About FUMCSB

 

First United Methodist Church of San Benito has a long history of providing Christians and non-Christians a local home to worship and learn of God and his love. The church has more than 100 years of community membership in San Benito, Texas. FUMCSB continues to fulfill the Great Commission of Jesus Christ to make disciples around the world and spread the Good News of the Gospel. 

 

Methodism

is a Protestant movement and traces its roots back to John Wesley, an Anglican priest in the Church of England in the 1700s. John and his brother, Charles, intended to revitalize the Church of England by forming societies of "Methodists"– so called because the members followed a daily routine of religious observance and social work. Methodism first spread to Ireland and then to America where it officially became its own denomination in 1784. Today United Methodist membership stands at nearly 10 million worldwide (more than 1 million are outside of the United States).

Part of the mark of being a United Methodist is that we hold a wide range of theological beliefs. John Wesley said, "As to all opinions which do not strike at the root of Christianity, we think and let think." In general, we agree on the major aspects of theology. We believe in a Triune God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We believe in God’s love and forgiveness of all people. We believe in the mystery of salvation through Jesus Christ. And we believe in celebrating the Sacraments of Baptism and Holy Communion. 

For United Methodists, social consciousness has always gone hand in hand with faith. We believe, with John Wesley, "that the world is our parish." Hence, we support mission and justice work locally, regionally and around the world. We cherish an ecumenical tradition and seek to work together with other Christian denominations as well as other religions. We believe in the dignity of each person and the practice of total democracy in our church’s life.

 

John Wesley believed that the living core of the Christian faith was revealed in Scripture, illumined by Tradition, vivified in personal Experience, and confirmed by Reason. United Methodists today follow four main guidelines that help us understand our faith.

 

-Scripture

United Methodists share with other Christians the conviction that Scripture is the primary source and criterion for Christian doctrine. Through Scripture the living Christ meets us in the experience of redeeming grace. We are convinced that Jesus Christ is the living Word of God in our midst whom we trust in life and death.

 

-Tradition

The story of the church reflects the most basic sense of tradition, the continuing activity of God's Spirit transforming human life. Tradition is the history of that continuing environment of grace in and by which all Christians live, God's self-giving love in Jesus Christ. As such, tradition transcends the story of particular traditions.

 

-Experience

Some facets of human experience tax our theological understanding. Many of God's people live in terror, hunger, loneliness, and degradation. Everyday experiences of birth and death, of growth and life in the created world, and an awareness of wider social relations also belong to serious theological reflection. A new awareness of such experiences can inform our appropriation of scriptural truths and sharpen our appreciation of the good news of the kingdom of God.

 

-Reason

Although we recognize that God’s revelation and our experiences of God’s grace continually surpass the scope of human language and reason, we also believe that any 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.

 

The United Methodist Logo

Known informally as the cross and flame logo but formally known as the denomination's insignia, it has been in use nearly three decades. The insignia is a cross linked with a dual flame. This symbol relates our church to God by way of the second and third persons of the Trinity; the Christ (cross) and the Holy Spirit (flame). Apart from Wesleyan Trinitarian theology and warmth, the flame has two other connotations. The flame suggests Pentecost when witnesses saw "tongues as of fire." And the duality of the flame was meant to represent the merger in 1968 of two denominations: The Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church.

 

The Church at 400 N. Sam Houston Blvd. in San Benito, Texas

In 1908 the initial church in the nascent community of San Benito was the First Methodist Church. From its modest sanctuary serving a small membership, it was to grow into a major Christian institution. The spacious and beautiful existing sanctuary was erected in 1931. While it has served the congregants well, it is the ever evolving dedication and service of the congregants to the community which is most significant. The combination of spiritual and charitable outreach has played a formidable role in the betterment of San Benito and the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas.  Read more...