What We Believe  

The United Methodist Church is a global denomination that opens hearts, opens minds and opens doors through active engagement with our world. The mission of The United Methodist Church is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.

John Wesley and the early Methodists placed primary emphasis on Christian living, on putting faith and love into action. This emphasis on what Wesley referred to as "practical divinity" has continued to be a hallmark of United Methodism today.

We invite you to learn more about Clover Ridge United Methodist Church. Below is our belief, the Gospel, and our heritage.

We believe in one living and true God, who has revealed Himself in three ways: as Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

We believe that Jesus is the Son of God, born of the virgin Mary, truly God and truly man, who for us and for our salvation came down from Heaven. He atoned for the sins of all believers when He died on the cross. Three days later, God raised Him from the dead. Now He lives and reigns with God the Father and the Holy Spirit.

We believe the only sure way of salvation is to confess one’s sin and to trust in Jesus Christ as personal Savior and Lord.  Jesus said that He was the way the truth and the life!   We give ourselves to let Him live in us.

We believe one day Jesus will return to earth in triumph. Establish His Kindom here on Earth.   He will receive all believers into His eternal Kingdom and will judge the unrighteous.

We believe the Bible is God breathed and contains all things necessary for salvation. When read under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the Bible is our true rule and guide for faith and practice. We believe the Bible is inerrant in it's orginal manuscripts.

We believe Christ's command to make disciples of Him and to live our  faith in a day by day, minute by minute manner, submitting ourselves to His Holy Spirit and Word.

We are here to Love God and love people. 

Unfortunately, not all United Methodist Churches hold fast to the truths found within the pages the Holy Bible and end up living out a faith that looks quite different than orthodox Christianity. 

We are a church of sinners, redeemed by Christ, who are trying to live out the faith as defined in God's Holy Word- The Bible.

Believe The Gospel

 The first hump we must get over is to admit our spiritual need. We are all sinners....people don't always like that title. The one word that defines all sin is the Greek word "harmatia" which means "to miss the mark." What is God's mark? Jesus said, "Be perfect as My Father in heaven is perfect." Unless a person is perfect, he has missed the mark; therefore, he is a sinner. Romans 3:23 states "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."
 

What is the result of sin? In Romans 6:23 we read "The wages of sin is death..." Every one of us has missed God's mark. Every one of us falls short of being perfect. We are getting only what we deserve, and we are bringing judgment upon ourselves. One thing we need to remember is that God never sends anyone to hell. We send ourselves there by rejecting His truth.
 

Since we can never measure up to God's standards on our own, God has reached out to man. We cannot solve the problem of sin, but God, who is perfect, can and has. He has become a bridge for us. John 3:16-17 states "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.." In Romans 5:8 we read, "God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

If a person acknowledges that he is a sinner, and he accepts the promise that Christ is the solution, he is at a crossroads. Either the person must reject God's solution and accept the consequences, or he must accept Jesus Christ as his Savior. What must a person do to accept this gift? Simply receive it!
 

His invitation is clear. We must come to Him. All that remains is a response. In Romans 6:23 we read "...the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." What do we have to do to receive that gift? Take it! Revelation 3:20 states "Behold I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with me." Jesus stands at the door of your heart and knocks, seeking entrance into our lives. John 1:12 states "For as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become the children of God." If you would like to receive Jesus Christ into your heart and life right now, pray a prayer something like this from the sincerity of your heart...

Dear Lord Jesus, I know I am a sinner. I believe you died for my sins. Right now, I turn from my sins and open the door of my heart and life. I receive you as my personal Lord and Savior. Thank you for saving me. Amen.

If you just prayed that prayer and really meant it, Jesus Christ has now taken residence in your heart! Not only that, but he has forgiven you of all your sin. The Bible tells us, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9) God also promises, "As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us." (Psalms 103:12)

Our History

In 1996 at the urging of our District Superintendent Bruce Ough, The Walford United Methodist Church and the Fairfax United Methodist Church joined together to form a new congregation. Rev. Burr Bryant was pastor and lead the church in transition. The area was growing at the time, our buildings were old and inadequate. So, the old buildings were sold and the church started meeting in the Walford Community Center. A gift of 5 acres was donated in Walford and a new church building was planned and built. The church members at the time chose a new name Clover Ridge United Methodist Church. The church was located in the Clover Ridge subdivision in Walford.

Our first worship service in the building was on Resurrection Sunday, 1998. Then in July of 1998 the Bishop appointed new pastors, Paul and Sue Meade came to us, and they brought with them the Amana Colonies UMC, a new church that they had started 5 years earlier. So now it was one church that was made up of 3 former local churches!  

The Meade's left in October of 1999. Rev. Dr. Dendy Garrett was our Pastor until January 2000. Pastor Mike Townsley was then appointed to serve Clover Ridge United Methodist Church. Pastor Mike Townsley served the Church and community for 20 years, from 2000-2020. He retired in June of 2020. Pastor Kolleen joined the church in June of 2020 and is the current CRUMC Pastor.

We are made up of people old and young. We have teachers, farmers, nurses, factory workers, lab workers, people who are retired, folks who work in eating establishments, and accountants. Our Sunday morning worship service is a traditional format with some contemporary songs too. 

Clover Ridge has a rich heritage of people moving into trained ministry. Clover Ridge UMC is proud to say we have had several people who were a part of our church and who went on to pastor a church. Former members Bob Voels is Pastor at Freemont-Cedar UMC Parish in Iowa and Steve Callison was a Pastor at Mt. Auburn UMC in Iowa. Diane Townsley, Pastor Mike's wife is Senior Pastor at Asbury United Methodist Church, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Terry Beltz is now pastor at Oxford UMC in Iowa. And we have had 5 members who have completed the Iowa UMC School for lay ministry. Marcus Beebe was a certified lay minister serving at Rochester UMC in Rochester,, Iowa but sadly Marcus has passed away.

Clover Ridge also has a Stephen Ministry Team. We are lead by Stephen leader Rick Heller. Our active Stephen Ministers are: Joanne Beltz, Sheryl Hein, Gay Mercer, Sally Williams and Pastor Mike.

God is moving at CRUMC!