Who We Are

Cornwall United Methodist Church – Who Are We?

We are a community of folks striving to understand and implement more of what it means to be Christ-followers. Many among us are sincerely seeking to grow in a deeper relationship with Christ through a variety of spiritual disciplines, worship services, study of Scripture, times of prayer, individual and small group studies, and discussions. We also understand that there are those in our midst who are reluctant to make a commitment to the Christian walk, but we hold dear the fact that God loves us all regardless of where we are in our journey. We need to, in turn, be loving, avoiding judgment and divisive discussions that might be injuring and destructive.
 
A natural outgrowth of increased maturity in our faith as believers is that of reaching others in our community. We attempt to do this through communicating our own personal faith journeys, encouraging participation in church activities, and being present with others to truly appreciate their needs and how we can meet them where they are spiritually, emotionally, mentally, and physically. We also seek to be aware of needs beyond our community by responding to those beyond our borders and by supporting people who have committed their lives to serve where they are led.
 
Theologically, we continue to identify with the "Wesleyan" tradition regarding the interpretation of the Bible, the inspired Word of God. Unapologetically, we believe in the triune God-- God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. We believe that as human beings we are naturally born with a sinful nature that separates us from our Creator. The death of Jesus Christ on the cross and his resurrection were acts of Christ taking on the sin of mankind. God’s grace and forgiveness are offered to all who repent and accept and seek to follow in the ways of Christ. The natural outgrowth of following Christ is maturity, increased obedience, and a sensitivity to the Spirit, that “still small voice” that guides and directs.
 
We live in an increasingly complex world. As believers we seek to discern God's will for our lives, seeking to understand and do what is right and just. We are to be both light that illuminates truth and salt that savors. As fallible people we can err by either being a blinding light or conversely a dim light that offers little in the way of truth. Hopefully, with discernment, we can be the salt that savors rather than embitters. It is reasonable that as an organization consisting of many members, there may be positions on a plethora of issues that range from “preferences" to "line in the sand" beliefs. It is not the purpose of this statement to delineate these in detail. Our heart is to lovingly, with grace, be present with others regardless of where they are in their journey, and in so doing, bring them into a closer relationship with Christ.
 
We choose, above all to rely on the Holy Spirit as our guide in interpreting the inspired Scriptures.