Our Pastor

---

I love serving as the pastor of Faith United Methodist Church (UMC), because everyone is welcome here!  I’m a New Testament pastor who focuses on God’s abundant grace for one and all.  My role is to teach you the language of grace, so you know you’re loved just as you are.  You don’t need to change before you come to church, because together we will grow in our faith and understanding of what it means to be a follower of Christ.

The Spirit of Christ is alive and well in this family size church, where the people are warm and welcoming and it’s easy to feel like a part of the Faith Family.  Numerous people use the phrase “our Faith family” to share their love for the church and their desire to welcome new people.

Faith UMC exemplifies the phrase: “Open Hearts, Open Hands, Open Doors.”  This slogan is embodied by our congregation.  People of all types and philosophies are welcome here as we recognize everyone is a member of the Body of Christ.  (1 Corinthians 12:15-26) 

This is a place where you can share your beliefs openly and listen to your neighbor’s thoughts and comments respectfully.

The author Brian McLaren wrote a book title: We Make the Road by Walking, to illustrate the journey of faith is a life long process.  We are students, called to grow in our faith little-by-little, experiencing new moments of joy, transformation, and conversion along the way. 

John Wesley, founder of the Methodist movement, gathered people in small groups to help them grow and to support one another along the way.  Because of his adamant and prophetic voice he was banned from preaching in the Church of England, so he took his message to the streets and preached to the coal miners and the poor.  When he sent Thomas Coke and Francis Asbury to the American colonies, he gave them this admonition: “Offer them Christ!” 

Come to Faith UMC, where we receive and share the grace of Christ.

Pastor Ray