What We Believe

God Is Love

This is our foundation at First Church. We believe we are all made in the image of a loving and generous Creator, therefore our truest nature is to be loving and generous as well.

As a United Methodist congregation, we understand through our faith that Jesus does not just care about our personal salvation but deeply cares for salvation for all the world.

Therefore, our personal faith is very important and is to be lived out in concrete ways in the world. The love we receive through our relationship with Jesus Christ compels us to love our neighbor and ourselves just as we are unconditionally loved and offered ample grace

Methodism has always worked to live out a faith that has a dramatic impact on the political and familial community as well as the current culture in which is it situated. John Wesley himself was known for speaking out through the witness of his faith on issues of his day such as slavery. Likewise, early Methodists were strong advocates for worker’s rights to fair wages, days off, and safe working conditions.

“Taking an active stance in society is nothing new for followers of John Wesley. He set the example for us to combine personal and social piety. Ever since predecessor churches to United Methodism flourished in the United States, we have been known as a denomination involved with people’s lives, with political and social struggles, having local to international mission implications. Such involvement is an expression of the personal change we experience in our baptism and conversion.

The United Methodist Church believes God’s love for the world is an active and engaged love, a love seeking justice and liberty. We cannot just be observers. So we care enough about people’s lives to risk interpreting God’s love, to take a stand, to call each of us into a response, no matter how controversial or complex. The church helps us think and act out a faith perspective, not just responding to all the other ‘mind-makers-up’ that exist in our society.” – Excerpt from The Book of Resolutions of The United Methodist Church 2016.

Methodism is founded on a history of intellectually engaged believers who hold themselves to the standard that Jesus set for us. While we have a passionate faith with strong convictions, we also recognize that the world is not always black and white. We ask questions, wrestle with difficult issues, and respect our brothers and sisters who may believe differently than we do. We believe we are stronger because we are not all alike

Click HERE to read our First Church Affirmation of Faith