BAKER MEMORIAL UMC RECONCILING STATEMENT

We, the community of Baker Memorial United Methodist Church, affirm we are an open and reconciling church. As we are all created in God’s image, we will welcome, include, and accept all people. We will extend all God’s blessings to persons of any age, race, ethnicity, physical or mental ability, social status, family makeup, gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation. We will respect each other’s differences in thought and work together as a Christian community for the building of God’s kingdom. We believe that God’s love and blessings provide forgiveness, affirmation, and purpose for all persons through Jesus the Christ. As Christ-followers, we commit to the pursuit of justice and pledge to stand in solidarity with all who are marginalized and oppressed.

OUR FOUNDATIONAL BELIEFS

We believe God is One, revealed to humanity through the Holy Bible as  three distinct persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. God is infinite in power, wisdom, justice, goodness, and love. God created and sustains all life.  God desires salvation from sin for all people.

We believe Jesus Christ is God's Son, our Savior and Lord.  Jesus was born a human through Holy Spirit power and the virgin Mary. He taught us  to be faithful to God, performed miracles, suffered and died because of human wrongdoing, and was raised from death to eternal life by God's power. 

We believe the Holy Spirit is God with us, here and now.  The  Spirit is present throughout the world, drawing all people to seek God, guiding, protecting and comforting us.  The Spirit shows us when we grieve God and  harm others. The Spirit convinces us to make right what we've done wrong.

We believe that human beings are created in God's image; that God desires to be in relationship with all humans; and that humans need  to know God, but  are free to choose to accept or reject a relationship with God. Jesus Christ's earthly life shows us how to have this relationship with God.

We believe the Church is the Body of Christ on Earth today. Christ is the Head of the Church. The Church's mission is to help people find and build relationships with God through Christian worship, ministry, and mission work based in the teachings of the Holy Bible.

We believe the Holy Bible to be the inspired Word of God given to ancient writers, as the trustworthy reliable source of God's revelation to humanity.  We  read the Bible, with the Holy Spirit's help for understanding,  as the true authority and guide for our faith and practice.

We believe God's Kingdom is the coming reign of God in human hearts and in all human activities. Jesus  proclaimed that this reign already "has come near" (Mark 1:15) and that the decision about one's part in it is an urgent necessity: "Strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness" (Matthew 6:33).