What We Believe
Founders MCC is a Christian community rooted in God’s inclusive love, welcoming people of every identity and background. Our mission is to live out Christ’s compassion, justice, and service in the world, affirming that all people are created holy and worthy. We believe in a triune God, the saving grace of Jesus, the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and the sacredness of Scripture. Through sacraments like baptism and communion, and rites such as marriage, healing, and memorial services, we celebrate God’s presence and the dignity of every person.
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Core Values
Our Core Values:
- Love
- Inclusion
- Social Justice
- Diversity
- Spirituality
- Acceptance
Vision
Our Vision
We see our church as a community of faith, goodness, respect and union for all members regardless of race, color, language, immigration status, gender identity or sexual orientation. We see it as the house of Christ where our fundamental values of spirituality, love, social justice, diversity and inclusiveness and the feeling of community prevail.
Purpose
Our Statement of Purpose:
Being among God’s liberated people, we boldly . . .
- Reclaim our Holy Identity
We believe that even in our humanness, we are holy. We are liberated from other people’s definitions of who we are. We are made both body and spirit. We believe that our sexuality is a holy gift from God so we no longer distance our bodies from our experience with God. We are a people who proudly participate in the communion of body and spirit. - Advance our call to Social Justice and Action
We believe that Jesus led the way in acts of compassion and acts of justice. Because we have been a people in the margins of society, we understand fully the grace that God has extended to us. We seek to distance ourselves from exclusion and draw ourselves closer to those who are marginalized in any way. We stand boldly with those who resist the structures of exclusion, as Jesus did, and work to ensure freedom for all people. - Tell the story of God’s Transforming Grace
We come as we are to Christ and are changed by what we find. We experience a God with open arms, inviting all to take the sacred journey of faith and transformation. We are growing in our faith and claim that our place in society has magnified our place in God’s family. We are one of the many voices that, until now, has been lost in the margins! - Nurture the value of Community
We believe our ultimate ministry is in the world. We know that in order to prepare ourselves for radical service that changes lives, we must equip ourselves and others in the safety of a supportive community. We strive to live out a message that rejects the idea that any are excluded from the family of God. - Build Bridges that Liberate and Unite
We have experienced the soul destruction that comes from hate filled rhetoric. In restoring our souls, we have come to find that our voices will speak the liberation that comes through peace, compassion, love, respect and grace. As followers of Jesus, we believe in everyone’s holy privilege to work out their own salvation. While we are a Christian church who follows Jesus, we respect those of other faith traditions and work together with them to free all those who are oppressed by hate, disregard and violence.
Mission
Our Mission
Being the hands, feet, and heart of Christ here at Home, in our Community, and our World as we are called.
Statement of Beliefs
Our Statement of Beliefs:
- We believe in one triune God, omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscient, of one substance and of three persons: God – our Parent-Creator; Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, God in flesh, human; and the Holy Spirit – God as our Sustainer.
- We believe that the Bible is the divinely inspired Word of God, showing forth God to every person through the law and the prophets, and finally, completely and ultimately on earth in the being of Jesus Christ.
- We believe that Jesus…the Christ…historically recorded as living some 2,000 years before this writing, is God incarnate, of human birth, fully God and fully human, and that by being one with God, Jesus has demonstrated once and forever that all people are likewise Children of God, being spiritually made in God’s image.
- We believe that the Holy Spirit is God making known God’s love and interest to all people. The Holy Spirit is God, available to and working through all who are willing to place their welfare in God’s keeping.
- We believe every person is justified by grace to God through faith in Jesus Christ.
- We believe we are saved from loneliness, despair and degradation through God’s gift of grace, as was declared by our Savior. Such grace is not earned, but is a pure gift from a God of pure love. We further commend the community of the faithful to a life of prayer; to seek genuine forgiveness for unkind, thoughtless, and unloving acts; and to a committed life of Christian service.
- We believe the Church serves to bring all people to God through Christ. To this end, it shall arrange for regular services of worship, prayer, interpretation of the Scriptures, and edification through the teaching and preaching of the Word.
Sacraments and Rites
Our Sacraments:
- Baptism
Baptism by water and the Spirit, as recorded in the Scriptures, shall be a sign of the dedication of each life to God and God’s service. Through the words and acts of this sacrament, the recipient is identified as God’s own Child. - Holy Communion
Holy communion is the partaking of blessed bread and fruit of the vine in accordance with the words of Jesus, our Sovereign, “This is my body…this is my blood” (Matthew 26:26-28). All who believe, confess and repent and seek God’s love through Christ, after examining their consciences, may freely participate in the communal meal, signifying their desire to be received into community with Jesus Christ, to be saved by Jesus Christ’s sacrifice, to participate in Jesus Christ’s resurrection, and to commit their lives anew to the service of Jesus Christ.
Our Rites:
- Ordination
This is the setting apart of duly qualified persons for the professional ministry of this Church. It is evidenced by the laying on of hands by authorized ordained clergy or UFMCC Elders, pursuant to these Bylaws. - Membership
This rite hall be conducted by the Pastor or Interim Pastoral Leader before a local congregation at any regular worship service. In accordance with criteria established by the local church, a baptized Christian may become a member in good standing of the local church group through a letter of transfer from a recognized Christian body or through affirmation of faith. - Holy Union/Rite of Holy Matrimony
This is the spiritual joining of two persons in a manner fitting and proper by a duly authorized clergy, Interim Pastoral Leader of the church, or UFMCC Elders. After both persons have been counseled and apprised of their responsibilities one toward the other, this rite of conferring God’s blessing may be performed. - Funeral or Memorial Service
When the time comes, we offer these two Rites. They are to be fittingly conducted by the ministers of the Church for the deceased. - Laying on of Hands or Prayer for Healing
… of the sick in mind, body or spirit is to be conducted by the ministers of the Church, at their discretion, upon request. - Blessing
may be conducted by the ministers of the Church for persons, things and relationships, when deemed appropriate by the minister.