At First Church we focus on the vision of…
The Children in our Midst
The Mission at our Doorstep
Always calling on the One who redeems us to create here…
A Place of Hospitality and Grace
OUR HISTORY
The First United Methodist Church of Palo Alto has been serving our community since 1894. Our buildings have changed, our locations have changed, but our mission of spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ to the people of San Mateo and Santa Clara counties is unchanged. Read more about our history here.
RECONCILING CONGREGATION
In April 2000 our church adopted a Covenant of Inclusiveness when we became a Reconciling Congregation.
As a Reconciling Congregation we are a part of the Reconciling Ministries Network (RMN), a growing movement of United Methodist individuals, congregations, campus ministries, and other groups working for the full participation of all people in the United Methodist Church.
We are one of over 300 Reconciling Congregations in the US. The Reconciling Ministries Network is not officially part of the United Methodist Church, but rather, “we are a part of the Methodist tradition of social concern and action, a justice-seeking, Spirited people”.
COVENANT OF INCLUSIVENESS
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.
