Our Beliefs
“Do all the good you can. By all the means you can. In all the ways you can. In all the places you can. At all the times you can. To all the people you can. As long as ever you can.”
-John Wesley, Founder of Methodism
By Photograph by Mike Peel (www.mikepeel.net)., CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10684733
Blessings to you! “United Methodists share a common heritage with other Christians: conviction that God has mercy and love for all people; belief in a triune God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; faith in the mystery of salvation through Jesus Christ; celebration of the sacraments (Baptism and Holy Communion). Four guidelines which help us understand our faith are: Scripture, Tradition, Experience, and Reason.
“United Methodists believe in the primacy of grace (God's unmerited love), human dignity, conversion, faith and good works, and tolerance. For us social consciousness has always gone hand in hand with faith.
We believe in God, Who lights the dawn to chase away the darkness, Who rolls away each stone of doubt, Who surprises us with incredible gifts of family and friends, silence and laughter, Who raises us from sadness and despair to the possibilities of blessing and joy.
We believe in Jesus, Friend of the poor and searcher for the lost, Who comes to us in our grief and longing, calls us by name and sends us on the paths of peace to speak of an awesome love that is not overcome by death.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, The hidden partner, The gentle messenger of God, Who fills our every breath with blessing, Who guides us in the dark, beckons us to do good, speaks to us in dream and image, and watches over us with tender compassion.
We believe in the church, An instrument of God in this present moment, striving for justice, dancing in joy, clawing at despair, living in hope, praying for healing and forever proclaiming Good News of God’s persistent and redeeming love.
~ Water Words by Rev. Larry J. Peacock
Our Denominational Guidance
“As United Methodists, we have an obligation to bear a faithful Christian witness to Jesus Christ, the living reality at the center of the Church's life and witness. To fulfill this obligation, we reflect critically on our biblical and theological inheritance, striving to express faithfully the witness we make in our own time.
“The United Methodist Church is a "connectional church," which means our churches are connected by a system to guide our work and govern our policies. This also allows us to pool our resources so that we may more effectively work together and be in ministry throughout the world.”
In Our Own Mission Field
The Lodi First United Methodist Church is leaning into a simple vision of ministry "Hope is Found Here.”
We offer one Sunday worship service, as well as Sunday School programs for children and adults, a dynamic youth program, a highly-regarded preschool, and activities for groups of all ages.
We’re here to be in ministry to our community. We are reaching others through personal connections and significant aid for unmet needs (as you will see on our "missions" page. We encourage you to join us.