Methodists’ Catechism

Methodists’ message

All need to be saved.

All may be saved.

All may know themselves saved.

All may be saved to the uttermost.

Belief in God
We believe that God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, truly exists as one God.  To believe in him, however, implies more than assent of the mind.  Fully to believe in him is to trust alone for everything we need in this life and for ever.  (Deuteronomy 6:4; John 17:20-23)

Faith
Faith in Jesus Christ is trusting that through him alone God gives us his salvation.  We demonstrate our faith by desiring to do God’s will and by the practical love we show to others. (Ephesians 2:4-10)

Christian
Christians are those who believe that God has revealed himself in Jesus Christ, accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour, live in communion with God and in the power of the Holy Spirit, and take their place in the fellowship of Christ’s Church. (Acts 11:26; John 1:1-5, 14-18)

Mission
To proclaim the coming of God’s Kingdom, to call people to repent and to receive the Kingdom of god, to turn from their sins and believe the Good News. ((Mark 1:14-15)

Church
The Church is holy, because it belongs to God, who has set it apart to do his work, and because he is present in it.  It is catholic, that is, universal, because through it God offers the complete good news about Jesus to every person everywhere, without distinction.  It is apostolic, because it proclaims the same message about Jesus that the apostles did.  There is an unbreakable bond, the communion of saints, between all God’s people, in heaven and on earth, who rejoice together in all God’s blessings.

The church baptizes as a sign of God’s free offer of forgiveness.  (1 Peter 2:9; Matthew 28:19-20)

The Methodist church is part of the universal Church.  Its doctrines are based on the revelation of God in the Bible.  It has received and preaches the Gospel the apostles preached.  It accepts the principles of the Protestant Reformation.

Baptism
Baptism looks forward to a life to be lived.  It proclaims the grace the Father has shown in Christ to us in our helplessness, the forgiveness and cleansing of sin, the end of the old life of sin in the death of Christ, and rebirth through the Holy Spirit to new life in Christ.  Baptism places us within the people of God and claims for us God’s promised salvation and a share in the priestly calling of his children.  From our side baptism requires a response of repentance and faith in Christ as Lord and Saviour.   Baptism is performed by immersing or dipping the candidate in water, or by sprinkling the candidate with water, in the name of the Father ad of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Baptism may be administered to an infant, in anticipation of a response to be made later, or to a young person or an adult in recognition of a response already made to the grace of God. (John 3:5-8; Matthew 28:19-20)

Note:  In tradition like our own which practise infant baptism, the opportunity of public response is offered in the rite of Confirmation.

Duties of Membership
In the Church: A member is committed to Worship, Holy Communion, Fellowship and Service, Prayer and Bible Study, and Responsive Giving.
In the world: A member is committed to the working out of his/her faith in daily life, the offering of personal service in the community, the Christian use of his/her resources, and the support of the Church in its total world mission.

Sacraments
The sacraments disclose and proclaim what God has done for the world in Jesus Christ, and convey its benefits to the community of believers.  They are also signs of our allegiance to God.  Protestant churches recognize two sacraments: baptism and the Lord’s Supper. (Matthew 28:19; 1 Corinthians 11:23-25)

Sin
What is sin?
Sin is a condition of estrangement from God which affects the whole human race.  Sins are specific actions, words or thoughts which arise from our sinful condition and deny the presence, power and purpose of God. (Romans 3:9-18, 23; 7:13-20)

Repentance
Repentance is turning in sorrow away from sin and turning to God to seek forgiveness and new life in Jesus Christ. (Luke 3:1-14; 15:17-20; Amos 5:10-15)

God
What do we mean by belief in God?
We believe that God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, truly exists as one God.  To believe in Him, however, implies more than assent of the mind.  Fully to believe in Him is to trust Him alone for everything we need in this life and for ever. (Deuternomy 6:4)

Jesus
Jesus Christ came to reveal God to men and women and to offer them God’s grace.  To achieve this he shared their human life and death, dying on the cross.  God brought him back from death and sin, and opening the Kingdom of God to all believers. (John 3:16)

Holy Spirit
From eternity he is God.  He has been present and active in the world from the beginning – in creation, in the inspiring of the prophets, in the equipping of God’s servants. (Genesis1:1-2; Acts 2:1-21)

Salvation
Salvation is the forgiveness of our sin, deliverance from guilt, and the gift of new life in Christ.  It is a process that begins now, give us victory over death and is completed with God in heaven.  (Mark 2:1-4; 10:28-31, 45; 2 Corinthians 5:18-21)

Resurrection
Jesus Christ suffered death and was raised again for us, so that we might live for him.  the Bible uses various expressions for this, of which the following are a few examples:

• He gave his life to redeem all people; (Mark 10:45; Isaiah 53）
• He is compared with the Passover Lamb,  sacrificed as a sign of God’s freeing of his people (1 Corinthians 6:7; Exodus 12)
• He is also compared with the lamb sacrifice on  the Day of Atonement; (1 John 2:2; Revelation 5)
• being joined to Christ is described as a new  creation; (2 Corinthians 5:14-18)
• by his death and resurrection Christ has defeated the powers of evil. (Colossians 2:11-15)

None of these is complete by itself; together they point to the fact that through the cross God acted decisively on behalf of the world he had created.

Love
We show our love to God when we worship and serve him with joy, faith and obedience (I John 4:7-21)
Jesus said: ‘And now I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another’. (Deuteronomy 6:5)

Sharing the Good News
That God has acted decisively in Jesus Christ to deal with our sinful condition: that is, he has acted to save us.  God offers us his love, forgiveness, acceptance and new life in Christ. (John 3:16; Acts 10:36-43)

我們的主日崇拜在每星期日下午二時正舉行，通常在三點三十分結束。開始時有段詩歌讚美，繼續進入崇拜的主要部分。崇拜以廣東話為主。普通話及英語翻譯則通過無線耳機系統進行。孩童們有自己的少年崇拜及主日學，即在崇拜講道之前，導師帶領進入各課室。而因年齡的緣故，他們分兩班。

執事會有12位成員以及中文堂牧師，他們監管堂會日常的運作，各種活動的運籌，以及中文堂發展的長遠目標。教會執事每兩年選舉一次，或當有空缺時，由會員大會選出以補上。執事通常每兩個月開會一次。執事會員也參與整個循道會各委員會的運作，作為中文堂的代表。

會員大會一年開會一次，在會議中由執事團就中文堂各方面的運作向大會報告。會眾可以就任何事情提出問題，作評語及建議。 執事會將會按此作出處理來加以改善問題。

2024 執事合照