow in faith. (Smith, D. D., & Harris, C. S., 2002)

We believe that the bible is the primary authority for our faith and practice. We hold that the Holy Spirit works today in our thoughtful study of the Scriptures, especially as we study them together, seeking to relate the old words to life's present realities. 

Jesus Christ is returning one day to judge both the living and the dead and to usher in the fullness of God's kingdom on earth. The Bible may seem to be about the past, but its outlook is toward the future. From promises in the Book of Genesis to Abraham and Sarah for a new land, a son, and countless descendants, to promises in the Book of Revelation of a "new heaven and a new earth," God was helping biblical people live into the vision of creation's ultimate goal. (Koehler, 2002)

Sources:

Koehler, G. E. (2002). The United Methodist Member’s handbook. Discipleship Resources.
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Our Christian beliefs. The United Methodist Church. (2019, May 8). https://www.umc.org/en/who-we-are/what-we-believe/our-christian-roots
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Smith, D. D., & Harris, C. S. (2002). What every teacher needs to know about theology. Discipleship Resources.