Jesus said the greatest commandment is to “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength” (Mark 12:30). Loving God with our entire being involves worship, spiritual disciplines, and a heart to obey God when it comes to important things like taking care of the poor and working for a just society. It’s also about shaping our lives in such a way that the love we have for God spills over into our relationships, our careers, our schools, and our world.

Jesus says that the second commandment comes right on the heels of the first and it is to “love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:30). We believe that people are to be welcomed right where they are. Wherever you’re at in your journey, there’s a place for you in God’s purposes and here at First UMC Sachse.

In a world that seeks so much for itself, Jesus reminds us that seeking to discover what God wants for the world is to be our priority (Matthew 6:33). This means that we believe that working for a just and fair society is part of our purpose as a church. Through outreach and mission ministries, we demonstrate God’s heart. Through spiritual disciplines like prayer and Bible study, we learn more about what God wants for us as individuals and are transformed by God’s Spirit to become agents of grace and love in the world.

The Bible says in John 3:16 that “God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son…” We’re firm believers that the world that God loves is the world we should love. We do that by following the lead of Jesus himself who said that he did not come to be served, but rather to serve (Mark 10:45). Our commitment to serving the world is evident in our ministries to the poor and by our continued impact in our community through events like our youth missions, wheelchair ramps and initiatives for women and children; and through our support of great institutions like Africa University and other ministries around the world.