Our Core Beliefs

Responding to God's Call to Make Disciples of Jesus Christ

We will make disciples of Jesus Christ by:

• Reaching People with the Gospel and loving them as we meet their real needs.
• Growing People through God's Word and through Worship equipping every individual for
• Serving People in the church and in the world.

"He (Christ) is the one who gave these gifts to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and the teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God's people to do his work and build up the church, which is the body of Christ..." Ephesians 4:11-12

Our Mission Statement is: Responding to God's Call to make Disciples of Jesus Christ. God's call to us comes from both the great commandment and the Great Commission, being: "Love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself" Matthew 22:37-39 and "Go, therefore, and make dsiciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you." Matthew 28:18-20

• Compassionate Love - caring acceptance, forgiveness
• Faithfulness - faith, commitment, trust
• Spiritual Growth - mind & heart of Christ, prayer
• Mission, Witness & Service - leadership, involvement, servanthood.
• Purpose Driven - vision, discrning God's will, wisdom, unit
• Family and Community - belonging, caring, relationships, inclusiveness, heritage
• Accountability - responsibility, dependability, stewardship
• Integrity - honesty, authencticity, wholeness, honor
• Joy - happiness, wonder, humor, awe
• Passion - excitement, fervor, enthusiasm

In essential beliefs - we have unity:

"There is one Body and one Spirit... there is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father of us all." Ephesians 4:4-6

In non-essential beliefs - we have liberty:

"Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters...Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To his own master he stands or falls...So then each of us will give an account of himself to God... So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God." Romans 14:1,4,12,22

In all our beliefs - we show charity:

"If I hold in my mind not only all human knowledge but also the very secrets of God, and if I have the faith to move mountanis - but have no love, I amount to nothing at all." 1 Corinthians 13:2

We believe in one God existing in three persons... Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

• God the Father - We believe in God the Father Creator and Rule of all things, who loves the world he created and sent His only Son to be our Savior.

• God the Son - We believe int he only born Son of God who is Jesus Christ, our Savior. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, crucified, died, and rose again. He is fully God and fully human.

• God the Holy Spirit - We believe in God the Holy Spirit who is the presence of God among us. Through his Spirit God lives in us to comfort, guide and empower us for ministry.

• We believe the Bible is God's inspired Word - It is relevant to us today revealing his truth and plan for our lives and practical guidance for our daily living.

• We believe in God's gift of Salvation made possible by his love and grace through the death of Jesus Christ. Those who accept this free gift of grace receive forgiveness of sins, eternal life, and the indwelling Holy Spirit.

• We believe in Eternal Life, a gift from God for all who believe in His son.

• We believe in the church of Jesus Christ, the community of believers, empowered by the Holy Spirit and joined together to be the Body of Christ to be his presence in the world today.

• We believe in Prayer, in which we declare our individual and corporate dependence on God. Prayer is absolutely essential for both growing relationship with God and a fruitful ministry. Prayer is central to our life together as a church.

• We believe in our responsibility to the Great Commandment:
  "You must love the lord your God with all your heart, all your soul and all your mind."This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important, "Love your neighbor as yourself."Matthew 22:37-39

• We believe in our responsibility to the Great Commission:
  "Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Matthew 28:19-20

We invite you to come and worship with us, grow with us, serve with us, join us! Westwood United Methodist Church has many ministries and small group opportunities.

We pray that God, by His Holy Spirit, will lead you to Westwood UMC, and in doing so, you will find a church home. WUMC is a place where you can get connected, feel loved, and find Spiritual Growth and nourishment.

We pray that God would also open your heart to serving others... to give back all that you have received... and to make a difference in this world for Christ.

At Westwood United Methodist Church, our doors, our minds and our hearts are always open to YOU!