We Are a Place to Believe
- We believe in, are guided and shaped by the life, teachings and ministry of Jesus Christ.
- We believe that our Holy Scriptures found in the Old and New Testaments of the Bible are the faith stories, foundations, records and reflections of people of history living and learning in relation to God. By God’s Living Spirit they continue to speak to, inspire, and guide the people of God today, calling forth new and inspired faith stories and experience.
- We believe God has spoken to and through God’s people through experience, reason, scripture and prayer; and we believe God is still speaking today, new and relevant words for new eras of human experience.
- We strive to hear, see and receive God’s Word and presence with open hearts, open minds, and open doors.
- We engage in regular spiritual practices through which we live out our faith.
- We believe each person is a beloved child of God who is free and able to have her/his own relationship with God, and expression of faith. Such relationships and expressions take different shapes and forms among us. Most of us find ourselves fed and nourished predominantly by historic “mainline Protestant” traditions and expression, but others have come from Roman Catholic traditions, nondenominational churches, and no church experience at all. We believe each person is on his/her own spiritual journey. We believe we are called to be companions with each other on the road, rather than judges of morality or quality of salvation.
- We believe in being connected and affiliated to the wider community of faith through our denominations. We believe we can accomplish more for the service of God’s Realm networked and covenanted together with others than we can alone. We commit service and financial support to the ministries and connections of our wider denominations: the United Methodist Church and the United Church of Christ. We allow their requests, exhortations, and heritage to shape our identity and focus us as a congregation.
- We believe in St. Augustine’s statement: “In essentials: unity, in non-essentials: diversity, and in all things: charity” (or as we say: community). We find that this means we need to commit ourselves to continual dialogue as to what is essential and what is nonessential, which means a commitment to conflict management and open, direct communication.