Tuesday, April 16 at 6:30 p.m. at the Windsor Theater in Hampton will be the “Pastor’s Panel.” This is part of a coordinated effort of outreach by the pastors of Franklin County Area, to invite people back to church, by inviting them to come and ask the question: “Why God, Why Church?”
I regularly meet people who tell me they believe in God or Jesus but don’t feel they have to go to church. This is the very question we are inviting people to come and ask, Why Church? Why, to live my faith, do I know a community of fellow believers? And if I can pray at home, why do I need to come to Sunday worship?
I invite you to the Pastor’s Panel; whether for yourself, or to learn how to answer those questions for your family members and friends who ask it of you. But, as many of you reading this probably already know church is important, you may also consider inviting someone who is perhaps has not been going to church and might benefit from asking a group of pastors questions about why they need God or why they need church? Invite a friend. Invite an enemy.
Whether you’re able to come or not, I do ask for your fervent prayers for this event, that it may bear fruit of greater faith and discipleship in our community.
Lastly, as this is a coordinated event from the area pastors, we are emphasizing our commonly help beliefs as fellow Christians. Here is the “Statement of Faith” we wrote as area pastors of Franklin County:
While we represent various Christian traditions, we recognize, in a spirit of fraternity and charity that we are all striving to follow and live as disciples of the same Lord Jesus Christ.
Thus, there are five major beliefs that we do share in common as fellow Christians.
1) God: We believe in one God who alone is worthy of all worship. But within God’s Oneness is a communion of three coequal and coeternal Persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. God is Three in One, One in Three.
2) Jesus: The Second Person of the Trinity, God the Son, became Man, being born into the world as Jesus Christ. Thus that Jesus was not just another teacher, prophet, or religious leader, but was God Himself who came down to share in our humanity.
3) Salvation in Christ: Through the Suffering, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ, salvation is offered to us.
4) The Bible: That the Bible is the inspired Word of God.
5) Christ’s Return: One day Christ will come again.
As we unpack these five things and what they mean in our various Christian traditions, we do not all share the same theological views. But recognizing our five commonly held general beliefs/doctrines, can give us a common place to start for conversations as fellow Christians striving to follow after Christ.
Peace,
– Fr. Kevin
