If you were Wondering...

"There's no place like home, there's no place like home..." We may not have the proverbial "ruby slippers", but Mill Grove does have a unique "feel" that is hard to describe. People say they sense it from their first visit; almost like they've "come home". It is a warm and friendly atmosphere--okay, I'll say it: it's a feeling of "family". While we may not exactly be over the rainbow, if you give us a try you might just feel at home. You'll also like our worship style. While our pastor, Earl Bradshaw, is a trained professional (don't try this at home!), he is also just a regular guy like you and me. He knows how tough it is "out there in the world"; he knows the sort of stuff we put up with at work everyday. His weekly message is oriented toward how we can improve our lives by living our life in the best possible way. If you've never been to church--or if it's been a long time!--you'll like our user friendly worship. No buzz words or churchy language. You'll find things relaxed, yet organized and easy to follow.

The United Methodist Church is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination that shares in common with other denominations the core beliefs of Christianity. In addition, we emphasize……

Primacy of Grace Grace is God’s loving action through the Holy Spirit, unearned and undeserved. No matter where we are in our spiritual lives, we got there by grace, and we can only move forward by grace. Because we believe this so firmly, we try not to be judgmental of others.

Free Will: We believe that, by God’s grace, humans have the ability to say yes or no to God’s love.

Two Sacraments: 1) Baptism –– This is a once-in-a-lifetime sacrament of initiation into the church. When we baptize infants, we are recognizing that, as children of believing parents, they have a place in the covenant community of God’s people. We do not believe that infant baptism alone is sufficient for salvation; the child must one day accept the gift of salvation for himself or herself and then be confirmed as a professing member of the church. 2) Holy Communion (The Lord’s Supper) –– Communion in the United Methodist Church is an open table: one does not have to be a member of this church to participate. The bread of Holy Communion represents the broken body of Jesus Christ, given for us. The cup represents the blood poured out to give us new life. We believe that Christ is present in a special way when we celebrate the sacrament of Holy Communion.

Social Consciousness: While we do not teach a works-based salvation we do believe that faith should express itself in good works. United Methodists have always felt that concern for the poor, needy, and hurting of society is part and parcel of being a Christian.

A "connectional" church: Every UM pastor and every local church belongs to an "Annual Conference." This group meets once a year. It is made up of all the pastors, plus one lay member for each pastor. It is presided over by the Bishop. Its goal is to oversee the ministries of United Methodism for its particular region. Every church pays "apportionments" to support the world-wide mission of the UMC. Every pastor is "appointed" to a local church, or to a ministry beyond the local church, for one year at a time.  We belong to the Western North Carolina Conference.


What Do We Believe?

ABOUT GOD: God is the Creator and Ruler of the universe. He has eternally existed in three personalities: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Love constitutes the essential being of God.

ABOUT JESUS CHRIST: Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Jesus lived a sinless human life and offered himself as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of all people by dying on a cross. He rose from the dead after three days to demonstrate his power over sin and death. He ascended into heaven and will come again to judge the living and the dead, and to reign as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

ABOUT THE HOLY SPIRIT: The Holy Spirit is co-equal with the Father, and the Son. He is present in the world to make people aware of their need for Jesus Christ. He also lives in every Christian from the moment of salvation providing power for living, understanding of spiritual truth, and guidance in doing what is right.

ABOUT THE BIBLE: The Bible is God's Word to us, written by human authors under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. It is the ultimate source of truth for Christian beliefs and living.

ABOUT SALVATION: People are made in the spiritual image of God. Unfortunately, that image has been marred in all of us by an attitude of disobedience we call sin. Sin separates us from God. Thus, it is impossible for any of us to reach our full potential on our own. In and of ourselves, we lack the power to become better people. God, however, reaches out to us. Salvation is God's free gift to us, but we must accept it. We can never make up for our sin by self-improvement or good works. Only by trusting in Jesus Christ as God's offer of forgiveness can anyone be saved from their sin. When we turn from our self-ruled life and turn to Jesus in faith we are saved.

OUR STATEMENT OF FAITH --In essential beliefs - we have unity. --In non-essential beliefs - we have liberty. --In all our beliefs - we show charity.


E-mail: pastorearl@millgrove.org