Short profile:
The United Methodist Church continues its strong, evangelical heritage. Within each congregation is a vital center of biblical study and evangelism – a blending of personal piety and discipleship. In national and interfaith groups, United Methodists reach beyond our own churches and communities to express concern and to share God’s love with people of many faiths.For more than 200 years, the United Methodist Church and its predecessor bodies have expressed concern for the worker, the sick, the poor, the orphaned, the agins, the impaired, the oppressed and the imprisoned.
Keywords:
1st umc, associations, nursery, bible studies, programs, faith, apostles, adult ministries, spiritual care, find a church, sanctuary, worship, fellowship, god, childcare, prayer chapel, emotional care, preschool, music ministry, bible study, prayer, teacher, portal, events, youth choir, faith in god, christians, memberships, haiti, family music, news service, umcorg, haiti disaster, elementary school, unique products, preschools, gods word, elementary schools, marietta, school, bible readings, childrens ministries, bible conferences, after school care, womens bible study, illness, first umc, support haiti, local church service, childcare workers, chapel, nursery ministries, missionary, confirmation, church, first united methodist, youth ministries, christian education, biblical interpretation, pastor, john wesley, first united methodist church, churche, prayer service, georgia, home missionary, affiliations, conversational prayer, child opportunities, classes, toddler nurseries
Detailed description:
The Bible is sacred canon for Christian people, formally acknowledged as such by historic ecumenical councils of the Church. Our doctrinal standards identify as canonical thirty-nine books of the Old Testament and the twenty-seven books of the New Testament. Our standards affirm the Bible as the source of all that is "necessary" and "sufficient" unto salvation (Articles of Religion) and "is to be received through the Holy Spirit as the true rule and guide for faith and practice" (Confession of Faith).We properly read Scripture within the believing community, informed by the tradition of that community. We interpret individual texts in light of their place in the Bible as a whole.We are aided by scholarly inquiry and personal insight, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. As we work with each text, we take into account what we have been able to learn about the original context and intention of that text. In this understanding we draw upon the careful historical, literary, and textual studies of recent years, which have enriched our understanding of the Bible.Through this faithful reading of Scripture, we may come to know the truth of the biblical message in its bearing on our own lives and the life of the world. Thus, the Bible serves both as a source of our faith and as the basic criterion by which the truth and fidelity of any interpretation of faith is measured.
