About Grace United Methodist Church
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Grace United Methodist Church is a diverse church family. We are a church with a great history, but an even brighter future as we seek to reach out through helping people become disciples of Jesus. We believe that our church is not just a place to go, but a people to join as a community. We welome you to Grace United Methodist Church in Westerly, Rhode Island in Jesus' name.
The Church consists of all who have trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ for their eternal salvation and is the spiritual body of Christ. This includes all the redeemed of the ages, believers from among all peoples from every tribe, tongue, and nation. The primary purpose of the Church is to worship God and glorify Him by building up believers and effectively reaching the world with the gospel of Christ. We believe that Christ is the King, the High Priest, and a Holy Prophet of the church (Acts 3:22-23; Hebrews 4:14; 8:1). God ordained the ministry of the local church to include taking the gospel of Jesus Christ to a lost world and thereby accomplish His redemptive purposes among all peoples. The local congregation is a gathering of believers who are associated by the New Covenant in the faith and fellowship of the Spirit; observe the ordinances of Christ; are governed by His laws; and exercise the gifts, rights, and privileges within them by the power of the Word and the Holy Spirit. Its only proper officers are Elders and Deacons, whose qualifications, claims, and duties are defined in the Epistles to Timothy and Titus.
About Mankind: We believe that mankind was originally created good but fell into a state of sin through disobedience. We inherit a sinful nature from Adam and we commit individual sins. This sin separates us from God and makes it impossible for us to earn salvation by works.
About Separation of Church and State: We believe that each local church is self-governing, and must be free from interference by any external ecclesiastical or political authority; that every human being is ultimately responsible to God in matters of faith and life; and that each person is free to worship God according to the dictates of his/her conscience. We further believe that governments are established by God; that Christians, as good citizens, should be subject to governing authorities insofar as possible, recognizing our greater allegiance to God and His kingdom in matters wherein human authorities conflict with clear, biblical mandates.
