What we believe…

God

There is One true God who exists eternally in three Persons:  God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, who are of one substance and equal in power and glory.

Jesus Christ

Jesus Christ is the Son of God.  He lived a sinless life and died on the cross atone for our sins.  He rose from the dead and ascended to heaven.  We believe that one day Jesus will return and make all things new.

The Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is the gift of the Father that is sent to believers to give comfort, correction and power to live the Christian life in obedience and joy. Through the Spirit, the church can be unified and empowered to make disciples of all nations.

The Bible

The Bible is God’s word and is the final authority for determining our beliefs as Christians and how we should live our life.

Human Beings

God created male and female in His image – we are rational and moral beings.  Because we are created in His image we believe each person is of sacred worth and has the potential for great good.  However, we are all marred by self-centeredness which the Bible calls ‘sin’ which separates us from God and each other.

Salvation

Becoming right with God and having our relations with God restored is what the Bible calls salvation.  Salvation is God’s free gift to us – it can never be earned or achieved.  When we accept this new life in Jesus Christ we have abundant life in this world and eternal life in the world to come.

Baptism

Baptism is our initiation into the church and it identifies us as children of God.  Baptism is a sacrament through which we receive grace in a very tangible way. We believe that infant baptism is as valid as ‘believers baptism’ because baptism is the work of God, however we do believe that each person has to choose for themselves to receive the free gift of God.

Holy Communion

Communion is an opportunity for us to renew our relationship with Jesus Christ.  The Church has been charged to remember the sacrifice and new life that is ours in Jesus Christ each time with gather at His table.  We believe that everyone is welcome to God’s table.

The Christian Life

As Christians in the Wesleyan branch of Christianity we believe that not only are we to devote ourselves to God in worship, prayer and reading of the scriptures but we are to also do ‘good works’.  We are to love our neighbors as we love ourselves and our church.  We do these good works not so that we can ‘go to heaven’ but out of gratitude for God’s love for us.

Grace

In all things we strive to live in and by grace.  Theologically speaking grace is God’s undeserved favor toward everyone.  Practically, grace is what each of needs because none of us are perfect and we seek to offer grace and we need grace for that very reason.

Useful Links

www.holston.org

www.umc.org

www.cokesbury.com

www.twcnet.edu

www.asbury.edu

www.asburyseminiary.edu