THE FLAME
PASTOR’S MESSAGE
For this month we will review some
of our core Christian beliefs.
“Our Christian Roots”
United Methodists share a common heritage with all
Christians. According to our foundational statement of beliefs in The Book of
Discipline, we share the following basic affirmations in common with all
Christian communities:
Trinity
We describe God in three persons. Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit are commonly used to refer to the threefold nature of God. Sometimes we
use other terms, such as Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer.
God
We believe in one God, who created the world and all that
is in it. We believe that God is sovereign; that is, God is the ruler of the
universe. We believe that God is loving. We can
experience God’s love and grace.
Jesus
We believe that Jesus was human. He lived as a man and died
when he was crucified. We believe that Jesus is divine. He is the Son of God.
We believe that God raised Jesus from the dead and that the risen Christ lives
today. (Christ and messiah mean the same thing—God’s anointed.) We believe that
Jesus is our Savior. In Christ we receive abundant life and forgiveness of
sins. We believe that Jesus is our Lord and that we are called to pattern our
lives after his.
The Holy Spirit
We believe that the Holy Spirit is God with us. We believe
that the Holy Spirit comforts us when we are in need and convicts us when we
stray from God. We believe that the Holy Spirit awakens us to God’s will and
empowers us to live obediently.
Human Beings
We believe that God created human beings in God’s image. We
believe that humans can choose to accept or reject a relationship with God. We
believe that all humans need to be in relationship with God in order to be
fully human.
The Church
We believe that the church is the body of Christ, an
extension of Christ’s life and ministry in the world today. We believe that the
mission of the church is to make disciples of Jesus Christ. We believe that the
church is “the communion of saints,” a community made up of all past, present,
and future disciples of Christ. We believe that the church is called to worship
God and to support those who participate in its life as they grow in faith.
The Bible
We believe that the Bible is God’s Word. We believe that
the Bible is the primary authority for our faith and practice. We believe that
Christians need to know and study the Old Testament and the New Testament.
The Reign of God
We believe that the kingdom or reign of God is both a
present reality and future hope. We believe that wherever God's will is done,
the kingdom or reign of God is present. It was present in Jesus' ministry, and
it is also present in our world whenever persons and communities experience
reconciliation, restoration, and healing. We believe that although the
fulfillment of God's kingdom--the complete restoration of creation--is still to
come. We believe that the church is called to be both witness to the vision of
what God's kingdom will be like and a participant in helping to bring it to
completion. We believe that the reign of God is both personal and social.
Personally, we display the
Sacraments
With many other Protestants, we recognize the two
sacraments in which Christ himself participated: Baptism and the Lord's Supper.
Baptism
Through baptism we are joined with the church and with
Christians everywhere. Baptism is a symbol of new life and a sign of God's love
and forgiveness of our sins. Persons of any age can be baptized. We baptize by
sprinkling, immersion or pouring. A person receives the sacrament of baptism
only once in his or her life.
The Lord's Supper
(Communion, Eucharist)
The Lord's Supper is a holy meal of bread and wine that
symbolizes the body and blood of Christ. The Lord's Supper recalls the life,
death and resurrection of Jesus and celebrates the unity of all the members of
God's family. By sharing this meal, we give thanks for Christ's sacrifice and
are nourished and empowered to go into the world in mission and ministry. We
practice "open Communion," welcoming all who love Christ, repent of
their sin, and seek to live in peace with one another.
This
information and more is available on www.umc.org.
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Robert
LUMC Articles in The Central Virginian
We are happy to announce that Pat
Arnold has agreed to become our LUMC reporter to
compose articles and see that they are published in our local newspaper The
Central Virginian. It would be helpful for our committee chairpersons to
communicate with Pat on any article they wish to see in print. Pat needs atleast 2 to 3 weeks lead time to conform with CV requirements. Pat’s telephone number is 894-5714.
PLEASE BE IN PRAYER FOR: Harvey Ashby, Jeremy Atkins, Larry Atkins, Marie Baker,
Virginia Baker, Marguerite Bickers, Shirley Blankenship, Greg Brandt, Glen Butler,
Brian Cain, Jean Carr, Toni Chaney, Joyce Christian, Aleneen
Clatterbuck, Thomas Clatterbuck,
Lois Collins, Jim Corals, Danny Couey, Betty Coyle, Joan Curtis, Charlotte
Darby, Lew Deisher, Geraldine Dunkum, Donald Edwards, Dottie Finigan, Kelly Fisher, Jamie
Funk, Judy Gammon, Chris Hallauer, Bob Halsey, Robert Harlow, Ramona Harlow,
Sam Harris, Tracy Hays, Frankie Hiter, Edith Holcomb, Kitty Hopkins, Hazel Jacoby, Paul
Jacoby, Connor Jacobs, George Kall, Andrew Kinard, Tammy Kluczhy, Phyllis
Johnson, Roger Lawson, Madeline Layos, Trista Loving, Inez Luck, David Martin, Kenneth McCabe, Nancy & Mike
McDaniel, Dottie Mears, Hilda Miller, John Millholland, Kristen Mills, Peg
Mitchell, Beatrice Montoya, Ricky Morgan, John & Tracy Nedza,
Mary Jo Nelson, Grace Oughton, Mary Pancotti, Ashley Perdue, John Pleasants, Jonie Pomeroy, Mary E. Richardson, Susie Rickels, David Riggle, Clara & Gene Rogers, Monty Rose, Anna (Vera
Lee) Seay, Corey Seay, Margaret Seay, Willard Seay, Aubrey Seay, Mitchell Schoedier, Chris Smith, Franklin Snow, Caryn Southers,
Nicole Spencer, John Sprouse, Mary Sprouse, Chuck Swindoll, Heather Sykes, Tommy Thacker, George Tuggle, Emily & Greg Veres, Bettie
Violette, Charles Violette,
Mary Vogt, Ray Waddy, Hunter Wade, Edward Watson, Tom Whalen, Tom Williams,
Cody Williams, Burgess Wright, Kilburnie Wright.
Please look over the
prayer list. If you have placed a name on the list and if that
person is well, please contact the office.
Food for Those in Need
Please remember to bring food for
those in need on Communion Sunday. Please bring non-perishables such as rice,
peanut butter, tuna, canned fruit, soup and vegetables.