As a United Methodist congregation, we hold that preaching and teaching is grounded in Scripture, informed by Christian tradition, enriched by personal experience, and confirmed through reason. United Methodists are part of the larger Christian faith and affirm the historic beliefs found in the historic creeds of the Church.  We confess our belief in the triune God who has been made known to us through Jesus of Nazareth and continues to be at work through the power of the Holy Spirit.

We hold that Scripture is our primary source for understanding Christian Doctrine. The Biblical authors give evidence to God through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ; as well as found in the work of creation, the deliverance of Israel, and the Holy Spirit’s continual work throughout history.

A Triune God:

With other Christian communities, we believe in a triune God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We hold that God is made known to us in three distinct, yet inseparable parts.

The Father – We believe in one true, holy, and living God. A God who is creator, sovereign, and preserver of all things. A God who is infinite in power, justice, wisdom, and love, and rules for the betterment and salvation of all people.

The Son – We believe that God has been made most well-known through the life of Jesus of Nazareth. One of our earliest statements of faith made is that “Jesus Christ is Lord.”  In Jesus, we hold that we find salvation through his life, death, Resurrection, and promised return.  Jesus incarnate, the Word of God made flesh, is made known to us through the Gospels, where we find our forgiveness and reconciliation to God.

The Holy Spirit – We believe that God’s love is made known to us by the power of the Holy Spirit, both to us personally and in the life of the church. The Holy Spirit, a constant presence in our lives, by which we find help and strength in our moments of need. It is by the Holy Spirit that we are comforted, sustained, and empowered for the work of God.

Grace:

We give distinctive emphasis to what is known as the “order of grace.”  It is through grace, the unmerited, undeserved, loving action of God, that we are made aware of God’s love toward us. We believe in the Wesleyan understanding of grace at work in three ways, prevenient grace, justifying grace, and sanctifying grace. It is through grace that we are able to enter into relationship with God. By his grace, we are made right from our sinfulness and able to experience justification, or be made right. We find that we can be forgiven of our sins and restored in God’s favor. Through sanctification, the act of being made holy, we believe that the wonder of God’s acceptance and pardon doesn’t end God’s saving work. Salvation continues as we are nurtured in our growth in love. By grace, God calls us to repentance, offers us pardon, and welcomes us all by the grace given to us in Christ Jesus, as we find the hope of eternal life.

The Sacraments:

As United Methodist, we believe that there are two sacraments, ordained by Christ as symbols and pledges of God’s love for us – Baptism and Holy Communion. The Sacraments are a vital way in which we can see God at work in our lives. They are tangible ways that we can know of the Grace of God.

Baptism – Baptism serves at the entrance into the Church, which is open to people of all ages. Baptism is the mark of God’s love that is placed upon each of us as individuals showing God’s claim on our lives, thus as United Methodist we only believe in one baptism. For those baptized as children, we hold important that claim to be made through confirmation, where that child can accept that pledge for themselves.

Holy Communion – We believe in Holy Communion, the Lord’s Supper, the Eucharist, as a remembrance of Christ’s suffering and death for each of us. It is in Communion that God’s love is made known, and through that we are to share God’s grace to the world. We mean the word’s in our liturgy that it is “the Lord’s table,” by that we assert that all are welcome, regardless of age or church affiliation.

As John Wesley said these are “the outward and visible signs, of an inward and spiritual grace,” made known to us through the life and power of Jesus Christ.