Beliefs

EST

1999

1296d964ce6408c0a8a2470cf5147a65883274a9

Our Vision

Making disciples and making a difference through Jesus Christ.

Mission

Eradicating homelessness in whatever form it presents itself. We believe that everyone needs a spiritual home, an emotional home, and a physical home.

Why?

All created beings find their home in God. We believe God’s grace provides our ultimate sense of home. This is eternal and abundant living as promised by Jesus the Christ. We are all connected as part of God’s creation. As long as homelessness exists in any form, for even one of God’s created beings, we all suffer the pain and shoulder the responsibility. Until homelessness is truly eradicated, we all are homeless.

When Jesus says: ‘Make your home in me as I make mine in you,’ he offers us an intimate place that we can truly call “home”. Home is that place or space where we do not have to be afraid but can let go of our defenses and be free, free from worries, free from tensions, free from pressures. Home is where we can laugh and cry, embrace and dance, sleep long and dream quietly, eat, read, play, watch the fire, listen to music and be with a friend. Home is where we can rest and be healed. The word ‘home’ gathers a wide range of feelings and emotions up into one image, the image of a house where it is good to be: the house of love. In this world millions of people are homeless. Some are homeless because of their inner anguish, while others are homeless because they have been driven from their own towns and countries. In prisons, mental hospitals, refugee camps, in hidden away city apartments, in nursing homes and overnight shelters we get a glimpse of the homelessness of the people of our time. Probably no word better summarizes the suffering of our time than the word ‘homeless.’ It reveals one of our deepest and most painful conditions, the condition of not having a sense of belonging, of not having a place where we can feel safe, cared for, protected and loved.

– Henri Nouwen

A Spiritual Home

“We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience.”

– Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

As Christians, our spiritual home is called “church”. It is not simply a place of attendance and observation, but rather a place of belonging and engagement. In this way, church is our touchstone or “home base” from which we encounter the larger world. The church is a means of grace. This is why we are constantly inviting others to a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ through the church. All our church experiences, church groups, church programs and church buildings are tools for creating a community of faith. We are, therefore, compelled to care for one another as a congregation, but also constantly open the “doors” wider to those who are without a “church” home.

An Emotional Home

“Then the LORD God said, “It’s not good that the human is alone. I will make him a helper that is perfect for him.”
– Genesis 2:18a CEB

Human life is often torn apart because of loneliness and fear. When people are not emotionally safe, they will lash out and attack without provocation. Others withdraw into states of despair and depression. Our experience teaches us that loved people love and hurt people hurt. When people have an emotional home, they thrive in their sense of well-being and vocation. As followers of Christ, we seek to comfort those in distress, heal the brokenhearted, befriend the downcast and welcome the stranger. We will stand in solidarity with those who have been neglected, abused, bullied, and oppressed. We will protect and advocate for those in our society who are most vulnerable including children and the elderly, the disabled and the disadvantaged. We will seek to share love, kindness, and mutual respect with everyone including those who are different than us. We will learn about and promote mental health and well-being.

A Physical Home

“The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little.”

– Franklin D. Roosevelt

The physical need for shelter is one of the most basic of all human requirements. A physical home is not a luxury but a necessity. Physical homelessness tears at the fabric of any society. The compassionate and justice-seeking example of Jesus drives us to eliminate physical homelessness. Many in our community and world do not have a physical structure in which to live. Some have lost their homes in natural disasters and untimely accidents. Some live in structures that are in total disrepair. Some have been driven out of their homes by war, conflict, and violence, and all of us must be aware of the condition of our planet which we collectively call home. Through faith we must claim that we have the capacity and resourcefulness to address the problem of physical homelessness.

4G Faith

The Method to how we live out our mission at Grace Avenue is called 4G Faith. We strive to Gather, Grow, Go, and Give with gratitude as a community.

Gather

Together we will worship and praise the living God in whom we find our home and who calls us into the work of eradicating homelessness in whatever form it presents itself. We offer multiple worship services of different styles every weekend – there is a time and a style to fit your preferences and needs. Head to graceavenue.org/visit to find our service schedule and plan your Sunday mornings at Grace Avenue.

Grow

Together we will search our hearts, our minds and Holy Scripture to learn everything we can about eradicating homelessness in whatever form it presents itself. Whether you’re interested in a deep-dive into theology and the bible or in joining a group of folks like you, there are opportunities on Sunday mornings and throughout the week for you to get connected. Check graceavenue.org/adults to find all the latest groups and studies.

Go

Together we will leave the comfort of our own surroundings to actively participate in God’s work of eradicating homelessness in whatever form it presents itself. At Grace Avenue, there are endless opportunities for all ages and abilities to get involved in service projects and volunteering throughout the church and our local communities. Learn more at graceavenue.org/missions.

Give

Together we will generously give our time, energy AND monetary resources for the Godly purpose of eradicating homelessness in whatever form it presents itself. Christian Stewardship requires a grateful and responsible use of God’s gifts in the light of God’s purpose as revealed in Jesus Christ. This includes our financial gifts. The church cannot exist without the generous financial support of our members, but more importantly, giving as a response to our gratitude to God is an act of worship that is a central part of our Christian journey. If you call Grace Avenue your spiritual home, consider setting up a financial gift online or by calling the church office. More information can be found at graceavenue.org/give.

Our Beliefs

At Grace Avenue we seek to be a church built on a foundation of God’s love and compassion for all. As such, there are some core beliefs that help to keep us focused in that direction. Here are some of those beliefs and how we have seen these beliefs manifest themselves into our actions and the cultural fiber of our church.

  • We believe that faith and doubt are not exclusive of one another.
  • Therefore…We invite you to fully engage your God-given intellect as you navigate your personal faith journey. We are here to explore questions of faith, to create and open dialogue and to learn along with you.
  • We believe that God is love, we believe that all people are welcome and equal in the family of God, and that God is for us, not against us.
  • Therefore…We strive to be a community of diverse thought. We don’t all believe the exact same way, but we are all here to worship the same God. We are committed to having a space for all and open to the challenges of respectfully living together, even in our disagreement.
  • We believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and we work to follow His example of radical, justice-seeking love.
  • Therefore…We seek to feed the hungry, welcome the stranger, heal the sick, embrace the lonely, seek justice for the marginalized, and eradicate homelessness in whatever form it presents itself.
  • We believe in the Holy Spirit as God’s constant presence in our lives and in our hearts, empowering us to do God’s work.
  • Therefore…Through prayer, worship, study, fellowship, mission, and all of our daily tasks we continually seek to feel the Spirit moving and guiding us to fulfill God’s call for us as people and as a church.
  • We believe in the Bible as the fundamental truth of God’s love and grace as revealed through the story of God’s people and by the life of Christ.
  • Therefore…We hold the Bible to be divinely inspired and are committed to live by its words. We also recognize the Bible was written by people who heard God in the light of their own cultural and historical circumstances. As such, we make use of scholarship and study the scriptures carefully. We examine it. We study it. We apply it to our lives and then we start all over again. Because we take it so seriously, we do not take it literally. Instead, we are engaged in an ongoing encounter with the living Word of God. We cling to and proclaim the overarching and overwhelming message of love which the Bible teaches. When we encounter theological differences among Christians, we bear in mind John Wesley’s approach, “in essentials, unity; in nonessentials, liberty; in all things, charity.” United Methodists share a common heritage with other Christians, holding to the historic essentials of the Christian faith.
  • We believe that God created all human beings in God’s image.
  • Therefore…We love and accept all people as children of God and embrace the diversity of God’s creation. We welcome and affirm our LGBTQ+ siblings into the life of the church, including leadership, sacrament, and service. We believe in the value of every life but understand that our world and local community are diminished by racial injustice and the sin of white supremacy, so it is important to acknowledge that black lives matter and that no human being is illegal. Our Bible affirms that a woman was the first to bring the message of the resurrection to the world and we condemn the misogyny that denies women a prophetic voice in the Church. To love our fellow human beings and to honor their gifts is to love God.
  • We believe that God wants to be in relationship with all people and that human beings have the free will to accept or reject that relationship.
  • Therefore…We actively work to introduce people to the person of Jesus Christ. We are also open to the mystery of how and where God is at work in our world and in our hearts. As with all relationships, our connection to God is individual and can take on many forms.

History

Grace Avenue United Methodist Church is a third generation congregation. In 1986, Highland Park United Methodist Church of Dallas planted a new church in Plano called St. Andrew United Methodist Church. In 1999, St. Andrew planted a new church in Frisco; that church was us – Grace Avenue United Methodist Church. Significant amounts of human, financial, and spiritual resources were donated in order to give the new churches every opportunity in their respective, growing communities.

Want to know more about our United Methodist heritage?

Head to umc.org/beliefs