People are wired for community & connection with each other.  We each desire to be in relationship with other people. These days, even in the hyper-connected world in which we live, loneliness & disconnection are common and concerning. At Platte Woods Church, a vital part of what we do and who we are is the practice GATHER. We do this when we worship & when we practice the sacraments of baptism & communion. These practices help us connect with God & other people as well as build & strengthen our relationships - with God, with other people, and with creation.

The United Methodist Church recognizes two sacraments - baptism & communion.  

These two practices have a special place in the Church because Jesus commanded them & participated in them both directly. Baptism marks the beginning of one’s life-long journey as a follower of Jesus & communion nourishes & sustains Jesus followers as along the way.  

Baptism is God's work of cleansing us of sin & beginning the work of renewing us fully into the image of Christ. At Platte Woods Church, all are welcome to be baptized, regardless of age, race, gender, orientation, nationality, education level, social status, or mental capacity. Through baptism, one experiences the justifying grace of God & the cleansing power of the Holy Spirit. Using water, one can be baptized in various ways: immersion (going under the water), pouring (having water poured over one’s head), or sprinkling (having water sprinkled on one’s head). The United Methodist Church recognizes one baptism and, once baptized, one is initiated and incorporated into the universal Church.  

Communion – also known as Holy Communion, Eucharist, or The Lord’s Supper - is a ritual meal Jesus himself served & enjoyed. Just like Jesus & his followers 2,000 years ago, we today use two common food elements – bread & juice/wine. By sharing & receiving these elements, we experience God’s grace, love & hope. Platte Woods Church has an “open table,” anyone & everyone can receive communion – for any and all who wish to know and experience God’s love and grace are welcome to come to the table & receive.

Each day is an opportunity to GROW. A vital part of each person’s faith life is deepening one’s relationship with God & other people.  

At Platte Woods Church, we believe we GROW through  reading & experiencing Scripture and prayer. Reading & experiencing Scripture means exploring the Bible – both the Old and New Testament – and how the stories revealed in Scripture guide our lives, just as they guided Jesus and his followers some 2,000 years ago. Scripture reveals to us the story of God’s never-ending, all- encompassing love for God’s creation and how God is still creating, redeeming, and sustaining all of creation – even now! 

When people talk about Scripture or the Bible, people say a lot of different things. As United Methodists, we believe the Bible is a library of sacred scripture as well as a guide to faith & salvation. There is nothing magical about the Bible; rather, the Bible is a guide to our faith & how people – both in the past, now and in the future – might live in relationship with God & others. We believe God inspired the Biblical writers to compose the words & God is at work through each of us when we read & experience Scripture – both alone and together. The Bible is a collection of 66 books – 39 in the Old Testament (Hebrew Bible) & 27 in the New Testament. These passages were told, written & compiled over a 1,000 year period (600 BCE to 400 CE) across three languages (Hebrew, Aramaic, & Greek). Within the Bible are various literary styles: oral traditions, songs, poems, histories, legends, proverbs & wisdom, letters, Gospels & more. Yet through it all is a single theme: God’s desire to be in a loving relationship with God’s people – no matter what.  

We believe all Scripture is inspired by God, meaning God worked & works in & through regular people just like you & me to reveal the truths of Scripture. Scripture reveals to us WHO we are & WHO God calls us to be, WHERE we come from & WHERE we are called to go; WHEN God has been & is at work in people’s lives, HOW God works in & through people’s lives & WHY God seeks to be in relationship with all of humanity. 

Prayer is the practice of communicating with God and can take many forms: speaking, singing, crying, yelling, screaming…even silence can be prayer. Prayer also includes paying attention to and listening to how the Spirit is working on our lives, in our lives and through our lives. Prayer can and does provide comfort, encouragement, peace, inspiration, and activation. Prayer creates space to deepen our connection to God as well as a deeper connection to one another and God’s creation as we pray for not only ourselves, but the world, those in need, those around us and so many others. 

* We look forward to praying with you! To submit a prayer request, go to: Prayer & Care Form

The practice of GIVING includes both giving of our time - Sabbath – as well as giving of our financial resources –Tithe.

To Tithe is to support God’s ministries & outreach through Platte Woods Church with one’s financial resources. At Platte Woods Church, we believe a healthy understanding & stewardship of one’s personal finances & resources is an important part of one’s spiritual life. Tithe literally means “one-tenth” and was a Biblical mandate as described in Scripture, inviting God’s people to honor God with the fruit of their labors and work. God desires for us to give joyfully, cheerfully. Giving in support of the many ministries at Platte Woods Church not only impacts those in the community who receive the help. Giving also impacts one’s own life as well. As Jesus-followers, we strive to be generous people and be the best stewards possible of the gifts we have been given. 

   
We also believe giving includes sharing one’s time, talents and abilities! This means giving in service within the faith community by serving within one or more of the many ministries at Platte Woods Church – be it as a mentor with kids or students, helping greet & welcome people during worship as a member of the Hospitality Team, singing or playing a musical instrument in the band or choir, helping the Tech Team bring to life the audio/video during worship services and special events, serving on a Ministry Team or Leadership Council – these & so many other ways are available at Platte Woods Church for YOU to serve God & give of who you are & what you have to share! 
 
For more information about what it means to GIVE, check out PWC’s Sermon Series, All You Can:  
Week 1 – Earn All You Can - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3CKqd5JmOg 
Week 2 – Save All You Can - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pl_UbLyrkSk 

  Week 3 – Give All You Can - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEaheWdyli8 

Our world can be a scary place. People often feel frightened & divided, alone & in need.  At Platte Woods Church, we believe each of us has an opportunity & responsibility to GO into the world and make the world a little less scary, a little more united & a lot more kind & helpful! At Platte Woods Church, we GO through Acts of Mercy & Justice and Pilgrimage.  

Acts of Mercy & Justice follow Christ’s example of living in loving service to others; showing mercy to those in need & seeking justice for those oppressed & excluded. As Jesus-followers today, we strive to be like Jesus as we GO into the world to serve, showing mercy & seeking justice while helping those in need in our communities and throughout the world. 
 
Acts of Mercy include personally caring for those in need – the sick, injured, isolated, and lonely.  We show Christ’s mercy when we are a presence in the lives of those in need around us. 
 

Acts of Justice

We likewise GO on Pilgrimage, a journey in which we anticipate encountering the Divine. Journeying into both new and unusual places as well as places we’ve been before, when we GO on a pilgrimage, we look for God in each place we travel in order to better understand and discern where God is calling us and what God is calling us to do. During a pilgrimage, one often discovers new things about one’s self as well as God as our faith is expanded and we experience personal transformation. A pilgrimage can be alone or in community and can include a variety of experiences: a trip to the local super market to pick up canned goods for those in need, a monthly trip to an outreach partner like Hillcrest or Lazarus Table, picking up trash and litter on the side of Prairie View Road, an annual outreach trip to Pine Ridge Reservation or the U.S.A/Mexico border, or even a journey to the Holy Land – each of these examples of pilgrimage provide ways to deepen one’s connection to God & expand one’s faith!