I believe in the Triune God. I believe in God as my Father and my creator. I believe in God as the One I serve, the One in whose image I am created, and the One who calls me into God’s service until I am called home to God’s side.

I believe in Jesus the Christ as my savior, my brother, my friend, my support, my defender, and my confidante, the one whose name I call on in moments of both sorrow and joy. I believe in Jesus as God incarnate, fully human and fully divine, who preached a message of love, mercy, and justice that encompassed the poor, the widows, the orphans, the blind, the beggars… all those marginalized by society. I believe in Jesus as the one who gave himself to death on the cross and was resurrected on the third day, as the one whose steps I follow, the one who came to earth to bridge the widening gap between God and humans, and the one who has tasked me with continuing his work on earth.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, who met me where I was and brought me into the ministry, flaws and all, and showed me my greater purpose, who guides me every day and corrects me when I need it. I believe in the Holy Spirit as the one who whispers into my heart when I am unsure, when I am at a crossroads, and in my quiet moments alone with God.

I believe in the Bible as the word of God, revealed to the world through humans inspired by God. I believe that the translations and interpretations of Scripture over the centuries mean that they are subject to human errors and frailties, and that God gave us minds to think and interpret Scriptures through our own studies and prayer life. I believe that Jesus is the Word of God incarnate, who walked as a human among us while showing us how to live the Word.

I believe that salvation is a gift of grace given by God through the sacrifice of Christ on the cross. I believe that “God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them” (2 Cor 5:19). Salvation means we stand blameless before God, with our sins forgiven through that sacrifice.

I believe the church is not merely a structure in which we gather. I believe the church is the people, the body of Christ, believers who are called by Christ to put their faith into action and be his hands and feet in the world until he returns. I believe the church is called to care for the weak, the maligned, the outcasts, those Jesus touched and loved without reservation. If the church is to continue Christ’s work on earth, that means loving those he loved.

I believe that “…the day of the Lord is coming, it is near” (Joel 2:1) although only God knows the appointed time. I believe that the Kingdom was proclaimed by the prophets, brought into reality through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, and is all around us now as we must always be working toward the Kingdom of God on earth.

I believe in the sacraments of communion and baptism. In both we are united with fellow believers, united with Jesus and affirmed as his followers. I believe that around the Lord’s Table, we are in communion with Christ and with all who belong to Christ, and that reconciliation with Christ compels reconciliation with one another. I believe that baptism unites us with Christ as members of his body, and that we are washed clean by the grace of God.

I believe that everything I am, everything I have ever been, and everything that I will ever be, belo­­­ngs to God.