About Us

Our MIssion

With God, With Each Other,
With Community
<span style="color:var(--secondary-color-bg)">United in Christ, United in Purpose</span>

United in Christ, United in Purpose

Who We Are

Though located in downtown Belleville, Ill., and serving that community, the vision of our church is broader. 

In 1951, one of the first mission projects was the “boys at Scott Air Force Base." Our church sponsored devotional and recreational opportunities for airmen at our location as well as others. Union has sponsored missionaries around the world. 

Since 1993, church youth have traveled annually on mission trips to destitute communities to rehabilitate houses and perform other community projects, mitigating dire circumstances and lifting spirits. By 2009, youth had made mission trips to 14 states and Puerto Rico.

In 2007, it entered into an arrangement with the small United Methodist Church in New Athens, Ill., that made the resources of the Belleville church available to a congregation in a small town. That same year, Union began satellite church services in Freeburg to re-establish a United Methodist presence in that area of St. Clair County.

Looking Ahead in Faith

Our Vision

Our vision is to be a thriving, Christ-centered community that transforms lives and impacts our city and beyond with God’s love. We aspire to be a beacon of hope, welcoming all people to experience the life-changing power of Jesus, grow in their faith, and live out their purpose. Through intentional discipleship, compassionate outreach, and empowering leadership, we seek to inspire generations to follow Jesus and make a lasting impact on our world.

Our Faith Foundations

Our Beliefs

Baptism is a symbol of God’s claim on your life. A participatory sacrament wherein we recognize God’s grace being bestowed upon us in a special way.

In the United Methodist Church tradition, we leave it up to the family to choose infant Baptism or later as a youth before confirmation or as an adult when they join the church.

Does Baptism guarantee salvation? No, only our faith in Christ does.

The United Methodist Church believes we are NOT Baptized into a denomination, but into the universal body of Christ. To deny the first Baptism implies God’s presence was absent then and if then, why this time or the next? Or it implies that only one church/denomination has the correct theology of Baptism, and we believe Baptism is dependent upon God, not humans or human institutions.

There are three forms of Baptism we utilize: sprinkling, pouring or immersion. We believe the intent, not the form, is most important.

We do have a service of remembering your Baptism, which is a service of renewal and re-dedication. Infants/children who are baptized early in life are led to explore their Baptisms during Sunday School, Confirmation and similar events. At the point they make their own confession of faith in Christ, they continue that journey of faith.


We normally celebrate the sacrament on the first Sunday of each month, plus: Ash Wednesday, Maundy Thursday and Christmas Eve. Communion is a participatory sacrament in which we acknowledge and receive God’s love and grace through the cup and loaf. There are many meanings attached to this special time: forgiveness, restoration, renewal, inspiration, community, peace, healing, hope. When we approach the table, we all have different needs on any given Sunday and we come to receive, in symbolic form, the love and sacrifice of Jesus Christ for our sins. 

What about children taking the sacrament? We leave that up to the parents to decide. But, communion is a participatory event. It is what we do as the body of Christ. Just as we sing together, pray together, children learn by participating. When children are young, they may not fully comprehend the concept of “love,” but they experience it. Hence, we may not fully “understand it intellectually,” but it is an event to experience at any age. 

Can only confirmed United Methodists take the sacrament? We practice open communion, for we believe it is also a “converting sacrament,” whereby a life may be transformed by God’s grace. Who are we as the church to judge a person’s “worthiness” by saying that only card-carrying United Methodists can receive God’s grace? If we have all fallen short of the glory of God, if we have all sinned, are any of us worthy to take the gift? No, but God extends his loaf and cup anyway to bring us back to his kingdom. 

Is kneeling the best way to take communion? We take the elements by faith in our hearts, not by the correct physical posture. The disciples received the first communion lounging at a table not kneeling at an altar rail. God is present at the communion rail as well as in the pew or in a circle in a park. Our attitude is more important than our altitude. However, and whenever we receive this gift, we can be transformed! 

How do I prepare for communion? First, be present. Pray that His Holy Spirit will fill you. Pray for guidance, for forgiveness, for reconciliation, for community. Come with open hearts to receive God’s blessing. Just come and receive.