FROM THE PASTOR

About Us
We believe that Jesus Christ came to reveal the fullness of God's love for us, and we continue to celebrate that love through praise, sacraments, service, and community.

Learn More

Get Involved
Our church offers a wide range of ministry opportunities. Whether you'd like to learn more, pray more, or serve more, we have a ministry for you.

Learn More

Support Us
Making an offering of our financial resources is an integral part of what it means to be a Christian. We have a variety ways to make it easy for your to support our church.

Learn More

From the Pastor

We love because he first loved us. (1 John 4:19, NRSVUE)
Dear Friends,
Christ is Risen! He is Risen Indeed! Alleluia!
Once again, the blessings of the Easter season be with you. Though Easter Day lasts only one
day, the season of Easter stretches across seven weeks. Here in Northern Ohio, the season of
Easter coincides with the growing light of spring, the greening of the earth, and the blooming of
spring flowers. Winter is (hopefully) behind us, and the world begins to reflect the message of
new life; resurrected life.

As good as the signs of spring are, the joy of Easter isn’t dependent on daffodils and azaleas.
Instead, the joy of Easter is this: the life of the Spirit is stronger than death. It is our hope and
our faith that Christ, who has died for our sins, now raises us with him in his resurrection.
That is the promise of God in Christ. It is God’s promise that even death does not get the final
word. No matter how we might feel - infirm or tired, young or old, bored or afraid, the God we
know in Christ makes all things new. Because of Christ Jesus, we are now dead to sin and alive
to God. Thanks be to God.

And this year, we’re being invited to live more deeply into that love. Bishop Beaudoin has
named this year’s emphasis “The Way of Love.” The key scripture verse is found in 1 John 4:19:
We love because he first loved us.

Let me quote his writing: “The Way of Love that Jesus calls us to is unconditional. This is a love
that is not based on our worth or our ability to reciprocate. The Way of Love is an active love
that shows up in deeds and not simply words.” He finishes with this: The Way of Love always
begins with God. Here is God’s self-giving love, fully revealed in Jesus, poured into us by the
Holy Spirit, and lived out in our lives for the sake of the other.”

For the remainder of the year, this verse from 1 John will be an emphasis for us as well. It fits
nicely with our “Step out of the boat” theme. It is a call to show what God’s love looks like in
real life, a call for us to show others what God’s love means to us by showing that love as we
“step out of the boat.”

So keep your eyes open this summer and fall—for moments to step out, for opportunities to
love, for the quiet ways God is already at work in you and through you.
Blessings to you all in the name of Jesus +.
Pastor Mark

Quick Links