About
Open Hearts-Open Minds-Open Doors
Here at Green Trails
We are a United Methodist church that adheres to the teachings of John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement, who proclaimed three simple rules for living a faithful life:
Do No Harm
Do Good
Stay in Love with God
Beliefs
I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth;
And in Jesus Christ his only Son, our Lord;
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, dead, and buried;
the third day he rose from the dead;
he ascended into heaven,
and sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty;
from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic* church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.
*universal
Sacrament: a religious ceremony or ritual regarded as imparting divine grace, such as baptism, the Eucharist and (in the Roman Catholic and many Orthodox Churches) penance and the anointing of the sick.
The United Methodist Church recognizes two sacraments, baptism and communion. These two acts have a special place in the church because Jesus commanded them and participated in them.
Through the years, Christians have used other sacramental acts to draw closer to God. While we do not recognize these others as sacraments, we do particpate in these rites and rituals. Click on each below to learn more:
Liturgy: a form or formulary according to which public religious worship, especially Christian worship, is conducted.
According to Britannica, “Methodist worship is partly liturgical and partly spontaneous. The general pattern was established by John Wesley, who regularly used the Anglican Book of Common Prayer (which he adapted for use in the United States) and conducted services that included extemporaneous prayer.” This means that every worship service has the same elements, but we are free to mix up how those things are done. Sometimes we have a prayer that we pray together or sometimes a member of the congregation is invited to pray. Music can be from any time period and genre and sometimes it is performed while other times the congregation is invited to join in. Our pastor usually presents a message and often the children are involved, but we also have guest speakers and lay preachers as well! You never know what will happen during a worship service but we hope you’ll find it draws you closer to God.
Becoming a United Methodist begins with a desire to grow as a disciple of Jesus Christ as part of a local congregation. For United Methodists, being baptized and committing to active participation in a church community are the first steps to becoming a member. If you are already baptized, please open the Membership tab below. If not, please contact Pastor Linda to get started!
We want you here! If you’re ready to become a member just contact Pastor Linda and let her know you want to join during our next Membership Sunday!
When someone becomes a member they make the following vows:
- to confess Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior;
- to believe in the Christian faith as contained in the Old and New Testaments;
- to support The United Methodist Church; and
- to uphold the local congregation with one’s prayers, presence, gifts, service, and witness.
Q: Do I have to believe the Apostle’s Creed to go to Green Trails? -Nope. We know everyone has had different experiences with God and religion. We want you here, no matter where you are in your relationship with God.
Q: Do I have to become a member?-Nope! The only difference between a member and a constituent (someone who attends regularly) is that the member can vote on church business.
Q: Do I have to get baptized?-Nope. Baptism is an outward sign of an inner change. We’d like to know you’re changed, but you’re not required to tell us.
Q: Do I have to get saved?-Trick Question! You can’t get saved-you already are. Methodists believe we are saved by grace, not by works, so there’s nothing you have to do.
Q: Then why do people talk about getting saved?-Good Question! Wesley described three types of grace: prevenient, justifying and sanctifying. You can click on the words to find out what they mean, but the TLDR is
Prevenient grace: you’re saved but don’t know it
Justifying grace: you figured out you’re saved, woo hoo!
Sanctifying grace: you’re saved and you act like it
Or as the Apostle Paul said in his letter to the Ephesians:
“I mean that you have been saved by grace because you believed. You did not save yourselves; it was a gift from God. You are not saved by the things you have done, so there is nothing to boast about. God has made us what we are. In Christ Jesus, God made us new people so that we would spend our lives doing the good things he had already planned for us to do.” Ephesians 2:8-10 ERV
Q: But what is sin?– Rev. Don Underwood, pastor of Christ UMC in Plano, Texas says: “In what I call the Wesleyan tradition, I prefer to think of sin as a state in which we are separated from God, whether in terms of particular things that we do or don’t do.” Jesus said
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This is the first and most important command. And the second command is like the first: Love your neighbor the same as you love yourself. All of the law and the writings of the prophets take their meaning from these two commands.”
If we’re not doing those, we’re sinning.
Q: Do I have to confess my sins out loud?-No. When we “confess” in worship we are acknowledging that we are not perfect. We are not listing individual sins. No one has time for that.
Q: Ok, but what about homosexuality?-According to the UMC national website “The United Methodist denomination is a ‘big tent’ theologically, providing space for theological discourse and, at times, disagreement.” The most recent General Conference* voted overwhelmingly to remove discriminatory language regarding LGBTQIA+ persons from the Book of Discipline and specifically prohibits the use of UMC funds for “dialogs or educational events where rejection of LGBTQIA+ persons is promoted.” “These changes bring the Book of Discipline back to a neutral place where one group is not singled out for discrimination. It holds space for differing opinions within The United Methodist Church by avoiding broad mandates.” according to resourceumc.org.
Q: What does that mean for Green Trails?-We want you here: no matter who you are, what you look like, how you dress, or whom you love.
*General Conference is the top lawmaking assembly of The United Methodist Church and the only entity that speaks for the denomination. It convenes every four years, with delegates from the denomination’s regions around the world.
To make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.
disciple:
a follower or student of a teacher, leader, or philosopher
one who applies what they have learned
Disciples of Jesus are those who have studied Jesus’ teachings and practice them in everyday life. If everyone loved like Jesus did imagine how wonderful the world could be. That’s what our mission is!
People
