A Message from Pastor Anthony
I am thankful that you are checking out University Church and considering whether this is the church for you to grow in faith.
Growing in faith, growing in Christ, growing in spirituality and holiness are so vital to life and yet can seem so difficult. Nonetheless, if your desire is to have a deeper relationship with God, to know how Christ is leading, and to feel the Holy Spirit at work, then this is the place for you.
As the spiritual leader of University Church, here are some of the foundational tools of spiritual growth that I use to better understand where God is leading me and where God is leading us:
- God is not finished with us yet, as evidenced by the fact that we are still alive and you are reading this page. There is meaning and purpose in your life for good, for love, for kindness, for hope and for faith (and that's whether you are a few years old or approaching 120). Our job is to work together to discover what that purpose is and to live it out.
- Our faith is not supposed to make life easier. Our faith is to equip us to better and more courageously live our lives.
- All faith begins with learning how to forgive and to heal from bitterness, resentment, shame, guilt and anger.
- When you visit our worship services, you may wonder why we include such a long time of silence. To grow spiritually, we must not just learn how to speak to God, but learn to listen too!
- Spiritual growth calls us to be grateful for the gifts we have received, to celebrate and give praise to God, to joyfully share with others, and to discover (or create) the humor and playfulness of life.
- We don't grow spiritually because we made it happen. We grow spiritually when we allow the Holy Spirit to move in our lives and to soften our hearts.
This list could go on, but it is probably sufficient to say that all of these opportunities of spiritual growth are taken from and contribute to our understanding of the Holy Scriptures (ie: the Bible), our Traditions, our Experiences, and our Reason. Come, join us at church and join us on our journey as we discover together where Christ is leading us next!
Pastor Anthony
