Mission

Making new disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.

Vision

To love all people like Jesus loves, build Christ-centered community and serve others in a way that welcomes them into God’s kingdom.

Beliefs

First Methodist Burnet is a local church in the Global Methodist Church.

God is the Creator and Ruler of the universe. He exists eternally in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. God is both holy and loving.

Jesus Christ is the unique Son of God. He lived a sinless human life and died on the cross to atone for our sins. He rose from the dead and ascended to heaven and will return again to earth.

The Holy Spirit is present in the world to make people aware of their need for Jesus Christ. When we receive Jesus as the leader of our lives and the forgiver of our sins, the Holy Spirit comes to live within us. He provides us with power for living, enables us to understand spiritual truth, and guides us in doing what pleases God. As Christians we seek to live under His control daily.

The canonical books of the Old and New Testaments (as specified in the Articles of Religion) are the primary rule and authority for faith, morals, and service, against which all other authorities must be measured.

People are made in the spiritual image of God — we are rational and moral beings. Because we are God’s creation made in God’s image, each person possesses great self-worth. Although every person has tremendous potential for good, all of us are marred by an attitude of self-centeredness which the Bible calls “sin.” This attitude and its resultant actions separate us from God, others and ourselves.

Becoming right with God and having our relationship with God restored is what the Bible calls salvation. Salvation is God’s free gift to us. We can never earn it or achieve it by self-improvement or good works. We accept God’s gift of a new life when we turn from our self-ruled life and accept Jesus as our Savior. The new life that God gives us is an abundant life in this world and eternal life in the world to come.

Though we are not made right with God by our own goodness, “good works” are not optional for the Christian life. When we give our lives to Christ, it is expected that we will grow towards loving God with all our being and our neighbors as ourselves.

Through Holy Baptism we are united in Christ’s death in repentance of our sins; raised to new life in Him through the power of the resurrection; incorporated into the Body of Christ; and empowered through the work of the Holy Spirit to go on to perfection. Holy Baptism is God’s gracious gift to us, flowing from the once for all work of Christ Jesus, and our pledge to follow as His disciples.

In Holy Communion also known as the Lord’s Supper or the Eucharist (from the Greek word for “thanksgiving”), we are invited into fellowship (koinonia) with Christ Jesus who is spiritually present in the whole of the Sacrament; we participate in the communion of saints with the Church universal; and we are given a foretaste of God’s eternal banquet, the marriage supper of the Lamb. The Sacrament may be offered to all who repent of sin and desire to draw near to God and lead a life of obedience to Christ.

Holy Communion is normally celebrated in the midst of the congregation, physically gathered to remember and respond to God’s mighty acts of salvation revealed in Holy Scripture. Local congregations are urged to ensure regular opportunities for the congregation to commune.

The elements of Holy Communion may be taken to those whose condition prevents them from being physically present. When Holy Communion cannot be offered, the Love Feast provides an opportunity for significant fellowship in a wide array of settings. We encourage the use of non- alcoholic wine or juice for Holy Communion. Non-alcoholic juice must be offered as an option where wine is used.

A Bit of History…

In 1939, the different Methodist churches of the United States became one – now United Methodist Church. In the summer months during the 1940’s and 1950’s, revival meetings would be held. Evangelists from other towns would come and sometimes the meetings would last over a week. Many new members were brought into the church during these revivals.

In the summer of 1952, evening church services were held outside. The congregation would gather under the large trees at the side of the church. A piano would be rolled out and everyone would sing, worship the Lord, and be bit by mosquitoes. Sunday Schools of the 1950’s and early 1960’s were a bit different from our classes today. One difference was that there were many more children than we have today. Another difference is that the church did not have any mixed adult classes. The older women had a class, the younger women had a class, and the men had a class. The men’s class was referred to as the coffee class, but they should have been referred to as the kitchen class. Except for warm days when they met under the oaks in front of the parsonage on Main, the men’s class always met in the kitchen. They met in the kitchen when it was located in the sanctuary building and was part of the office, they met in the kitchen in the Education Building, and they met in the kitchen of the little white house that was bought for extra Sunday School rooms. The youth of the church were active in the 1950’s. As in any time, membership in M.Y.F. went up and down, but when active the M.Y.F. had programs and participated at conferences. Major Earl Higginbotham, who was Sunday School superintendent for a time, taught Sunday School and planned many activities for the youth in the church. He would plan parties for the young people at his home on the lake. They would have picnics, take boat rides, and have devotionals. At Christmas time, Major Higginbotham would plan Christmas parties and would have games and activities that would get the entire congregation involved. Another individual that was very active in bringing God’s word to the youth was Mrs. H.B. Duncan.

In 1960, it was decided that the church on North Main could use a facelift. Central air conditioning was installed, repairs were made, and those beautiful stained-glass windows were installed. Each window was a memorial paid for by church members. The choir loft was made larger at this time as well. The work on the church was done mainly by church members, as had been the case when the Education Building and the parsonage were built.

In the late 1960’s and early 1970’s, the younger members of the church were very involved in activities within the church. Instead of M.Y.F., there was an organization called B.U.M.C.Y., which stands for Burnet United Movement of Christian Youth. Young people from several area churches would meet together and have devotionals, go on trips, and worship the Lord. B.U.M.C. Y. met at different churches each Sunday. They even published a newspaper that was sold at the schools to raise money for the organization. Gordon Roe, Methodist pastor from 1966-1970, was very involved with the young people of his congregation. Retreats were attended at Mt. Wesley every year by youth from our church and from other churches. Jann Barnett recalls that almost every social, as well as Christian, activity that she and her friends took part in was within the church. Throughout the 1970’s and up to today, many people have put time, energy and love into leading the youth of the church in M.Y.F. as well as in other ways. Although everyone who was part of youth leadership over the last 15-20 years cannot be named, some of these people were Evelyn Johnston, Les and Barbara Ware, Alan Watts, Stirling McCullough, Jim and Linda Dyke, and Lynda Jackson. So many more individuals could be named and should be, but even though some people were not named, they were, and are, very important to the church and the young people they led.

Buildings and Grounds