A Welcome From Our Pastor
The United Methodist understanding of Grace is both beautiful and vibrant. As a Christian it seems obvious when we say that God shows us grace, especially as seen through Jesus. When we unpack grace however, we find three different expressions of this one concept. In no particular order there is prevenient, justifying, and sanctifying grace.
I know this sounds like the beginning of a lecture, but I ask you to hang with me for a little longer. As Methodists we believe that God’s grace is active for all people at all times, and in all of creation. There is no give with the word all. God loves all, desires all, and calls all. The gift of freewill has given us the ability to ignore or answer that call.
Due to our living apart from God’s will, all of creation has become corrupt and imperfect. We are unable to attain righteousness on our own. Through Jesus, God lavishes upon us grace to justify us (make us right) in God’s sight. We can now stand in God’s presence as a child of the Lord.
Just being in God’s presence isn’t good enough for God. The Lord wants us to draw ever nearer. Christ desires our relationship to grow in knowledge, understanding, and action. We are given the ability to know God better through sanctifying grace. The pull of God upon our spirits to live closer and closer to God’s will and truth. We don’t get this correct all the time. That is why we have God’s grace helping us to take one step at a time.
tl;dr God’s grace is with us at every moment and in every way; calling, forgiving, and guiding as we journey this path laid before us.
Grace United Methodist Church of Somerset takes the grace of God very seriously. We accompany each other on the road as God accompanies us. We help one another grow in knowledge and love of God. We celebrate with one another as we succeed in God’s calling of our lives. And we support, uplift and love each other when we fail to be obedient to that call.
We pray for you wherever you are and whatever is happening in your life. If you feel called to be a part of the body of Christ with us, we want to meet you where you are and help you to journey where God wants you to be.
Lord help us all to hear your call more clearly each day.
PTL (Praise the Lord),
Pastor Justin Judy
Pastor Justin Judy has served the Lord through Pastoral ministry since 2001
What We Believe
We believe that God gives us life and calls us to a new life through faith in Jesus. We know we’re not perfect, and we depend on God’s grace. Through grace, we are forgiven, and God continues to work on us so that we can grow as disciples. We believe that we are called to live out our faith in community with one another, and to witness to our faith in our relationships with our neighbors and the world. If you feel God calling you to something bigger, or you’re curious about what it means to live a life of faith in community with believers, come and visit or give us a call. We’d love to share with you what it means to be a part of Grace Church.
What should I expect?
We would love to welcome you to a Sunday service! Here are some things that might be helpful to a first-time visitor:
- Our family-friendly worship service starts at 10:30am every Sunday.
- You will be welcome and comfortable at our services in jeans or in a suit and tie. Come as you like!
- A typical Sunday service lasts about an hour and includes;
- singing of hymns and praise songs
- special music from the choir and special guests
- praying for our needs and for the world
- a children’s message
- offering
- a relevant message that connects God’s timeless word with your life
- Music is an important part of worship. Some of our music is traditional in nature, with an organ. Some is contemporary, with guitars. We believe that we can worship God with diverse styles.
- Children are always welcome. We believe crying babies bring life to a church. A nursery is available for your convenience — it’s up to you. A children’s message is part of every service. Through the school year, children begin the service in the sanctuary, and after the children’s time, are invited downstairs for some fun learning, worship, and crafts.
Somerset Grace United Methodist 