Who We Are:
Founded in 1880, Centralia First United Methodist Church has grown up with this town since we were called “Centerville”. It was the pastor of this church who married Our George Washington, Centralia’s founder, with his wife. We’ve been in our 4th building since 1951. We are connected to history and tradition, flexible enough to be relevant to the concerns of today, and nimble enough to be adapting and moving forward with hope.
We are a down-to-earth bunch, always learning, looking for ways to be the hands and feet of Jesus.
We are disciples on the Way of Jesus, always seeking to allow Grace to work in us and flow through us more and more. We believe that God’s love transforms the world, and we get to participate in that process. God’s love compels us to nurture wholeness and possibility in ourselves and in others.
We are a Connectional people! We can do more partnering with others than by ourselves. We are supportive and supporting our sister United Methodist Churches. We are part of the Pacific Northwest Conference of the United Methodist Church. Our Bishop, Rv. Cedrick D. Bridgeforth, oversees the Greater Northwest region, which includes Alaska, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Vancouver, B.C.
We are United Methodists, a branch of Jesus followers who follow our founder John Wesley’s adage: Do No Harm; Do Good; Stay in Love with God. For more about United Methodist beliefs, practice, and service, go to umc.org.
What we believe:
The United Methodist Church shares a great deal with other Christian denominations. We believe God's grace is open to all, and therefore practice "open Communion"--meaning that anyone may participate in receiving Communion. We believe salvation is an open gift from God, accepted by individuals according to their own free will. The United Methodist denomination is a "big tent" theologically, providing space for theological discourse and, at times, disagreement.
What We Do:
John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement, taught that we pursue our faith in community and action with others. We practice a social holiness. We insist that personal salvation always involves Christian mission and service to the world. The United Methodist Church has a long history of action and advocacy for social justice.
United Methodists are active in their communities and in the world through a variety of ways, including:
Participating in local mission projects and service initiatives
Supporting global mission efforts through the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) and other mission organizations
Advocating for social justice and working to address issues such as poverty, hunger, and inequality
Providing educational and vocational training opportunities
Offering counseling, support groups, and other forms of pastoral care
Creating and supporting community development programs
Our Social Creed
The Book of Discipline of The United Methodist Church - 2016
We believe in God, Creator of the world; and in Jesus Christ, the Redeemer of creation. We believe in the Holy Spirit, through whom we acknowledge God’s gifts, and we repent of our sin in misusing these gifts to idolatrous ends.
We affirm the natural world as God’s handiwork and dedicate ourselves to its preservation, enhancement, and faithful use by humankind.
We joyfully receive for ourselves and others the blessings of community, sexuality, marriage, and the family.
We commit ourselves to the rights of men, women, children, youth, young adults, the aging, and people with disabilities; to improvement of the quality of life; and to the rights and dignity of all persons.
We believe in the right and duty of persons to work for the glory of God and the good of themselves and others and in the protection of their welfare in so doing; in the rights to property as a trust from God, collective bargaining, and responsible consumption; and in the elimination of economic and social distress.
We dedicate ourselves to peace throughout the world, to the rule of justice and law among nations, and to individual freedom for all people of the world.
We believe in the present and final triumph of God’s Word in human affairs and gladly accept our commission to manifest the life of the gospel in the world. Amen.
