M eaning & Message - “I [Jesus] have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” John 10:10 NIV... So we make sure that we tell this Good News to the lost sheep around us. At St. Paul's we believe it is the responsibility of every Christian to share the Good News with those with whom God brings us into contact. We practice personal sharing about Christ and inviting friends to church.

E xperience - “Now that we have been put right with God through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ....God's Spirit joins himself to our spirits to declare that we are God's children.” Romans 5:1; 8:16 GN... At St. Paul's we encourage every person to encounter God and to experience his presence day by day.  

T ruth - “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching the truth, rebuking error, correcting faults, and giving instruction for right living....” 2 Timothy 3:16 GN... the Bible, God's written Word, is the only completely reliable and truthful authority we have , so we accept it as our manual for living. We practice daily Bible reading and Bible study and encourage Bible memorization. The Bible is the basis for all we believe.

H ope - “We wait for the blessed hope--the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us...to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.” Titus 2:13-14 NIV... That totally changes the way we look at life, death, and meaning and gives us hope for both today and the future.

O pportunity - “Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us....Be very careful, then, how you live...making the most of every opportunity.” Ephesians 5:1-2, 15-16 NIV... At St. Paul's, we give you many opportunities to use your abilities to serve God and help build other people up.

D irection - “Those who live as their human nature tells them to, have their minds controlled by what human nature wants. Those who live as the Spirit tells them to, have their minds controlled by what the Spirit wants. To be controlled by human nature results in death; to be controlled by the Spirit results in life and peace.” Romans 8:5-6 NIV... So we seek to practice a daily dependence on God's Spirit to direct us and enable us to do what's right.

I nclusiveness - “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 NIV... we welcome people of every race, sex, and social background. We welcome saints and sinners. We include both men and women in key leadership and encourage children and youth to use their talents and gifts in visible ways of service. God wants everybody, and we want everybody. ... at St. Paul's we welcome and include everyone , but we don't welcome or condone their sin. Instead, we offer transformation.

S acraments - Jesus said: “Do this in remembrance of me.” Luke 22:19 NIV...Jesus commanded us to baptize and told us to remember him in the Lord's Supper, we practice these things regularly. We see the sacraments as signs of God's love for us, visible symbols of what he is doing within us.

T ithing - “A tithe of everything you produce belongs to the Lord; it is holy to the Lord.” Leviticus. 26:30 NIV....we recognize that giving 10% of our income is the Biblical standard of giving. When everybody tithes, we don't need to waste everybody's time with fund raisers. Tithing is God's way to underwrite the work and mission of his church.

Adopted by the Church Council of St. Paul's United Methodist Church, Findlay, Ohio, on August 11, 2003.