ST. PAUL UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
“OUR MISSION IS TO TRANSFORM LIVES TO BECOME DEVOTED FOLLOWERS OF JESUS CHRIST”
HISTORICAL DOWNTOWN BILOXI
REV.KORDELL SIMS,SR., SENIOR PASTOR | REV. DENONDREA SIMS, ASSOCIATE PASTOR
About Us
Our Beliefs
The United Methodist Church is a global denomination that opens hearts, opens minds, and opens doors through active engagement with our world. The mission of The United Methodist Church is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.
John Wesley and the early Methodists placed primary emphasis on Christian living, on putting faith and love into action. This emphasis on what Wesley referred to as “practical divinity” has continued to be a hallmark of United Methodism today.
United Methodist preaching and teaching is grounded in Scripture, informed by Christian tradition, enlivened in personal experience, and tested by reason. United Methodists are part of the larger Christian faith and affirm all of the historic beliefs of the faith as articulated in the historic creeds of the church. We affirm the God of Israel who has been decisively revealed in Jesus of Nazareth and continues to be present and at work in our lives in the form of the Holy Spirit. This understanding of God is known as the Trinity. We believe that God has been revealed through the Bible, and especially through the witness of the New Testament.
Scripture – The Holy Bible is our primary source for Christian doctrine. Biblical authors testify to God’s self-disclosure in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ as well as in God’s work of creation, in the pilgrimage of Israel, and in the Holy Spirit’s ongoing activity in human history.
Tradition – Our attempt to understand God does not start anew with each generation or each person. Our faith also does not leap from New Testament times to the present as though nothing could be learned from all Christian thinkers and preachers in between. We learn from traditions found in many cultures, but Scripture remains the norm by which all traditions are judged.
Experience – In our theological task, we examine experience, both personal and church-wide, to confirm the realities of God’s grace attested in Scripture. Experience is the personal appropriation of God’s forgiving and empowering grace. Experience authenticates in our own lives the truths revealed in Scripture and preserved in tradition.
Reason – Although we recognize that God’s revelation and our experiences of God’s grace continually surpass the scope of reason, we also believe that disciplined theological work calls for the careful use of reason. By reason we read and interpret Scripture. By reason we determine whether our Christian witness is clear. By reason we ask questions of faith and seek to understand God’s action and will.
Sacraments
We believe there are two sacraments, ordained by Christ as symbols and pledges of God’s love for us–Baptism and Communion.
Baptism
Entrance into the church is acknowledged in Baptism and may include persons of all ages. Baptism is followed by nurture and awareness of the baptized of Christ’s claim upon their lives. For persons baptized as children, this claim is ratified by the baptized in confirmation, where the pledge of Baptism is accepted.
Communion
While we believe the Lord’s Supper is a memorial of the suffering and death of Christ and a symbol of the union Christians have with Christ and with one another, we also believe that Christ is spiritually present in the elements of Communion. All persons, regardless of age and regardless of church affiliation, are invited to the table of our Lord.
WHAT ABOUT GOD’S GRACE..
By grace we mean the undeserved, unmerited, and loving action of God in human existence through the ever-present Holy Spirit. While the grace of God is undivided, it precedes salvation as “prevenient grace,” continues in “justifying grace,” and is brought to fruition in “sanctifying grace in the life of the believer.”
Justification and New Birth
In spite of suffering, violence, and evil, we assert that God’s grace is present everywhere. Despite our brokenness, we remain creatures brought into being by a just and merciful God. The reign of God is both a present and a future reality.
God summons us to repentance, pardons us, receives us by grace given to us in Jesus Christ and gives us hope of life eternal.
In justification we are, through faith, forgiven our sins and restored to God’s favor. This process of justification and new birth is often referred to as conversion. Such a change may be sudden and dramatic, or gradual and cumulative. In either case it marks a new beginning, yet it is also part of an ongoing process.
We believe God reaches out to the repentant believer in justifying grace with accepting and pardoning love.
Sanctification and Perfection
We hold that the wonder of God’s acceptance and pardon does not end God’s saving work, which continues to nurture our growth in grace. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, we are enabled to increase in the knowledge and love of God and in love for our neighbor.
Faith and Good Works
We see God’s grace and human activity working together in the relationship of faith and good works. God’s grace calls for human response and discipline. Faith is the only response essential for salvation. However, salvation evidences itself in good works. Both faith and good works belong within an all-encompassing theology of grace, since they stem from God’s gracious love.
Personal salvation always involves service to the world. Personal faith, witness to that faith, and social action are mutually reinforcing.
WE BELIEVE IN THE TRIUNE GOD
With Christians of other communions, we believe in a triune God–Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We believe in God’s self revelation as three distinct but inseparable parts.
The Father
We believe in one true, holy, and living God who is creator, sovereign and preserver of all things visible and invisible. God is infinite in power, wisdom, justice, goodness, and love, and rules with gracious regard for the well-being and salvation of all people.
The Son
We believe that God is best known in the life of Jesus of Nazareth. He is the source and measure of all valid Christian teaching. We believe in the mystery of salvation in and through the redeeming love of God found in the teachings of Jesus, in his resurrection, and in his promised return. The Son is the Word of the Father and one substance with the Father, Through him we are forgiven and reconciled to God.
The Holy Spirit
We believe that God’s love is realized in human life by the activity of the Holy Spirit, both in our personal lives and in the church. The Holy Spirit, proceeding from the Father and the Son, is a constant presence in our lives, whereby we find strength and help in time of need. The Spirit comforts, sustains, and empowers us.
News
COVID-19
COVID Safety Scale
If you score ‘4’ points or greater, you should consider avoiding large, in-person, gatherings such as church until the advent of an effective vaccine. If you score less than 4, it is reasonable to attend large, in-person, gatherings such as church with appropriate precautions, including face masks and some degree of social distancing.
- 1 Point for age 60 or older
- 1 point for African American ethnicity
- 1 point for COPD or excessive smoking or vaping
- 1 point for hypertension/heart disease
- 1 point for active treatment for cancer/autoimmune disease
- 1 point for obesity (BMI greater than 30)
- 1 point for diabetes
QUESTIONNAIRE FOR EACH POTENTIAL WORSHIP ATTENDEE TO ASK EACH SUNDAY
If you answer “yes” to any of these questions, you should stay home and watch on FACEBOOK or church website that particular Sunday to avoid potentially infecting other church members.
- Do you have chills and temperature (greater than 100 degrees)?
- Have you taken any fever reducing medicine in the past 4-6 hours?
- Do you have a cough?
- Do you have a sore throat?
- Are you experiencing shortness of breath?
- Are you experiencing any acute digestive symptoms such as diarrhea, loss of appetite or vomiting?
- Are you experiencing a loss of taste or smell?
- Have you been in contact with someone who has or is under investigation for COVID in the past 2 weeks?
BECOME A MEMBER
When you become a member at St. Paul United Methodist Church, you pledge to faithfully participate in St. Paul United Methodist Church’s ministries through your prayers, presence, gifts, service and witness. In return, you will gain an entire congregation willing to walk beside you in faith and love through your journey of faith and discipleship.
You can become a member in one of the following ways:
Profession of Faith
If you have never been a member of any church, you may unite by professing Jesus Christ as your Savior.
Transfer
If you are a member of another church, you may unite by requesting that your membership is transferred to STPUMC.
Reaffirmation of Faith
This is one’s renewing of the initial confession of faith for those not on a church membership roll. Or if you transfer your membership from a denomination that will not accept your transfer across denominational lines you will be asked to re-confirm your faith.
Associate Member
If you are a member of another Christian Denomination in another city but will be residing in this area, you may unite as an associate member. You will maintain membership of your church home but be under the pastoral care of STPUMC.
Restored
If you have been a member of STPUMC or another church at one time, but have been inactive for 3 years or more, you may unite by renewing your faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and restoring membership in the Church.
Affiliate Member
If you are a member of another United Methodist Church in another city but will be residing in this area, you may unite as an affiliate member. You will maintain membership in your home church but be under the pastoral care of STPUMC
Contact Us for More Information or To Become a Member
STORM TRACKER
We are praying everyone’s safety as we watch the progression of Hurricane Sally! Please keep us updated if there are any needs within our congregation and/or community.
Pastor Kordell & Pastor De
Grief Guide PDF
Church Pictures:
St. Paul United Methodist Church 