Who are United Methodists?
Men, women and children, just like you, make up the United Methodist Church. We desire to worship God and make an impact on the world by putting our faith into action by making disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. The United Methodist Church consists of over 7.1 million members across the United States. We also have a great global connection including 12.8 million members worldwide. We, as the United Methodist Churches of Viroqua and Westby are part of that movement.
When the Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church merged in 1968, the United Methodist Church was born. But we trace our heritage back to the movement begun in 1729 in England by John and Charles Wesley.
More Information About Our Individual Churches
Please use the buttons below to find out additional information about the Viroqua United Methodist Church and the Westby United Methodist Church.
What We Believe In
Methodists are a Christian church made up of people who believe in and follow Jesus Christ, whose faith is based on God the Father, Jesus Christ the Son, and the Holy Spirit, under the authority of the Bible. We are evangelical Christians, heirs of the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century.
The Methodist movement originates in 18th century England as a movement for spiritual, missionary, and social renewal.
We believe in God the Father, Creator of the world, giver and sustainer of life.
We believe in Jesus Christ, true man and son of God, the basis and center of our faith, who with his life, teaching, death and resurrection showed us what the "way, the truth and the life" are.
We believe in the Holy Spirit as the presence of God working in the church. He is our guide, strength and comfort.
We believe that in the Bible the word of God is manifested, made known to humanity and incarnated in the person of Jesus Christ.
We affirm that every person needs to have the personal experience of encountering Jesus Christ. That Jesus Christ calls us to a new life sensitive to the social reality of our days. Therefore, no human need or problem is alien to us. Thus, each Methodist is called to occupy himself -according to his vocation- in working for a more just society, a more supportive community and a dignified life for all people.
We believe that we are called to live open to ecumenical dialogue with other Christian churches and other religious communities.
We share with all the Christian Churches two sacraments instituted by Jesus:
Baptism in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit: either baptizing little ones by decision of their parents or young people or adults by their own decision. Methodists accept as valid the baptism carried out by other Christian churches, as an inherent part of our ecumenical identity and dialogue with other confessions.
Communion or Lord's Supper that consists of sharing bread and wine, just as the Lord Jesus did with his apostles, so that it would be done in memory of Him. Communion is an open celebration offered to all those who are in peace with God, whether they are members of our church or not.
Our congregations are communities of believers with a very active participation according to their gifts and abilities in the various activities of the Church. We embrace the plurality and diversity of our world, which is why we are formed as communities of faith: supportive, inclusive and loving at the service of our neighbor.