About Our Church
Our Mission & Vision
Our Mission
Connecting people to Christ and to each other.
Our Vision
Columbia Church exists to connect people to Christ and each other by growing in our faith, and by making disciples of Christ for the transformation of our community.
What We Believe
Our Belief in God
God is as a Trinity—three persons in one:
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
God, who is one, is revealed in three distinct persons.
God is transcendent (over and beyond all that is),
God is omnipresent (everywhere at once), omnipotent (all-powerful), and omniscient (all-knowing).
God is absolute, infinite, righteous, just, loving, merciful
…and more.
What God does
God works in at least these seven ways:
God creates. In the beginning, God created the universe, and the Creation is ongoing. From the whirling galaxies to subatomic particles, to the unfathomable wonders of our own minds and bodies—we marvel at God’s creative wisdom.
God sustains. God continues to be active in creation, holding all in “the everlasting arms.” In particular, we affirm that God is involved in our human history—past, present, and future.
God loves. God loves all creation. In particular, God loves humankind, created in the divine image. This love is like that of a parent. We’ve followed Jesus in speaking of God as “our Father,” while at times it seems that God nurtures us in a motherly way as well.
God judges. All human behavior is measured by God’s righteous standards—not only the behavior itself but also the motive or the intent. The Lord of life knows our sin—and judges it.
God redeems. Out of infinite love for each of us, God forgives our own self-destruction and renews us within. God is reconciling the individuals, groups, races, and nations that have been rent apart. God is redeeming all creation.
God reigns. God is the Lord of all creation and of all history. Though it may oftentimes seem that the “principalities and powers” of evil have the stronger hand, we affirm God’s present and future reign.
Jesus
We believe that Jesus was born of the virgin Mary, and was fully God and fully human. That Jesus is God’s son.
Son of man
We believe that Jesus was fully human. He was tempted. He grew weary. He wept. He expressed his anger. In fact, Jesus is God’s picture of what it means to be a mature human being.
Christ is the Greek translation of the Hebrew word Messiah, which means God’s Anointed One. For years before Jesus’ time the Jews had been expecting a new king, a descendant of the revered King David, who would restore the nation of Israel to glory. Like kings of old, this one would be anointed on the head with oil, signifying God’s election; hence, the Chosen One = the Anointed One = the Messiah = the Christ. The early Jewish Christians proclaimed that Jesus was, indeed, this Chosen One. Thus, in calling him our Christ today, we affirm that he was and is the fulfillment of the ancient hope and God’s Chosen One to bring salvation
to all peoples, for all time.
Lord
To claim Jesus as Lord is to freely submit our will to his, to humbly profess that it is he who is in charge of this world.
Savior
We believe in Jesus as Savior, as the one through whom God has freed us of our sin and has given us the gift of whole life, eternal life, and salvation. We speak of this gift as the atonement, our “at-oneness” or reconciliation with God. We recognize Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross and his victory over sin and death in the Resurrection.
Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is God’s present activity in our midst. When we sense God’s leading, God’s challenge, or God’s support or comfort, we say that it’s the Holy Spirit at work.
In Matthew’s account of Jesus’ baptism, Jesus “saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him” (3:16) and he “was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted” (4:1). After his Resurrection Christ told his disciples, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you” (Acts 1:8). A few weeks later, on the Day
of Pentecost, this came to pass: “And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind….All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:2, 4). As the Book of Acts and Paul’s letters attest, from that time on, the early Christians were vividly aware of God’s Spirit leading the new church.
In guidance, comfort, and strength Today we continue to experience God’s breath, God’s Spirit. As one of our creeds puts it, “We believe in the Holy Spirit, God present with us
for guidance, for comfort, and for strength” (The United Methodist Hymnal, No. 884).
The Holy Spirit renews us and by strengthening us for the work of ministry.
Fruits: Jesus said, “You will know them by their fruits” (Matthew 7:16). What sort of fruit? Paul asserts that “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Galatians 5:22).
The Holy Spirit empowers us for ministry in the world.
Human Beings
We believe that humans can choose to accept or reject a relationship with God.
We believe that all humans need to be in relationship with God in order to experience eternal life and to live the life that God created for us.
The Church
We believe that the mission of the church is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.
We believe that the church is “the communion of saints,” a community made up of all past, present, and future disciples of Christ.
We believe that the church is called to worship God and to support those who participate in its life as they grow in faith.
The Bible
We say that God speaks to us through the Bible and that it contains all things necessary for salvation. This authority derives from three sources:
We hold that the writers of the Bible were inspired by God, that they were filled with God’s Spirit as they wrote the truth to the best of their knowledge.
We hold that God was at work in the process of canonization, during which only the most faithful and useful books were adopted as Scripture.
We hold that the Holy Spirit works today in our thoughtful study of the Scriptures, especially as we study them together, seeking to relate the old words to life’s present realities.
Columbia Church was formed by the consolidation of three United Methodist Churches in 1992: First United Methodist Church, the earliest Church, began in 1803; Salome United Brethren began in 1860; and Cookman United Methodist began in 1876.
Columbia Church’s Lead Pastor is Tom Grubbs. Pastor Tom has been in ministry for 28 years. He married Melody Grubbs on January 1st, 2021. They reside in Columbia and have five adult children, two teenage boys, and two grandchildren. PA. Pastor Tom and Melody have a heart for ministry and for bringing people to Christ.
Columbia Church outreach programs make the church available to many organizations including the Columbia Senior Center, AA, Community Life Network, Chamber of Commerce, etc.
Columbia Church is fully handicapped accessible including an elevator to access the basement, fellowship hall, kitchen, and Sunday School rooms.
Who We Are
Our Team & Leadership
Pastor Tom Grubbs
Lead Pastor
Worship Ministries
Stephen E. Wenzel
Organist
Melody Grubbs
Director of Worship and Music Ministries
Robert Nonnenmocher
Christ Servant Minister
Lori Winders, Chair
Impact Team (Outreach Committee)
John Leas Co-Chair/
Jim Walk Co-Chair
Ad Board (Church Leadership Team)
Jaime Weisser
Volunteer Children’s Director