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What We Believe

Pastor's Corner

The United Methodist Church affirms that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the Savior of the world, and the Lord of all. We believe God reaches out with mercy and forgiveness to those who repent of their sinfulness. Hearts can be changed under the prompting of grace and the guidance of the Holy Sprit.

We believe that the core of the Christian faith was revealed in Scripture, illumined by tradition, made vivid in personal experience, and con-firmed by reason.

The mission of the Church is to make disciples of Jesus Christ by proclaiming the good news of God’s grace. We continue the mission of seeking, welcoming and gathering persons into the community of the body of Christ.

The United Methodist Church has a long history of concern for social justice. We send persons into the world to live lovingly and justly as servants of Christ by healing the sick, feeding the hungry, caring for the stranger, freeing the oppressed, and working to develop social structures that are consistent with the gospel.

 

Loving Like God, Not Like the World

In today's culture, love is often portrayed as mere affirmation, agreeing with people, avoiding offense, and embracing all choices as equally valid.  But the love of God, the love of the church is called to embody, is far deeper, stronger, and holier than that.

God's love doesn't leave us where we are; it transforms us.  It doesn't just pat us on the back and say, "Do whatever makes you happy."  It calls us to righteousness, because true joy and peace are found in walking in His truth.

That's why sometimes, love looks like slaying giants.  Like David before Goliath, we are called to stand boldly against sin, deception, and the forces that oppose God's kingdom.  Love requires courage--courage to speak the truth in a world that often prefers comfortable lies.

Other times, love looks like flipping tables.  Jesus, the very embodiment of love, walked into the temple and overturned the tables of corruption and hypocrisy.  Love does not tolerate injustice, nor does it remain silent in the face of falsehood, It takes action to restore holiness where it has been compromised.

As the church, we must remember that our mission is not to reflect the world's version of love but to reflect God's.  That means loving people enough to tell them the truth.  It means standing firm on God's Word even when it's unpopular.  It means offering grace while also calling people to repentance, just as Jesus did.

Love without truth is not love, it is enablement.  And truth without love is not truth, it is self-righteousness.  But when we embrace both truth and love as God does, we become the kind of church that doesn't just affirm people but transforms them through the power of Christ.

Let's love like God loves.  Let's be bold when it's time to slay giants, fearless when it's time to flip tables, and always full of grace and truth as we point people to Jesus.