What comes to mind when you hear the word “church”?  My guess is that you think of the building or the time in which we gather.  In the New Testament however, the word for church actually means gathering or assembly.  The heart behind this word is that we together are the church.  We are not called to a building or a time as much as to the gospel of Jesus Christ and to the people.  The emphasis is purposefully placed on the people together, which is why we as a church value the corporateness of our gatherings.  Each Sunday, you will notice, there is very little flashiness to our services.  This is intentional.  We do not value a performance, but rather a formation.  We value seeing the entire congregation participating in the singing and praising of Jesus Christ.  Thus, each week we sing in such a way as to highlight the congregation.  We purposefully choose songs to ensure each person is able to sing and sing boldly so the rest of the congregation can hear, be encouraged, and join in the singing as well.  By doing so we highlight the beauty of Jesus Christ and remind one another that we are not alone in our discipleship of Jesus Christ.  To that end, I want to personally encourage you each week to come ready to sing songs of praise to Jesus Christ.  Perhaps check out our Spotify playlist a few days before so you are ready to sing.  Then when we gather, sing loudly, so each one of us can be encouraged by these wonderful truths of Jesus Christ as we see brothers and sisters in the Lord joyfully worshipping Jesus Christ.

                                          Pastor Derek