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The United Methodist Church is a world-wide organization that holds to traditional Christian doctrines.
The Methodist Movement began in the 18th Century under the leadership of John Wesley.
He passionately believed that Christ was the hope of the world, that all should have the opportunity to hear
about Christ, and that the goal of the Christian life is to become like Christ. He believed that
spiritual and material concerns were both important in our journey toward Christ-likeness.
The United Methodist Church is built on grace(God’s gifts to us). We believe that God’s activity
in our lives, before we are even aware of it, is God’s gift to us. We celebrate this gift in the
baptism of infants and children. If we respond to God’s activity in our lives, we enter a
relationship with God through Jesus Christ. This relationship is the second type of gift
from God, which we celebrate at Confirmation or in youth and adult baptism. Once one enters
a relationship with Christ, we begin the life-long process of growing in the relationship which is
God’s gift to us in the Holy Spirit. We celebrate this gift of God in Communion, as we hope,
in faith, that the seed of Christ that is planted in us, will bear fruit.
The United Methodist Church, like Wesley himself, is concerned with opening channels for grace to flow
to people. The process of becoming like Christ is that of learning to love God and neighbor.
The United Methodist Church of Le Mars is also built on the idea that true spirituality is found in
being filled up through spiritual formation and being poured out in service to others. We seek
to nurture the faith of people through experiences in the “means of grace”, as Wesley called them:
receiving Communion, worship, Bible study, prayer, and small-group accountability. As we are
transformed into the likeness of Christ, we believe that our desire to serve humanity will grow.
To grow strong in the faith, we must “eat” through the means of grace and “exercise” through acts of
service to a world in need of hope.
Want to know more about The United Methodist Church’s beliefs?
Checkout the Foundational Documents of The United Methodist Faith
to read some of Wesley’s sermons and the Articles of Religion and Confession of Faith of The United Methodist Church.
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© 2007