Our Beliefs
El Sobrante United Methodist Church has been serving the local community for over 75 years. At ESUMC, ALL MEANS ALL: Everyone is welcome, no matter what race, economic status, sexuality/gender, or age.
The center of our life together as a congregation is our weekly worship celebration at 10 am on Sundays, where we recharge our spiritual batteries for the real work of following Jesus: Serving the least and lost, the poor and the outcast.
In the late summer we’ll buy backpacks and school supplies for students who need a hand. Christmas we give presents for youth in county detention facilities. Throughout the year, we engage in community life and ministry with many faiths and traditions.
We believe God cares for our welfare and for the world here and now. Generations of Methodists have created schools and universities, built hospitals and retirement homes, cared for people in need of all ages, and engaged in works of peace and justice.
We provide clothing through our Blessings Closet, share in providing meals to those who come to the Souper Center sponsored by GRIP, and are looking in the near future to provide assistance to those seeking assistance with immigration issues through the IM HOPE Center.
United Methodists believe God loves all people and seeks us out in grace and mercy.
We believe that
We are not alone,
we live in God’s world.We believe in God:
who has created and is creating,
who has come in Jesus,
the Word made flesh,
to reconcile and make new,
who works in us and others
by the Spirit.We trust in God.
We are called to be the Church:
to celebrate God’s presence,
to live with respect in Creation,
to love and serve others,
to seek justice and resist evil,
to proclaim Jesus, crucified and risen,
our judge and our hope.In life, in death, in life beyond death,
God is with us.
We are not alone.Thanks be to God.
(A New Creed, United Church of Canada, 1968, 1980, 1994)
We celebrate two sacraments — baptism and holy communion. Our communion services are open to all, members or not.
We observe four guidelines for Christian living:
- Scripture—the Bible
- Tradition—the gifts of Christians through the generations
- Experience—our own present-day encounters with God
- Reason—using the tools God has given us to understand ourselves and our world
El Sobrante United Methodist Church affirms the sacred worth of all people. We embrace as a gift the diversity of our neighborhood and the world. We celebrate our human family’s diversity of sexual orientation, gender identity, race, ethnicity, age, faith history, economic status, marital status, physical and mental ability, education, and any other differences. We affirm that all people are created in the image of God and as beloved children of God, all are worthy of God’s love and grace. We welcome the full inclusion of all people in the life and ministries of El Sobrante United Methodist Church as we journey towards reconciliation through Christ. We support families as they nurture their children and keep them free from harm as they grow and mature through Christ’s guidance. We recognize that there are differences among us, but believe that we can love alike even though we may not think alike. We seek to live the motto of the United Methodist Church – Open Hearts, Open Minds, and Open Doors. We support marriage equality and full pastoral privileges for all persons regardless of gender identity and sexual orientation. We proclaim this statement of welcome to all who have known the pain of exclusion and discrimination in the church or in society and know that everyone’s participation in our ministries enriches us. We invite all people to join us in our faith journey toward greater love, understanding, and mutual respect.
We are the United Methodist Church, 7 million people in 125 countries, praising God for the diversity of the human family, showing forth God’s love in the world, bringing hope in the name of Christ.
