First United Methodist Church
Palo Alto, California
We believe all people are created by God in God's own image, are
infinitely and equally worthy, and are equal beneficiaries of God's
love and grace.
We believe that God's vision for our world includes the church as
a community which embodies love, grace, reconciliation, acceptance,
peace, and justice for all people.
We declare our intention to be faithful to God's vision and commit
ourselves to the struggle to create a Christian community open to
all of God's children.
We affirm the full participation of every person in all aspects
of our life together, in the church, in the family, and in society.
We seek at this time specifically to address and advocate the needs
and concerns of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered persons
in our church and in our society.
We strive unconditionally to enable and utilize the gifts of all
people in all pastoral and lay capacities of the church.
We strive to open all benefits of the church to all people and will
actively work to change current societal and denominational prohibitions
regarding sexual orientation.
We repent of our participation in and/or passive acceptance of all
beliefs that separate us from God, ourselves, and each other.
We commit ourselves to faithful discipleship, which we believe includes
challenging the heterosexism present in the Church at large, in
our own United Methodist denomination, and in our society.
We pray and hope that our affirmation of wholeness of all people
will bring reconciliation to all who find themselves in exile from
the family of God because of any manner of prejudice, intolerance
or lack of understanding.