What we believe
We understand that within Christianity, there are many different views and beliefs. We also know that before you attend a church, you would like to be aware of what they hold dear. Below is an explanation of what you can expect if you attend St. Paul's.
Our Mission: At St. Paul's we proclaim that "Everyone's welcome, everyone's loved, and everyone's family". We believe the church should be an inclusive and welcoming home for all people to feel safe and comfortable. All are welcome to join us to experience the love and forgiveness of Jesus Christ, and receive the call to go and share that love, forgiveness, and grace to the world.
Jesus Christ- We believe that Jesus Chist was the Son of God, conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He was crucified, died, and was buried. On the third day He rose again. He did all of this, out of unconditional love for us, so that we would be ransomed from our sins and live eternally with Him.
As Christians, we are called to live a life as close as possible to the one that Christ lived - a life of unconditional love, grace, mercy, and peace. We use Christ's commandment from Luke 10:27 as guidance for our lives. "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength by loving your neighbor, and loving yourself."
The Bible: Simply stated, the Scriptures tell us about Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit uses the Scriptures to present Jesus to all who listen to or read them. We describe the Bible as the "source and norm” of teaching and practice.
Obviously, the Scriptures that are collected into the Bible describe and speak about many other things — everything from the creation of the world to the world’s end. Because these writings originate from a time period that spans about a thousand years and come to us in a variety of handwritten manuscripts and fragments, they have been studied carefully with all the tools of research that are available. This research continues to enrich understanding of the Scriptures and their message.
The Creeds: We believe in the three historical and ecumenical creeds of the church (Apostolic, Nicene, and Athanasian). All three creeds affirm that God is fully present in Jesus, and that Jesus Christ is both God and human. These three creeds are called ecumenical because they are all accepted and used by the overwhelming majority of the world’s Christians.
The Triune God (Trinity): There is one God who eternally exists as three distinct Persons — the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Stated differently, God is one in essence and three in person. We believe these three truths: (1) the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are distinct Persons, (2) each Person is fully God, (3) there is only one God.
Holy Spirit- The Holy Spirit resides with us wherever we are. The Spirit is our counselor, helper, and comforter. We cannot see the Spirit, but we can readily see the Spirit's life and effects in this world and in the lives of believers.
Baptism: Baptism is not just plain water, but it is the water included in God's command and combined with God's word. From infant to old age, we believe that all can be baptized into the family God. Through this public proclamation, the individual receives God's forgiveness, grace, and plan He has for our lives. If you would like to be baptized, please email us at [email protected]
Communion: The sacrament of Communion is the true body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ under the bread and wine, instituted by Christ Himself for us to eat and to drink. We invite all who believe in Jesus Christ to commune with us.
