What We Believe

God is. God is in you. God is love.
Be here. Be love.

Jesus was the image of the invisible God, the incarnate presence of God within humanity.

Jesus was the Human One, the revelation of who God created us to be.

Jesus embodied God’s love to show us how to embody God’s love, which is how we reclaim our humanity.

Jesus taught…

The love of God dwells within us.

We see God at work in us when we love one another, starting with those who are overlooked, ignored, and oppressed.

And we find joy when we allow that love to live in us and through us.

Jesus’ death is a poignant symbol of the world’s fierce and often violent resistance to the love of God. The crucifixion demonstrates how humans are afraid to give up their own independent power and allow God’s love to reign in them and in all creation.

The resurrection proclaims that God’s love is the most powerful force in the universe, and that God’s presence in humankind did not die with Jesus. And our belief in that message is a lot more important than our belief about the physical aspects of the resurrection.

The Holy Spirit is the invisible presence of God that surrounds us and permeates all creation. Never coercing, she patiently persuades us toward liberation by love.

Kind of like magnetoreception, the sixth sense of whales, birds, and other animals that senses the invisible force of the magnetic field to guide their migration.

For centuries, people have used he and him pronouns for God. But God is not a man. Scripture uses metaphors for God that cross traditional gender norms. So you could say that God transcends gender.

When we make decisions based on our narrow, limited view of what we think is best for us, we often end up making decisions that cause suffering to ourselves, our neighbors, and all creation. Every single one of us, including pastors, do this. All. The. Time.

Yes. Our God is not transactional. God isn’t waiting for us to confess in order to forgive us. God’s grace is much more profound.

Grace is the promise that God will never give up on us, always persuading us back toward what’s best for creation, including us, no matter how far we might wander in another direction.

The Gospel proclaims new life, in this world and even beyond death. So, how does salvation work?

Our salvation doesn’t come from the good we do in this world. Nor does it come from baptism, confessing Jesus as Lord and Savior, or any other belief we profess. Salvation comes from God alone.

Neither is our salvation personal or individual. I cannot be saved. You cannot be saved. Only we can be saved. Together.

Our hope that there is new life beyond this world rests solely upon God’s patient love of creation. Our hope and our salvation comes from our faith that God will never give up on Their creation.

Your suffering (for example a cancer diagnosis, the sudden death of a loved one, being the victim of a crime, a miscarriage) is not part of “God’s plan.” Terrible things happen every day that are not what God wants. When they do, take comfort that God suffers with you, and that God is leading you out of suffering.

We agree with scholar Marcus Borg, who said:
“The Bible is true. And some of it actually happened.”

In other words, our Holy Scripture is the spiritual foundation of our faith, but it’s not meant to be read literally or unquestioningly. We strive to understand biblical texts in their original historical and cultural context, and then interpret them to discern how God is using them to guide us today.

“Separation of Church and State” means that the government cannot mandate religion. It does not mean that faith communities like churches are forbidden from civic engagement. In fact, the Gospel demands that Christians resist injustice and advocate for the humanity of the marginalized.

God desires unity with diversity (see Genesis 11:1-9 and Acts 2:1-20). Therefore, racism is sin. Fairmount is a Matthew 25 congregation, committed to dismantling structural racism.

We believe that God embodies the full expression of gender, and that God created us to be in sexual relationships that expand a sense of love, of self, one another, creation, and Creator.

People of many different gender identities and sexual orientations are active participants and leaders in our church, including as staff and elders.

Fairmount is a More Light congregation, committed to the full equity and inclusion of our LGBTQ+ siblings.

Our sacred stories teach that we are created from the earth and called to “serve” the earth (Genesis 2). Fairmount is an Earth Care Congregation, committed to environmental care and justice. (Check out our new solar panels!)

Science isn’t a threat to religion. It’s a complementary discipline, one that reveals some of the mysteries of the universe that ancient religions could only speculate about. Sometimes, scientific discoveries even reveal truths that prompt us to rethink and reform our theology. At Fairmount, you’ll hear sermons that reference scientific disciplines like quantum physics, neurology, and epigenetics.

While all humans are made in the image of God, Christians believe that the incarnate image of God is most clearly revealed in Jesus, and commit to shaping their lives according to his example and his teaching.

Fairmount is proud to be part of the Presbyterian Church (USA). While each PC(USA) congregation is different, we’re grateful to be part of a network of churches that shares similar values, beliefs, and traditions. You can read more about the PC(USA) here.

The Presbyterian Church (USA) is a democracy, a church where all members have a voice and a vote.

Each year, we elect members of our congregation to lead us. Individually we call them “elders” and collectively they are called the “Session.” The Session is responsible for making important decisions to keep us aligned with our church’s vision and values. We also elect deacons (called to care for our congregation), endowment trustees (called to be stewards of our endowment), and a nominating committee (called to nominate members to congregational leadership). Among Fairmount’s leaders, you’ll find a mix of different races, ethnicities, sexual orientations, genders, spiritual gifts, and theological views.

Yes.

Yes.

Yes. Despite the many mistakes they’ve made as the exclusive leaders of the church for many centuries, we still allow men to be pastors and elders in our church.

For Christians, the love of God is most clearly revealed in Jesus. Other faith traditions find the love of God revealed in other sacred stories and practices. There are many ways to experience and share the love of God (see Acts 10:34-35). We learn from other faith traditions, eat and pray together, and collaborate to make a positive impact on our shared community. Fairmount is a founding member of two interfaith justice organizations: Greater Cleveland Congregations (GCC) and the Interfaith Group Against Hate (IGAH).