Good Samaritan UMC is a reconciling congregation that pledges our love and acceptance to all persons, and especially those who have felt hurt or abandoned by the institutional church.
Mission: We are a Christian community of acceptance, nurturing faith and reaching out.
Vision: Inspiring joyful faith; Building a loving community; and Serving neighbors near and far.
Values: Joyful Faith; Deliberate Inclusion; Intentional Questioning; Compassionate Care; Transformative Outreach
Beliefs:
- As Christians, we have found an approach to God through the life and teachings of Jesus.
- We take the Bible seriously and not literally.
- We affirm our United Methodist heritage, that reminds us we come to faith through scripture, tradition, reason and experience.
- We find truth and grace in the search for meaning more than in absolute certainty.
- We recognize the faithfulness of other people who have different names for God.
- We are stewards of God’s gifts of beauty revealed in creation and human experience.
- We believe that the sacraments of baptism and communion are means of God’s love and grace, open to all.
- We affirm that the way we live our lives is the fullest expression of what we believe.
Good Samaritan is a progressive, reconciling United Methodist Church that welcomes all, worships passionately, challenges injustice, builds partnerships in mission locally and globally and seeks to transform the world through God’s love.
We are members of the Reconciling Ministries of the United Methodist Church, which means we declare ourselves to be open and affirming. We celebrate diversity and welcome all.
Drawing upon long established rituals and spiritualities, Good Samaritan is innovative and pioneering in our efforts to be a place of positive change within Christianity, within our denomination, within ourselves, and within the world around us.
REAL.
We are an authentic, wholehearted community committed to see and be seen as we are.
RELEVANT.
We speak the truth to what is happening in the world.
RESPONSIVE.
We are nimble and work with community partners, truly aspiring to be good samaritans.
You are warmly and wholeheartedly welcome at Good Samaritan United Methodist Church!
All are welcome. Bring your heart, your mind, your questions, your doubts, your hopes, and your fears. Most of all, bring your authentic, whole self. Whoever you are; you are safe here. You are loved here.
United Methodist Church Edina
Join Good Samaritan in Edina for inclusive and inspiring faith! If you’d like to visit our LGBTQIA-friendly Methodist church today, contact us. We look forward to welcoming you into our vibrant and compassionate community today!
Parable of the Good Samaritan
Luke 10:25-37 Common English Bible (CEB)
Loving Your Neighbor
A legal expert stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he said, “what must I do to gain eternal life?”
Jesus replied, “What is written in the Law? How do you interpret it?”
He responded, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and love your neighbor as yourself.”
Jesus said to him, “You have answered correctly. Do this and you will live.”
But the legal expert wanted to prove that he was right, so he said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
Jesus replied, “A man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho. He encountered thieves, who stripped him naked, beat him up, and left him near death. Now it just so happened that a priest was also going down the same road. When he saw the injured man, he crossed over to the other side of the road and went on his way. Likewise, a Levite came by that spot, saw the injured man, and crossed over to the other side of the road and went on his way. A Samaritan, who was on a journey, came to where the man was. But when he saw him, he was moved with compassion. The Samaritan went to him and bandaged his wounds, tending them with oil and wine. Then he placed the wounded man on his own donkey, took him to an inn, and took care of him. The next day, he took two full days’ worth of wages and gave them to the innkeeper. He said, ‘Take care of him, and when I return, I will pay you back for any additional costs.’ What do you think? Which one of these three was a neighbor to the man who encountered thieves?”
Then the legal expert said, “The one who demonstrated mercy toward him.”
Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”