|

About our CHURCH

|

Keezletown UMC Mission

"The mission of our church is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of our community and the world."

OUR HISTORY

 Jesus has been sharing grace in and through Keezletown United Methodist Church since 1791. Keezletown United Methodist Church has roots in Keezletown, Virginia reaching back to when the Keezletown Methodists began meeting in 1791 and the Keezletown United Brethren began meeting in 1800. Both congregations met in local homes and circuit riding preachers on horseback stopped in regularly. The Keezletown Methodists and United Brethren shared a building for a time, later had their own buildings, and later after that had buildings side by side. In 1968 when the United Methodist Church was formed from the joining of the Methodists and Evangelical United Brethren, these two Keezletown congregations decided to join together into Keezletown United Methodist Church and together built the current sanctuary, classroom, kitchen, and social hall. 

Our BELIEFS

It’s All about Relationships

We welcome all people to join us in taking steps in the faith, hope, and love of Jesus Christ. We are a Christian family where we treat each other with the welcoming, gracious, forgiving, patient, caring, challenging love of Jesus. We are family with Jesus as our leader and example. We support one another by building faith based relationships with each other and our community. Our church family provides us with enthusiasm and support to interact with and transform the world.


Faith Development

We want to know God, so we develop and strengthen our faith through prayer and studying the scriptures. We find that God speaks to us and our faith grows through prayer which provides every one of us access to our Lord. “All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching...and for training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16, NRSV). We practice prayer, scripture reading, and spiritual disciplines (corporate worship, the ministry of the Word either read or expounded, the Supper of the Lord, family and private prayer, searching the scriptures, fasting or abstinence, and others) together as a faith community and encourage individual prayer in our daily lives. It is our heart to be followers of Jesus and help others to grow as disciples of Jesus, too.


Worship and Praise

We express our faith in our worship of God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in song, prayer, giving, and offering ourselves in service to God and others. God brought us into this world which he created. Jesus Christ came to redeem us from our sin and brokenness. We celebrate and share this revelation with one another and the world. We worship together acknowledging that we are in need of God’s love, help, words, and direction; and seeking the Spirit’s leading in our lives and church.


Share the Love of Jesus

We go from worship empowered by God to serve our families, community, and the world with the transforming love of Jesus. Christ came not to condemn the world, but to save it. We endeavor to follow in Jesus’ footsteps to love and serve our neighbors in action and words. We serve in partnership and support with others to be the hands and feet of Jesus through the direction of the Holy Spirit. At times this is difficult, but we hear the call to sacrifice. We find joy in serving as God is in our midst.


Some sources for digging into our beliefs:

  • “The Apostles Creed” in The United Methodist Hymnal #881
  • “The Nicene Creed” in The United Methodist Hymnal #880
  • “Doctrinal Standards and Our Theological Task” in The Book of Discipline of the United Methodist Church 2020/2024, Part III
  • “The Ministry of All Christians” in The Book of Discipline of the United Methodist Church 2020/2024, Part IV
  • “Social Principles” in The Book of Disciplines of the United Methodist Church 2020/2024, Part V
  • The United Methodist Hymnal

MEET OUR PASTOR

Pastor Joel is an Elder in the United Methodist Church. He has been serving for over 21 years and has been apart of Keezletown UMC since 2012. Pastor Joel is a child of God who was called and equipped to share the love of God, and is a true example of one who loves and spreads the mercy, grace, and love of Jesus through his faith every day of his life. He is a father, husband, shepherd, leader, teacher, disciple, and witness to the salvation of God. His caring and compassion makes him a brother and a friend. And he has a most unmistakable laugh. He is not a super human, but he is a super pastor."