What We Believe

As with most Christian denominations, as United Methodists we believe God exists in three entities: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Sound confusing? Think of ice. It’s water, whehter it’s a liquid, frozen or a heated to a gas. Yet it’s the same substance.

We believe God has always existed and always will exist. And we believe God, though we give God the title of Father, is not tied to any gender. God is simply too big and powerful.

We believe God loves all people, regardless of age, race, color, sexual orientation, gender preference, socio-economic status, or how many times you’ve been inside a church building.

And God loves you so much that our Creator provided the Son, a piece of God’s own self, to come to earth and die as a sacrifice on our behalf, atoning for the sin of all humankind.

We believe Jesus is both fully God who was present at creation and fully human who entered the earth in the form of a baby via a miraculous birth to the virgin Mary, a wondrous event we call Christmas.

Jesus taught about love for neighbor, which is all of humanity. By paying attention to what Jesus did and said while on Earth, we know we are called to show mercy to all who need it, to fight for justice to end systemic barriers to equity for all people, and to show love regardless of a person’s appearance, behavior or circumstances.

Jesus lived a sinless life but was convicted in a sham trial. He died on the cross to absolve all of humanity of its sins.

Jesus, the Son in the triune God, serves as judge of all. But he didn’t come to earth to condemn us but rather to save us from our sins.

All who believe in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior receive the gift of eternal life.

Jesus will personally return at some point in judgement of humanity. Nobody knows when that will be, but we are called to be prepared for when that day comes.

The Bible is split into two “testaments,” or covenants. The Old Testament tells the story of creation and the realities of human nature, as told through the stories and poetry associated with God’s chosen people, the Jews who descended from a man named Abraham.

The New Testament tells the story of Jesus Christ, who came to earth to teach humankind how to love others and to die on the cross as a sacrifice on our behalf. The quick way of explaining the Bible is that sin enters the world very early in our story, in the book of Genesis. The remainder of the holy texts is the story of God working to reconcile all of humanity back to God for the salvation of humanity.

Consider God to be a close, personal friend, and consider prayer to be a way to share what is on your heart and mind.

Prayer can be out loud or can be thoughts said to yourself.

Need some ideas? Consider these:

PRAY as an Acronym

You also can think of PRAY as an acronym:

• P — Praise — Start by lifting God up in praise. Thank God for the presence of God in your life, for the blessings in your life, and for the creation in which we are able to live. Think of this as a time to give thanks.
• R — Repent — We are all sinners, and we all need God’s forgiveness. At some point during your prayer, confess your sins to God and ask for forgiveness. Remember to ask God to help you avoid such a sin in the future. We won’t always be able to avoid sin, but we should come to prayer with an intention of doing better.
• A — Ask — Many people think prayer is a time to ask God for what you want. That’s true! But that is only a small part of prayer. We are taught in the Bible to “ask and you shall receive.” So ask God for what you sincerely hope will happen, but don’t stop with yourself, your family and friends. For example, why not pray for wisdom, strength and courage for leaders in your community, state and nation.
• Y — Yield — While we are invited to ask for what we want, it’s equally important to yield to God. Follow the example of Jesus. As he went to the cross, he prayed that he not have to die but that God’s will be done in his life. Take time in prayer to ask God to make God’s will come to fruition in your life. It’s an act of faith that God will do what is best for you.

Jesus Taught Us How to Pray

Jesus taught his disciples how to pray in Matthew 6:9-13. Here are two versions.

The first is from the Common English Bible, a more contemporary wording of the scripture:

Our Father who is in heaven,
uphold the holiness of your name.
Bring in your kingdom
so that your will is done on earth as it’s done in heaven.
Give us the bread we need for today.
Forgive us for the ways we have wronged you,
just as we also forgive those who have wronged us.
And don’t lead us into temptation,
but rescue us from the evil one.

A more common version is from the King James Version, which is the version most often recited as part of a worship service:

Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil:
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.