What We Believe
“You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your being, and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: You must love your neighbor as you love yourself. All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commands.”
Matthew 22:37-40 CEB
The Streams of Our Faith
Our congregation affirms that the "ocean" of our collective faith and tradition is fed by the waters of five "streams" of theology, history, and culture: Christian, Reformed, Congregational, Evangelical, and Hawaiian. Immersed in this sacred waters, we are refreshed and renewed as our ancestors were while acknowledging with thanksgiving the many sources of living water that flow around us and make their way to us.
We declare ourselves to be a part of the Body of Christ, continuing the witness of the early disciples to the reality and power of the risen Christ, Jesus of Nazareth.
We confess the authority of God, the primacy of the Scriptures, justification by faith, the priesthood of all believers, and Christian freedom.
We affirm the autonomy of the local church as inviolable but seek trustful covenantal relationships that bring the wider United Church of Christ into being.
We proclaim in word and deed the Gospel revealed in Jesus Christ to individual people and society in gathering for the worship of God and engaging in the service of humankind.
We celebrate and perpetuate the language, history, traditions, values, and principles of our kupuna through whom we have received the heritage of faith.
You call us into your church to accept the cost and joy of discipleship, to be your servants in the service of others, to proclaim the gospel to all the world and resist the powers of evil, to share in Christ’s baptism and eat at his table, to join him in his passion and victory.
An excerpt from THE STATEMENT OF FAITH OF
THE UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST
Our Shared Beliefs
Like the five streams, we recognize that each person in our congregation brings their own source of water with them into the life of our church. True to our Congregational Christian heritage, we welcome, encourage, and and uplift each person's interpretations and expressions of God, faith, and scripture, according to their own experience and understand. Our church, does also, embrace some shared beliefs which demonstrate a collective testimony, not test, of faith.
THE CREATOR: We believe in God the Creator, the source of all life, whose love calls creation into being and sustains it. Every person bears God’s image, and all creation has sacred worth. We are called to receive life with gratitude, honor the dignity of every person, and care for the earth.
THE CHRIST: We believe in God revealed in Jesus Christ, who embodies divine love and shows us the way of compassion, justice, and peace. In his humanity, Jesus shares our joys and suffering; through his self-giving love, he offers forgiveness and reconciliation. He calls us to follow him in loving our neighbors, welcoming those who are excluded, and serving those in need.
THE SPIRIT: We believe in God the Holy Spirit, whose presence moves within and among us, bringing comfort, wisdom, and courage. The Spirit deepens our faith, nurtures our gifts, and opens us to fresh understanding. Through the Spirit, we discern God’s continuing voice and find strength to live our faith with hope and love.
THE TRINITY: We believe in the one, true, triune God: Creator, resurrected Christ who is the sole Head of the church, and the Holy Spirit who guides and brings about the creative and redemptive work of God in the world.We believe in the divine inspiration, not literal dictation, of the Bible. We view the Bible as a sacred collection of writings about relationship and response to the Divine recorded over millennia by people of all walks of life. We believe that the words of Scripture lead and guide us to the true Word of God - Jesus Christ. We approach and interpret Scripture through the lens of Jesus, as a source of inspiration, understanding, guidance, and timeless ancestral wisdom, and as a channel through which God is still speaking to us today.
One Community in Christ: We believe that all of the baptized ‘belong body and soul to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.’ Whoever you are and wherever you may be on life’s journey – notwithstanding race, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, class or creed – we all belong to God and to one worldwide community of faith.
Every Person Valued and Loved: We believe that each person is unique and valuable; and, that each person is at different stages of a spiritual journey. It is the will of God that every person belongs to a family of faith where they have a strong sense of being valued and loved.
Freedom of Conscience: We believe that all members shall have the undisturbed right to their own individual interpretation of the principles of the Christian faith according to the dictates of each member’s own conscience enlightened by the Holy Spirit.Baptism: Grace and New Life: We believe in and practice the Sacrament of Baptism as an outward and visible sign of the grace of God where a person is joined with the body of Christ. In baptism, God works in us the power of forgiveness, the renewal of the spirit, and the knowledge of the call to be God’s people. In our tradition, baptism is made available to infants, children, youth, and adults.
Communion: Together at Christ’s Table: We believe that all people of faith are invited to join Christ at Christ’s table for the sacrament of Communion which is celebrated every Sunday in our church. Just as many grains are gathered to make one loaf of bread and many grapes are gathered to make one cup of wine, we, the many people of God, are made one in the body of Christ, the church.Peace and Nonviolence: We believe in the power of peace, and work for nonviolent solutions to local, national, and international problems.
Service and Care for the Earth: We believe that God calls us to be servants in the service of others and to be good stewards of the earth’s resources. “To believe is to care; to care is to do.”
Our Prophetic Calling: We believe that the United Church of Christ is called to be a prophetic church. As in the tradition of the prophets and apostles, God calls the church to speak truth to power, liberate the oppressed, care for the poor and comfort the afflicted.