The Corvallis First United Methodist Church has been serving Christ since 1848. We seek to share God's love where it is needed most. We are active in organizations like homeless shelters, South Corvallis Food Bank, Community Outreach, Meals on Wheels, The Pastoral Counseling Center, Jackson Street Youth Center, Campus Ministry and much more. As United Methodists, we share a wide variety of theolog
ical perspectives and a commitment to an open minded quest for how to live as disciples of Jesus Christ. Our hope is that this will be a place in which you find God's blessings. Tenets of First United Methodist Church, Corvallis (adopted October, 2016)
The people of First United Methodist Church Corvallis share these understandings…
• We are committed to deepening our trust in the unconditional love of God, shown to us through the life and teachings of Jesus. We celebrate that this great love is open to everyone.
• Among the ways we experience this love of God are sharing in worship, music, service, study, intergenerational friendships, common meals, play, and opening our space to others. All are invited.
• The Bible is our sacred text, filled with stories and teachings that rose out of faithful people’s experiences of God and of Jesus. While we do not see all aspects of the Bible as factual or literally true, we believe scripture holds many great truths.
• We share a faith journey grounded in questions and the search for understanding rather than in certainty and absolute answers. For this journey we draw upon experience, reason, history, as well as traditional and current scholarship.
• Following Jesus is both life-changing and difficult, requiring constant resistance to self-interest and apathy. As a community of children, youth, and adults we are a work in progress, learning to love more fully.
• While following Jesus is one way to know and experience the love of God, we respect and appreciate other people’s spiritual journeys.
• We know that the truest, fullest expression of what we believe about God is revealed in how we behave toward others and ourselves. Therefore, we work for a less violent world, a healthier planet, human rights, and economic justice. While we minister directly with many who struggle, we also aim to correct the root causes of these concerns. Often we work in collaboration with other organizations and faith communities.
• Led by the Spirit of God, we strive to be open, honest, and faithful as we support each other in the particular work we feel called to do – the varied ways we put our faith into action through respectful words and deeds.
• We are learning to laugh more and not take ourselves too seriously, trying to be positive, creative, and forgiving in our lives together.
