WHAT WE BELIEVE
We believe that God loves all people, and that we share in expressing that love. United Methodist theology emphasizes God’s grace and serving others. We believe that Jesus Christ is the fullest expression of God’s love–showing us the fullness of God’s care through Jesus’ teachings, death, and resurrection.
The United Methodist Church shares a great deal with other Christian denominations. We believe God’s grace is open to all, and therefore practice “open Communion”–meaning that anyone may participate in receiving Communion. We believe salvation is an open gift from God, accepted by individuals according to their own free will. The United Methodist denomination is a “big tent” theologically, providing space for theological discourse and, at times, disagreement. We believe in open hearts, open minds, and open doors.
Like many other Christian groups, we affirm the beliefs expressed in the Apostles Creed. These include:
- The belief in one God, who is the Creator and sustainer of the universe.
- The belief in the Trinity, that there is one God in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
- The belief in the divinity of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who is fully human and fully divine.
Our HISTORY
Though The United Methodist Church was officially created in 1968, its history dates back to 1730 when John and Charles Wesley, two students at Oxford University in England, gathered a small group of students who sought to spread the Methodist movement.
At about the same time, people like Philip William Otterbein, a German-American clergyman, and Martin Boehm, a Mennonite preacher, were leading similar movements in America that helped people grow their faith through the United Brethren in Christ Church. Across the decades, both movements spread and grew, often merging to form new denominations. In 1968, both strands of Christianity came together to form The United Methodist Church.
John Wesley
1703-1791
Cabot United Methodist Church was formed in 1879 as Cabot
Methodist Episcopal Church, South. The first church, a frame structure, was
completed in 1881 on Olive Street. The building was 36’x54′ with a
seating capacity for 275. This building was enlarged in 1885 to 42’x64′
to seat about 400. A further remodeling occurred in 1903 to install
cathedral windows, remove the weather vane from the steeple, and lower the bell tower.
Cabot Methodist Episcopal Church, South
1881-1906
By 1907, membership had increased to 298. Members
decided to raze the frame building and replace it with a brick structure.
In 1923, an eight-room education building was added. In 1939, The union
of the three Methodist bodies occurred. Methodist Episcopal Church,
Methodist Episcopal Church, South, and the Methodist Protestant Church united to become the Methodist Church.
Cabot Methodist Church
1907-1957
Groundbreaking for a new building was held on December 1,
1957, and the structure was completed in September 1958. In 1968, with
the union of the Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church, Cabot Methodist Church became Cabot United Methodist Church.
On September 13, 1992, “Methodists on the Move” marched from
the 203 West Olive St. address to the site of a new facility at 2003 South
Pine. The first worship and consecration was held on September
27. This facility was expanded in 1995 with the addition of the Family
Life Center. The facility reached its present state in 2010 with the
addition of the Wesley Center education building.
Cabot United Methodist Church
Present Day