We Respect Your Faith Journey
At Walnut Creek United Methodist Church we honor and celebrate people of all races, cultures, ages, abilities, sexual orientations and gender identities. Walnut Creek United Methodist Church is a community seeking to living and follow in the ways of Jesus. We are bound together not by agreeing to a specific creed or doctrine, but by our intention to walk together on our spiritual journeys. We affirm questing and questioning. In walking together in faith, we listen to one another and share together what is most important in our lives. In this way, we believe we grow in our faith and celebrate our differences. We respect and accept where each person is on their own faith journey.
At WCUMC, you will find seekers of a loving, inclusive God; thinkers and questioners; doubters and believers; those with a passion for social justice; those who have deep roots in our church and those who have no history of church membership. We welcome your interest in getting to know us.
No matter where you are on your faith journey, you are welcome at our church as we worship God and seek to follow the teachings of Jesus.
We are a connectional church, belonging and working with the California/Nevada Annual Conference and the United Methodist Church.
We Are Reconciling & LGBTQ Congregation
In 1994, the Walnut Creek United Methodist Church voted to become a Reconciling Congregation, which means we welcome all to fully participate in the church regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. Our congregation has grown to include a substantial LGBTQ population that is involved in every aspect of the Church’s structure, mission, and life.
We celebrate LGBTQ weddings in our sanctuary, after the usual consultation and pre-marital counseling of the couple by our Pastor.
On August 11, 2019, we celebrated our 25th anniversary of being a Reconciling Congregation. Our guest speaker was JJ Warren, a young adult and nationally recognized speaker. Watch the video below to learn more about our work as a Reconciling Congregation.
Our Reconciling Ministries affirmation says, in part:
We rejoice in the gifts and graces of all persons. We openly accept and welcome the full participation and membership of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex persons. No one is excluded from participating in our church because of sexual orientation, gender identification, age, color, ethnicity, culture, religious origins or challenging conditions.
What Membership Means
Being a member of Walnut Creek United Methodist Church means:
You are a part of a community united in God’s love, actively sharing that love with all.
As a congregation, we are united as a family in Christ by:
- celebrating God’s spirit through song, prayer and reflection.
- encouraging and supporting each other through Christ-centered, loving relationships.
- growing spiritually through prayer, Bible study and listening for God.
We share the good news of God’s love by:
- performing acts of compassion, mercy and justice in the neighborhood, the community and the world.
- inviting those historically excluded from the church into our community.
- welcoming all with openness and without judgment.
What being a United Methodist church means
Being a part of the United Methodist Church means that you are part of an 11-million strong global church that puts faith and love into action. United Methodists are committed to “practical divinity” that is highlighted through:
- a mission-oriented and socially conscious practice of faith. For over 200 years we have expressed concern for the worker, the sick, the poor, the orphaned, the aging, the impaired, the oppressed and the imprisoned.
- a faith guided by scripture, tradition, experience and reason. The Bible is the record of God’s people living out God’s promise.
- celebrating diversity and inclusion. Our church participates in the struggles of women, people with physical and mental impairments, racial and ethnic-minority groups. The Walnut Creek United Methodist Church, one of the hundreds of “reconciling congregations,” also believes that neither church nor society should discriminate against anyone because of their sexual orientation.
- we are a connectional church cooperating with other churches or national and interfaith groups to spread the gospel, care for those in need, alleviate injustice and foster peace.
Want to delve deeper into the history and beliefs of the United Methodist Church? Start your research here and then reach out to us, we would be happy to continue the dialogue with you.