What We Believe:

            Founded by John Wesley, a priest of the Church of England, the United Methodist Church’s roots go back over 200 years. First of all, we are Christians and we hold many of the same beliefs as all Christians.
            We believe in one God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We believe that God is alive and active in our world, that Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior, and that the Holy Spirit dwells within us as our guide.
            We believe that every person needs God’s saving grace in their lives. We believe this salvation and redemption come only through faith in Jesus Christ, not through anything we do ourselves. We believe that all who put their trust in Jesus are made new.
            We believe in the power of the scripture as the primary rule and guide for our lives. We believe that we are part of Christ’s universal church with all fellow believers. With other Christians, we believe that Holy Communion and baptism are sacraments, ways in which God’s grace is received.
            These beliefs, held in common with other Christians all over the world, are the foundation of our faith. They help us to understand who God is and how He works. They help us to understand our need for God and His grace. These beliefs sustain us and remind us that we can become His beloved and valued children. Through our understanding of these beliefs we can know how we are to respond to God’s word and how to act as people in this world he has given to us.
           

            There are some other beliefs that are Methodism’s special contributions to the Christian faith.

          United Methodists believe in God’s freely offered grace, especially prevenient grace, the love of God that surrounds us even before we are aware of it. This grace prepares a person’s heart for the transforming power of His love. God pours blessings upon us even if we do not recognize that God is the giver.
          United Methodists believe that anyone can be transformed by the love of God and that salvation is not limited to a chosen few. There is nothing that we have to do to deserve or earn salvation, because it is God’s free gift. We believe that anyone can feel an inner assurance that God’s love has saved us from our sins.
          United Methodists believe that salvation is not the end of our spiritual journey but, in many ways, the beginning. We believe that we “are going on to perfection”, that we can be “sanctified”, made perfect in love so that a person is so filled with God’s love that she or he does not consciously commit sin.

          United Methodists believe in the importance of holy living. We believe that we should live in such a way that all of our actions and our decisions reflect our devotion to God and His love for us. We make our faith active through doing good works. The source of any holiness in our lives is from God, not from our own actions.
          United Methodists believe and acknowledge that accepting God’s love and salvation is not a lifetime guarantee that a person will never drift away from God. Walking with Christ is a wonderful and changing thing; but we must pay attention so that we don’t wander blindly or get distracted by worldly values. So, we believe that one of the best things we can do is to spend time with other Christians in worship, and in mission.

United Methodists believe that we are to practice our faith in a disciplined way every day, not just once a week or on special occasions. By daily practice, and dedication to His will for our lives, having our faith as an essential, central part of our lives every day, we can fully participate in the beautiful gift of God’s salvation. The disciplined way in which we practice our faith uses four cornerstones: scripture, tradition, experience, and reason. We have a faith of “heart” and of “head”.

• We are a church that encourages the powerful proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

• We are a church that encourages a warm-hearted, personal relationship with Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.

• We are a world-wide church. You can find United Methodist churches, missions, schools, hospitals or clinics in places all around the world.

• We are an inclusive church. Our members come from every culture and socioeconomic group and all are embraced as brothers and sisters in Christ.

• We are a giving church. Members promise to serve God and support the church through their gifts, prayers, presence, and their service; that pledge calls us to give generously to help others.

• We are a church that remembers that God calls us to be a family, we are there for each other in our joys and sorrow from cradle to grave.

• We are a church that owns and operates many colleges, hospitals, children’s homes and homes for the elderly.

• We are a church that reaches out with deep compassion to help hurting people. We feed more than a million children every day and our United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) provides aid, love and care quickly to victims of natural disasters, ethnic violence and warfare.  And we support thousands of missions all around the globe.