About Us

I honor everyone as being of sacred worth – and celebrate all of God’s children just as God made them. I’m an advocate and ally for persons who’ve been rejected and oppressed by conventional society. I’d love to buy you a cup of coffee/tea and get to know you and help you get plugged into our community. I’m also a certified Spiritual Director and offer spiritual direction (soul coaching) as part of my work through our church. In addition to serving as Pastor, I am also part of the leadership of the Mountain Sky Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church serving as the Congregational Resource Minster (“CRM” consultant) for the Utah/Western CO District. I’m brimming with ideas and ways to help resource churches to help them grow and make a positive difference in their communities – including ours! May God bless us as we seek to love God’s people in a world that needs it so much.
~ Pastor Roger

The Community of Fruita United Methodist Church affirms each person is of sacred worth, and welcomes everyone, without exception, to participate fully in the church’s life and ministry.

1. Our congregation was founded in 1888 and we built our church building in 1908 on the main street of Fruita (405 E. Aspen Ave.) and we continue to be an important part of our community.
2. Messages are based on Biblical scripture texts and focus on how all may live life following Christ’s teachings.
3. Our worship songs mostly come from the United Methodist Hymnal and The Faith We Sing.
4. Please join us for refreshments & fellowship after worship.
5. We love to get together throughout the year to share meals together.
6. Our congregation has a notably friendly and casual atmosphere. Come as you are, all here do!
7. Congregation members are encouraged to share our real life joys and concerns during our time of prayer. God cares – and so do we. 
8. Everyone is invited to join the sacrament of Holy Communion the first Sunday of each month. All persons who feel the living spirit of Christ at work in their lives transforming you into being a new creation – are encouraged to experience the sacrament of Baptism. Professing your intention to grow in faith in community with others cheering you on in your journey. Please contact Pastor Roger if you would like to be baptized! 
   

   What’s so Special about the United Methodist Church? 

   * We have an ecumenical spirit. We don’t pretend to think that our denomination is the “one,” “right,” “true,” or “only” one. We recognize that God is at work in each of the over 25,000 Christian denominations around the world – and beyond. We have an open Communion and honor the baptisms of all Christians from all denominations. 
   * We embrace the “practical theology” of John Wesley who encouraged Christians to take seriously the insights of Scripture, Tradition, Reason, and Experience. As part of this, we affirm the insights of contemporary science and do not feel science and faith are mutually exclusive or incompatible. We also take the Bible too seriously to take all of it literally. (We don’t check our brains at the door!)
   * We care about Society and the World around us. We believe that we are called to live-out the values and teachings of the Kingdom of God/Beloved Community that Jesus proclaimed. Those values have us acting with charity to help persons in need, and they have us seeking justice to try to reduce the amount of charity that is needed in the world in the first place. We also believe that we are called to be good stewards of God’s Creation and that means taking care of the Earth we are blessed to live on – faithfully seeking to ensure that our great grandchildren’s great grandchildren will have a sustainable planet to live on. 
   * We believe that God is at work in our lives through Holy Spirit providing us with a “three-fold flow of grace” – Prevenient Grace, Justifying Grace, and Sanctifying Grace. Which basically means that we believe that God is at work in our lives helping us to heal the wounds and traumas of our past; to change and transform any ways (mindsets, dispositions, behaviors, etc.) that are not serving us well in life and are dysfunctional and harmful to others; and helping us become the most godly disciples who live lives of wholeness, compassion, and unconditional love as we interact everyone. 
   * We affirm that Spiritual Practices are helpful to us as we grow in Christ – including fasting; various kinds of prayer and contemplative practice; Bible study; devotional reading; retreats; helping people in need; intentional time in nature; and Singing! Methodists LOVE to Sing! (even if we don’t all do it on pitch or in tune ; )
   * We honor the calling of women who are called by God to serve as pastors in the clergy. Fruita UMC has been blessed to have had several women serving as beloved pastors and the bishop of the Mountain Sky Conference is a woman too!
   * We embrace a generous orthodoxy that honors that each of us have valid insights and understandings that are part of our collective wisdom. We don’t insist that everyone think or believe exactly the same way. We focus on the religion of Jesus (his actual way of living) not only on the religion about him. We also consider orthopraxy (right actions/way of living) seriously as a fruit of living out the way, teachings, and example of Jesus. We seek to follow John Wesley’s calling to “Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, as long as ever you can.” (*based on his writings)
   * And we take to heart John Wesley‘s unifying teaching “Though we may not all think alike, may we not love alike? If your heart is as my heart, give me your hand!” 
   

Fruita United Methodist Church is a member of the Mountain Sky Conference of the United Methodist Church and supports various organizations including Little Sprouts Preschool & Day Care, Grand Mesa Christian Camps, Heifer Project International,  and Boy Scout Troop 323 & Girl Scout Troop 24.