Worship and Sacraments

The visible church of Christ is a congregation of faithful men [sic.] (Christians) in which the pure Word of God is preached, and the Sacraments duly administered according to Christ's ordinance, in all those things that of necessity are requisite to the same.

(Article XIII, The Articles of Religion of the Methodist Church, now the United Methodist Church)

We believe the Christian Church is the community of all true believers under the Lordship of Christ. We believe it is one, holy, apostolic and catholic. It is the redemptive fellowship in which the Word of God is preached by men [sic.] (Christians) divinely called, and the sacraments are duly administered according to Christ's own appointment. Under the discipline of the Holy Spirit the Church exists for the maintenance of worship, the edification of believers and the redemption of the world.

(Article V, The Confession of Faith of the Evangelical United Brethren Church, now the United Methodist Church)

For United Methodist Christians, worship is inseparable from our understanding of the Church. Central to who we are as the body of Christ is our worship of God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. In the course of time, worship properly occurs weekly on the Lord's Day, seasonally in the celebration of the Christian year which tells the Gospel story, and upon special occasions such as weddings and funerals. This page seeks to make resources available to enrich our understanding and conduct of worship.

Holy Communion

Article: Holy Communion and Infection Risks: An Age Old Concern by Anne LaGrange Loving This links to Luthern Partners, a periodical of the Lutheran Church in America. Dr. Loving summarizes two studies, one bacterial and the other social, on the possibilities of contracting illness by partaking in communion.

Article: In the Battle of Germs, Jesus Wins by Kathy Gilbert This link takes you the United Methodist Church web site and to an article reporting on the responses of a variety of congregations to the H1N1 virus.

Baptism

The Church and Baptism: Why We Do What We Do The first of three articles written by David Banks to help families and individuals understand the meaning and the practice of baptism in the United Methdist Church.

The Church and Baptism: Vows and Responsibilities The second of three articles written by David Banks.

The Church and Baptism: Modes and Symbolism The third of three articles written by David Banks.