Our Beliefs
- We believe in The Apostles Creed.
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit
and born of the virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to hell.
The third day he rose again from the dead.
He ascended to heaven
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty.
From there he will come to judge the living 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, the true Christian church of all times and all places
We believe that the basics tenants of the Apostles Creed is an excellent way to discern with other churches and/or denominations what we share in common.
2) Our Theology
We are in independent church but our theology is rooted in the Wesleyan Tradition as originally taught by the Wesley brothers, John, and Charles. At the heart of our theology is a profound understanding and vital experience of Grace which is deeply rooted in Christian teaching and tradition. Wesley’s teaching of Grace, as practiced by the original Wesleyan and Methodist churches, is that Grace is God's presence to create, heal, forgive, reconcile, and transform human hearts.
God’s Grace, His unmerited favor and forgiveness are given to us through Jesus’ sacrifice on Calvary. One of the hallmarks of Wesley’s teaching is how he described the experience of Grace in three dimensions: (1) Prevenient grace, is the pull toward God’s love as He reaches out to us (2) Justifying Grace, is the assurance of forgiveness that comes from repentance. It is being reconciled and realigned with God. (3) Sanctifying Grace is the continuing process of being made perfect in love and of removing the desire to sin.
We grow in Christlikeness as we open our lives to God's presence and described power at work in us and the world. Growing in grace and discipleship cannot be done within our own strength. The One who invites us on the journey toward the fullness of grace accompanies us and gives us a new future in which we can grow in grace.
3. Our church practices two sacraments, Baptism and Communion
Baptism
We believe that baptism is an act of God, initiating us into the universal church, and that the sacrament is to be received by an individual only once.
Because the power of the Holy Spirit in baptism does not depend upon the mode by which water is administered, we accept immersion, pouring, or sprinkling. We recognize the baptism of other denominations as administered in the name of the Triune God by an authorized person. We also believe that the age or psychological disposition of the baptized person is not a limiting factor. It is God's grace that makes the sacrament whole.
Communion
We celebrate using bread or crackers and we use grape juice out of concern for people who may have problems with alcohol. In Holy Communion (also known as The Great Thanksgiving, or Lord’s Supper) we ask the Holy Spirit to be poured on us and on the gifts of bread and fruit of the vine (grape juice). We ask for the Spirit's outpouring to make the bread and juice be for us the body and blood of Christ so we, who receive them, may be for the world the body of Christ redeemed by His blood. We believe God answers this prayer "Yes," and the Spirit does all these things. Christ is present with us as we feast at His table and Christ's presence really changes us.
