First United Methodist Church, Artesia, New Mexico

James Edwards - Pastor

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Having the chance of being Pastor of First United Methodist Church in Artesia has been a delight and a highlight of my time in the ministry.  Like all churches, we have our strong points and our not so strong points but all in all our church is a great Church of Jesus the Christ.  We have a great history and the possibility of a powerful future.  We are taking in new families and caring for long-standing members.  Our Church, unlike many, has numerous members that have been raised in this church and at the same time many people who have adopted it after moving here from other places.

We believe in the Holy Trinity and its mystery. We believe in salvation as the product of faith, from the Holy Spirit, in Jesus the Christ our Savior, and in God as creator, power, and sustainer of all that was, is, or will be.

          We believe in the sanctity of God’s word found first, last, and always in the Bible and, like our founder John Wesley, believe in the concept of ‘Sola Scriptura’ believing that all issues of theology must always agree with scripture.  We also rely on the teaching of the church, personal revelation, and reason, as long as they do not directly disagree with God’s will found in Scripture.

          We are a church that believes in the making of disciples, the sacraments of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper, purposeful missions to our community, nation, and the world, dynamic youth ministry, and personal growth toward Christian perfection.  This church is ready to stand with our sister churches, both Methodist and others, to confront the evils of this world and the building of Christ’s Kingdom on this earth and beyond.

Scott Gray - Youth Pastor

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I was born and raised on a cotton farm in Spade, Texas.  I knew at about the age of 16 I was called into full time ministry but didn't fully surrender to that call until about 4 years after that. That calling led me here to Artesia, NM as the Youth Minister in November of 2005.  I try to be active in the lives of the youth of our church by being present in their daily lives and also inviting them to join in with the work that God is doing in our local church and community!

It is an honor to keep all of the church facilities vacuumed and clean, particularly the recently renovated (late 2008) main Sanctuary. Everyone from the church I meet are kind and wonderful individuals!