Welcome to Faith United Methodist Church

Jesus was known for many things.  One of them was his spiritual practice of taking time away to pray and to seek the presence of God.  This was and is an important discipline.  It’s something all of us should do on a regular basis.  We also need to come back home.  No one can stay in the desert, in the mountains, at the lake, or on retreat for the rest of their lives.  But the time away can change us.  It can shape us.  It can bring us closer to God.

Sarah and I took a trip to Ireland, in the spring of 2015.  This was the first time we participated in an eight-day spiritual retreat.  We had no idea what to expect.  We would gather each morning and have breakfast and then learn what was going to happen next.  One day our resident author, Pastor Brian McLaren, began the day with an introduction to the Biblical story.  He began in Genesis telling the stories of Creation, Abraham and Sarah, and Moses and Zipporah.  Brian brought these stories to life in new ways.  At 10:00 our leader, Gareth Higgins, told us we were going to experience something new.  We were about to do something that no more than thirty other people had ever done.  Then he said, "Put on your best walking shoes."  Little did we know we were about to walk a nine mile journey through Belfast that would change us forever.

We began to walk.  Down the lane and along the sea; from Loren House to the town of Holywood.  This was Gareth’s home town.  This portion of the walk took approximately 45 minutes.  Then we boarded a train and traveled to the edge of Belfast.  We were met there by John Kyle, a member of the City Council.  John had spent the majority of his adult life working for peace in Northern Ireland.  John led us on a walk through the city which opened our eyes.  We saw a number of the murals depicting the struggle between the many factions in Northern Ireland.  We walked between the “peace walls” that protect the neighborhoods from each other.  We heard stories of violence and we heard stories of peace.  We heard stories of tragedy and of triumph.

Ireland uses the term “The Troubles” to talk about the violent conflict which lasted from the 1960’s to 1998.  The Troubles was a time of “bereavement.”  It was a time of grief over the way people were treating each other through oppression, conflict and violence.  The violence is over (for the most part), but peace is still illusive.  Peace takes more time.  For the Irish it begins with a sense of forgiveness, they are trying to forgo the temptation to seek revenge in order to find peace.

The United States is in a time of “Troubles.”  We are in a state of bereavement over the loss of unity in our nation caused by the divisive nature of our political, economic, and social systems.  They have led to great divisions among the people and they are doing harm to the fabric of our nation.  We need to focus on the common good, rather than our sense of American rugged individualism which served us well on the frontier, but not in the 21st century. 

COVID-19 has exacerbated our “Troubles.”  As of Monday, 287,332 people have died around the world and 81,795 have died in the United States.  This is a time of bereavement.  We need to seek God’s peace to create unity in our nation.  We need to trust in God’s presence in the midst of this pandemic and believe in the wisdom of science to keep us safe today and to discover a cure for this virus- so to speak, "Trust in God and wear your seatbelt."

This pandemic gives us the opportunity to recognize our common humanity (COVID-19 doesn’t distinguish between political ideology, economic class, or social standing) and to once again embrace the need to work for the common good.  We need to actively work for Peace and Forgiveness.  It’s time to come back home.  Let’s find our way by studying the examples found in creation, the stories about Abraham and Sarah, Moses and Zipporah, and from Jesus of Nazareth.  These are the stories that offer New Life in the midst of our “Troubles.”

Pastor Ray Baker

 The following church events have been cancelled due to COVID-19 concerns:

Live Sunday Worship Services

As a result of CDC direction, live Sunday Worship Services are suspended indefinitely. A live streamed Sunday morning worship service will be provided during this time each Sunday at 9:00 a.m. on this website or on our Facebook page at:

facebook.com/FargoFaithUnitedMethodistChurch

Youth Group Activities

All Youth Group activities are suspended until further notice.

Men's and Women's Breakfast

All Men's and Women's Breakfast events are cancelled due to COVID-19 social distancing concerns

Circle Groups

Both Rebecca Circle and Esther Circle events have been suspended until further notice.

Youth Group Summer Mission Trip

The Youth Group Summer Mission Trip has been cancelled.  Stay tuned for possible local mission projects and Youth Group events if pandemic conditions improve over time.

The following activities are taking place through Zoom meetings:

Care Team Meetings

Leadership Team Meetings

Trustees Meetings

English Conversation Group

The following are being provided as streaming video:

Sunday Worship Service (Sundays at 9:00 a.m.)

Daily Devotionals (Monday-Tuesday, Thursday-Saturday at 10:00 a.m.)

Songs of the Day (Monday-Tuesday, Friday-Saturday at 11:00 a.m.)

My Faith in Music (Thursday at 11:00 a.m.)

Youth and Children's Messages

Wednesday Night Mini-Worship (Wednesdays at 6:45 p.m.)

All of these videos can be watched anytime on our STREAMED CONTENT page.