Rev. C. Paul Grenier
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UNITED CHURCH
OF CHRIST
My Personal Statement of Faith
UNITED CHURCH
OF CHRIST
As a minister of the United Church of Christ, I confess that Jesus is Lord and Christ alone is the head of the Church. Therefore, I embrace the idea that the historic creeds and confessions of the Church are, "Testimonies, not tests, of the the faith." I believe the most meaningful confessions of faith come from a deep personal relationship with God, and seek to develop a balance between freedom of conscience and accountability to the Apostolic Faith. As a result I have made it a regular spiritual practice to write and revise my own creed. This is a deeply personal confession of faith that reflects my current understanding of Christian history and theology, along with my own walk with God. As I grow in faith and understanding I am certian my relationship with God will develop and this creed will need to be revised. The creed below should not be viewed as beliefs that I have carved in stone so that I can bludgeon others into my way of thinking, rather they are buoys of my life and ministry that guide me as I seek to find complete shelter in the depths of the Divine.
I believe that every person is on a spiritual journey in life and that all are called to be people who “struggle with God" to find this meaning and purpose. I have embraced the Christian faith as my starting point, ending destination, guide map, and comforting companion on this journey, and so I testify that:
I believe in the Triune God Almighty, eternal, creator, who is made known to us through Jesus Christ, and who sustains and inspires us through the Holy Spirit.
I believe in God, who called and continues to call the worlds into being, creating humankind in the Divine Image; sharing life and love as the source of all goodness and justice.
I believe God sets before us the ways of life and death, and in holy love seeks to save all people from aimlessness, selfishness, and sin.
I believe God is revealed in our brother, Jesus Christ, the man from Nazareth, who has come and shared our common lot and lived without missing the mark. Through his life and teachings and through his crucifixion and resurrection, Christ showed us the way to conquer fear, sin, and death by helping us to become new and whole creations like Christ.
I believe God carries us through life as the Holy Spirit, communicating and inspiring us through Grace. I believe the Holy Spirit recreates and renews the Christian Church with each generation, binding people of all ages, tongues, and races in faithful covenant through love and common elements of humanity and divinity.
I believe that the scriptures were written by men and women who had powerful encounters with the Divine and with the joys and sorrows of human existence. I believe the Christian Bible gains its sacred authority through its use as a tool to understand God that has both guided and been guided by our human experiences. I believe the Bible is to be interpreted using all and any information available. The Bible should be viewed as the Living Word of God, ever changing as God dialogues with us in our ever changing lives.
I believe God created the Christian Church to be a community for welcoming all who seek God. I believe that the mission of the Church is to equip and support members on their spiritual journeys through the use of worship, education, activism, ministry, prayer, and communal love. Through the Church, God calls forth Prophets and Apostles to proclaim God’s judgment of all humanity and all nations with Divine righteousness, and to work towards peace and justice for all God’s creation.
I proclaim “Jesus is Lord,” and testify to my baptism. I believe that all of the baptized belong body and soul to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, not withstanding race, gender, sexual orientation, class or creed.
Baptism is a visible sign that we are all pledged to accept the cost and joy of Christian discipleship, to be servants in the service of the whole human family, to proclaim the Gospel to all the world, and resist the powers of evil, to join Christ in his suffering and death and his resurrection into new life.
I believe we are called to accept the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper on a regular basis as physical testimony to our faith that binds us together as one in Christ Jesus, and renews and reminds us of our commitments made in Baptism.
I confess that I am a sinful and flawed human being, overwhelmed by the tasks and responsibilities of ministry. Yet, in this condition, I feel and see Jesus affirming me, through the love and support of my community and the grace and gifts God has bestowed upon me. Jesus has given me that blessed assurance that my sins are forgiven and the courage and drive to become all that God has created me to be.
And when my time on this Earth is ended I trust that God will invite me into a new life with a blessing on my past and open arms for my future.
Amen
An experiential service of annointing and ashes I led on the Wednesday of Holy Week.
Studying ancient Christian tombs on the border of Turkey and Syria.
Adaptable sanctuary space in James Chapel at Union Theological Seminary.
Praying at the alter of the Greek Orthodox Patriachate in Istanbul (Constantinople) Turkey
Student Christian Worship Service at Moorehouse College GA.
