We share our core beliefs with Christians of other traditions as expressed in the ancient Apostles Creed.

 

I believe in God, the Father Almighty,

maker of heaven and earth;

And in Jesus Christ his only Son, our Lord;

who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,

born of the Virgin Mary,

suffered under Pontius Pilate,

was crucified, dead, and buried;

the third day he rose from the dead;

he ascended into heaven,

and sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty;

from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,

the holy catholic* church,

the communion of saints,

the forgiveness of sins,

the resurrection of the body,

and the life everlasting. Amen.

 

[*That is, universal.]

 

Like other Christians, we believe in one God who reaches out to us through His Son Jesus and through the Holy Spirit who speaks to us deep down in our hearts. Humanity as a whole became alienated from God by abandoning His plan and purpose for them to pursue their own selfish interests. God's Son came to earth to teach us the plan and purpose of his Father. Furthermore, to make peace between us and his Father, Jesus gave up his own life as an offering. The Father raised him from the dead three days later. After spending some time with his companions, he then returned to heaven from which we expect him to one day return. By committing ourselves to Jesus and following him, we find a new way to live in our earthly lives and the assurance of eternal life when our time here is done.

We are a local congregation that is part of the United Methodist Church denomination, part of the Wesleyan/Methodist branch of the Christian family tree. The Methodist Movement began in the Church of England in the 1700s under the leadership of clergyman John Wesley. Our tradition emphasizes the importance of pursuing God's will in all areas of our lives. Following God personally and pursuing social justice have always been an important part of the Wesleyan/Methodist tradition.

Our major emphasis is God's grace, God's undeserved love and generosity demonstrated toward humanity. That grace is at work in our lives as God draws us to Himself before we believe, as God accepts us as His own when we come to Him in belief, as God gives us the Holy Spirit to empower us to live godly lives, and as the Spirit works to make our character and thinking more like that of Jesus. Because of this emphasis, we value spiritual disciplines like prayer and the study of Scripture which open us up to the Spirit's work in us and service that allows the Spirit to work through us.