Brief History
The United Methodist Church is a Protestant movement that traces its roots back to John Wesley, an Anglican priest in the Church of England in the 1700s. John and his brother, Charles, set out to revitalize the Church of England by forming societies of “Methodists” – so called because the members followed a daily routine of religious observance and social work. Methodism first spread to Ireland and then to America where it officially became its own denomination in 1784. Today United Methodist membership stands at nearly 10 million worldwide (more than 1 million are outside of the United States).
What Do We Believe?
We believe in God’s love and forgiveness of all people. We believe in the mystery of salvation through Jesus Christ. And we believe in celebrating the Sacraments of Baptism and Holy Communion. For United Methodists, social consciousness has always gone hand in hand with faith. We believe, with John Wesley, “that the world is our parish.” Hence, we support mission and justice work locally, regionally and around the world. We cherish an ecumenical tradition and seek to work together with other Christian denominations as well as other religions. We believe in the dignity of each person and the practice of total democracy in our church’s life.
Ministry of the Laity
Lay ministry is not only encouraged in the United Methodist Church, but is vital to church life and growth. The laity are involved in all aspects of church life, from leading worship and preaching, to running committees and programs, to teaching. All of the lay committee members that run the local church are elected by the congregation. The congregation also elects lay delegates to the Annual Conference (a gathering of regional, or statewide clergy and lay members) where they have voice and vote in the guiding rules and principles of the United Methodist Church.
Our Staff
Rev. Dr. Sun-Joong Kim – Pastor
Marilyn Ressman – Office Administrator
– Organist & Choir Director
Loree Simuncak – Associate Organist, Pianist, Bell Choir Director & Children’s Music Director
Martin Mahn – Custodian