United Methodism
The United Methodist Church is part of a Wesleyan movement that now
claims a total of 18 million members of various Methodist churches
around the world, with over 8.5 million Methodists in the United
States.
The United Methodist Church is part of the Church Universal. All
persons, regardless of race, color, national origin, status, or
economic condition are welcome to attend its services, receive Holy
Communion, and, after taking vows, be baptized and admitted into
membership.
Round
Hill United Methodist Church has been the gathering place for God's
people for over a century. It is exciting to be part of a congregation
that looks to the future with optimism and yet holds fast to the roots
and tradition that give strength to our community of faith. We follow
the commission of Jesus to "make disciples
of all nations" by teaching
and baptizing all who seek to know God in Christ. We are in ministry to
our local community and to the wider world through acts of caring and
compassion, and we welcome all who strive to love God and their
neighbors.
All are invited to come and hear the Word of God read, proclaimed
and enacted in worship. We believe that all who proclaim Jesus as Lord
are called to be ministers of God. Each minister is called to ministry
to utilize their God given talents to the glory of God. It is an honor
to serve as ministers of the Lord. We are attempting to bring the
Kingdom of God to this world through our worship and ministries at
Round Hill United Methodist Church. We invite you to come join the
life. "All are welcome at Christ's table."
A nursery is available on the second floor for children three and
under. Also, following the reading of God's Holy Word, at the 11:00 AM
Worship Service, youngsters, from ages three to ten, who wish to
participate in Children's Church are invited to a classroom for youth
worship activities.
Join us for coffee in the Social Hall following the
8:30 am & 11:00 pm worship services.
History of United Methodism
In 1729 England, a small group of Oxford University students were
ridiculed as "Bible Bigots," the "Holy Club" and "Methodists" because
they spent so much time in methodical prayer and Bible reading. Led by
John and Charles Wesley, the students held their ground against jeering
students and went out to preach and pray with those considered to be
the underbelly of English society.
The “United” Methodist Church is the result of a 1939 merger of
three Methodist bodies “Methodist Episcopal”, “Methodist Episcopal
South”, and “Methodist Protestant churches”, and a 1968 union of the
Evangelical United Brethren and The Methodist churches.
Our Beliefs
United Methodist preaching and teaching is grounded in Scripture,
informed by Christian tradition, enlivened in personal experience, and
tested by reason.
Scripture - The holy Bible is our primary source for Christian
doctrine. Biblical authors testify to God's self-disclosure in the
life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ as well as in God's work
of creation, in the pilgrimage of Israel, and in the Holy Spirit's
ongoing activity in human history.
Tradition - Our attempt to understand God does not start anew with
each generation or each person. Our faith also does not leap from New
Testament times to the present as though nothing could be learned from
all Christian thinkers and preachers in between. We learn from
traditions found in many cultures, but Scripture remains the norm by
which all traditions are judged.
Experience - In our theological task, we examine experience, both
personal and church-wide, to confirm the realities of God's grace
attested in Scripture. Experience is the personal appropriation of
God's forgiving and empowering grace. Experience authenticates in our
own lives the truths revealed in Scripture and preserved in tradition.
Reason - Although we recognize that God's revelation and our
experiences of God's grace continually surpass the scope of reason, we
also believe that disciplined theological work calls for the careful
use of reason. By reason we read and interpret Scripture. By reason we
determine whether our Christian witness is clear. By reason we ask
questions of faith and seek to understand God's action and will.
A Triune God
With Christians of other communions, we believe in a triune
God--Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We believe in God's self revelation
as three distinct but inseparable parts.
The Father - We believe in one true, holy, and living God who is
creator, sovereign and preserver of all things visible and invisible.
God is infinite in power, wisdom, justice, goodness, and love, and
rules with gracious regard for the well-being and salvation of all
people.
The Son - We believe that God is best known in the life of Jesus of
Nazareth. He is the source and measure of all valid Christian teaching.
We believe in the mystery of salvation in and through the redeeming
love of God found in the teachings of Jesus, in his resurrection, and
in his promised return. The Son is the Word of the Father and one
substance with the Father; through him we are forgiven and reconciled
to God.
The Holy Spirit - We believe that God's love is realized in human
life by the activity of the Holy Spirit, both in our personal lives and
in the church. The Holy Spirit, proceeding from the Father and the Son,
is a constant presence in our lives, whereby we find strength and help
in time of need. The Spirit comforts, sustains, and empowers us.
God's Grace
By grace we mean the undeserved, unmerited, and loving action of God
in human existence through the ever-present Holy Spirit. While the
grace of God is undivided, it precedes salvation as "prevenient grace,"
continues in "justifying grace," and is brought to fruition in
"sanctifying grace” in the life of the believer.
In spite of suffering, violence, and evil, we assert that God's
grace is present everywhere. Despite our brokenness, we remain
creatures brought into being by a just and merciful God. The reign of
God is both a present and a future reality.
God summons us to repentance, pardons us, receives us by grace given
to us in Jesus Christ and gives us hope of life eternal.
In justification we are, through faith, forgiven our sins and
restored to God's favor. This process of justification and new birth is
often referred to as conversion. Such a change may be sudden and
dramatic, or gradual and cumulative. In either case it marks a new
beginning, yet it is also part of an ongoing process.
We believe God reaches out to the repentant believer in justifying
grace with accepting and pardoning love.
We hold that the wonder of God's acceptance and pardon does not end
God's saving work, which continues to nurture our growth in grace.
Through the power of the Holy Spirit, we are enabled to increase in the
knowledge and love of God and in love for our neighbor.
Faith and Good Works
We see God's grace and human activity working together in the
relationship of faith and good works. God's grace calls for human
response and discipline. Faith is the only response essential for
salvation. However, salvation evidences itself in good works. Both
faith and good works belong within an all-encompassing theology of
grace, since they stem from God's gracious love.
Personal salvation always involves service to the world. Personal
faith, witness to that faith, and social action are mutually
reinforcing.
The Sacraments
We believe there are two sacraments, ordained by Christ as symbols
and pledges of God's love for us--Baptism and Communion.
Baptism - Entrance into the church is acknowledged in Baptism and
may include persons of all ages. Baptism is followed by nurture and
awareness of the baptized of Christ's claim upon their lives. For
persons baptized as children, this claim is ratified by the baptized in
confirmation, where the pledge of Baptism is accepted.
Communion - We believe the Lord's Supper is a memorial of the
suffering and death of Christ, and a symbol of the union Christians
have with Christ and with one another. All persons, regardless of age
and regardless of church affiliation, are invited to the table of our
Lord.
One Universal Church
With other Christians, we declare the essential oneness of the
Church in Christ Jesus. Our unity with other Christian communities is
affirmed in the historic creeds as we confess one holy, catholic
(universal), and apostolic Church.
We are initiated into this community of faith by Baptism and through
the celebration of Holy Communion.
Service to the World
John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement, said there was
no religion except for social religion. In his name and in his spirit
the United Methodist church reaches out to establish peace and justice
in our world.
Our Mission
The heart of Christian ministry is Christ's ministry of outreaching
love. All Christians are called to minister wherever Christ would have
them serve and witness in deeds and words that heal and free. In short,
the mission of the United Methodist Church is to make disciples of
Jesus Christ.
