Introducing Our Annual Theme

Our theme for the year is Going Deeper Together. The Book of Hebrews calls us to “move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity” (Heb. 6:1a).

Forward to maturity. The call of scripture is not just to be disciples of Jesus but to become fully mature in Christ. This is the goal toward which the Apostle Paul worked: “[Jesus] is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ. To this end I strenuously contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me” (Colossians 1:28-29).

Maturity in Christ is described as “attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ” (Eph. 4:13). This involves the fullness of Christ for our whole being. And so, the invitation and challenge to us this year is to go deeper together in some way in our faith in Jesus.

The fall sermon series will be Forward to Maturity, focusing on the fruit of the Spirit.

The fall Sunday Seminar will be Emotionally Healthy Spirituality, focusing on the connection between emotional health and spiritual health. It is an 8-week series running from Sept. 20 to Nov. 8, and we would like this to be a whole-church emphasis for the year. In the spring, we will offer the second class in the series called Emotionally Healthy Relationships.

Maybe you are unable to participate in the Sunday Seminar. Going Deeper Together might take a different look for you. Maybe your next faithful step is to join a Breaking Bread Group or, perhaps, a Community Group. The hope is that this year all of us in some way will stretch ourselves to seek the Lord and to go deeper together with Him.