WHAT WE BELIEVE
We believe in the Trinity—God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We believe in God as a loving Parent and Creator; in Jesus as Christ our Savior; and in the Holy Spirit as our Guide, Advocate and Comforter.
We believe in the Bible for instruction and as the Story of God’s love. We believe that individuals should interpret Scripture using the tools of reason, experience, and tradition. We are a part of God’s unfolding story.
We believe that all persons are created in God’s image, but due to our human nature, we often miss the mark. We believe that God forgives our mistakes and failures through Jesus who became human, died for us on the cross, and was raised from the dead.
We believe in Jesus’ resurrection; therefore, we need not fear death. We believe in the Resurrection of the Body and eternal life.
We believe in the Church as a community of believers who seek to grow in faith, practice Christian discipleship and demonstrate radical love.
We believe in Grace as a free gift from a loving God. God’s grace falls upon us the moment we are born and God continually seeks to invite persons into a right relationship with God, people, and the created world.
We respect other Christian traditions and religious practices and affirm the rights of persons to worship God in ways that may vary from our own.
We have two sacraments (signs of God’s grace at work in our lives and the world)—Holy Communion and Baptism.
We practice open Communion—all are welcome to the Table of our Lord regardless of identity. We expect to meet God’s grace in and through the Holy Mystery of God’s presence in Bread and Cup.
We use three means of baptism: pouring, sprinkling and immersion as each of these forms of baptism are validated by scripture. We offer the sacrament of baptism to persons of all ages, including infants. Infant baptism affirms God’s claim on each baby as a beloved child of God. We only baptize infants of believers who promise to raise the child in the Christian faith.