From the Pastor's Desk

Last Sunday afternoon I spent some time with the workers in our church. It was a powerful time together. I felt like it was time to share some things about the kind of church I believe God wants us to be. For a variety of reasons, we are probably trying to figure out who we are. A sense of identity is important.

I talked with them about being a "gate church". Such a place is not pre-occupied with the institution of church, but wants to be an opening into the manifest presence of God. It values learning from the past, and also pursue the Spirit's present workings with passion.

Church should not be boring. If it is, we are not doing it right. Jacob described his encounter with God, saying, "How awsesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of Heaven!" (Gen. 28:17). It is an atmosphere. An atmosphere can experienced, but not explained. An atmosphere, if encountered for long enough, can have an affect on you. We want a transformational atmosphere that ushers us from glory to glory. Visitors sense atmosphere.

U.S. News and World Report ranted the church 26th as an agent of change in America. God wants gate churches that restore the spiritual atmosphere. I want us to be one of them. My dream, in God's time and way, is to be part of a New Testament church before I die.

Pastors Mark and Jennifer