Our Beliefs

We are a United Methodist Church which means we are part of a church that has and is still evolving. Our first church community was started in America in 1784 and has undergone membership growth, denominational divisions and interdenominational mergers.

We are currently a worldwide church with a collective membership of 7.7 million members in 43,000 local churches. With each congregation being a reflection of our diversity, we do have common foundational beliefs.

United Methodists Believe:

  • God, who is one, is revealed in three distinct persons of God, Son, and Holy Spirit.
  • God is the creator of all and is ever creating bringing life and hope continually.
  • God became human in Jesus of Nazareth; and his life, death and resurrection demonstrates God's redeeming love.
  • God comes as the Holy Spirit in the present to lead, challenge, support or comfort us.
  • We are made in the image of our Creator. Like God we have the capacity to love, to communicate, and to create.
  • The church is the body of Christ, an extension of Christ’s life and ministry in the world today.
  • The Bible is God’s Word and is the primary authority for our faith and practice.
  • The Sacraments, baptism and The Eucharist, are instituted by Christ and made actual through the power of the Holy Spirit to bring the fullness of God's grace to all who partake.
  • The Kingdom of God is both a present reality and future hope.

If you want to read more about any of these statements of faith go to http://www.umc.org/what-we-believe/basics-of-our-faith.

Holy Covenant United Methodists Believe:

  • God is a force of creativity, relationship and shared power.
  • Jesus Christ is God in the flesh who made it possible for ALL people to experience hope, peace, joy and love.
  • The Holy Spirit is God within us who encourages us to shift from an "it's all about me" mindset to an "it's all about love".
  • Human beings were created "good." Because we were "made in the image of God", humanity is also capable of creating, desiring relationships, and thriving when all are empowered.
  • The church is Christ's presence in the world and therefore nurtures it members to "be love" by intentionally prioritizing relationship with God and others. "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'" Luke 10:27
  • The Bible is a sacred witness of the relationship between God and humanity and provides us with the guiding principles for a life lived in faith.
  • The sacraments of baptism and communion were given to us by Christ and experienced through the Holy Spirit. With each sacrament, we come to know God's grace for ourselves and our faith enriched.
  • The Kingdom of God is the space and time in which God is present. We believe God is present in the "here and now" but only in the Kingdom of Heaven will we experience God's presence continually.

Affirmation of Faith

This statement of faith was written by our founding members over 45 years ago and it inform who we are as a community of faith.

We, as free and committed members of Christ's body,
are a community that proclaims the living presence of our Lord.
We are striving to express our love, hope, acceptance and dedication to the principle of Christianity.
Because we are a holy covenant, we are receptive to all persons,
advocates of those in need, and committed to serving through action and acceptance
as Christ served and accepted all people.
We believe our relationship with God is an awakening
through Scripture, Tradition, Experience and Reason; and,
is enriched in the warmth of fellowship and worship.
We are free to differ in love and understanding;
free to seek and find truth, and
obligated to share truth that all people might be free,
God being our guide.