Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors

The United Methodist Church was born on April 23rd, 1968, with the merger of the Evangelical United Brethren Church and The Methodist Church.

Riverside UMC was a Methodist Church before the merger, born over 110 years ago. Our theological heritage is Wesleyan, which is to say that our roots are in the thought and ministry of John Wesley, an Anglican priest who began a renewal movement within the Church of England in the 18th century. Wesley was an Oxford educated priest, well-versed in the history, philosophy, and theology of his time, but he also brought to his learned faith the deepest convictions of his heart.

Today, the United Methodist Church is the second largest Protestant denomination in the United States, with over nine million professing (adult) members. The denomination is committed to the good work of making disciples for Jesus Christ, while also working to transform the world through compassionate service and work for justice.

The webpage for the General Church provides a great deal of information -- far more than we can sum up here -- and is really worth checking out: http://www.umc.org/

And, if you are interested in the work of the United Methodist Church on a more local level, take a look at the website of the Northern Illinois Conference of the UMC at http://www.umcnic.org/