Welcome
Message from Sharon Gearing, our Pastor
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Welcome
to the website of Westminster Presbyterian Church. I am thrilled that
you have taken the time to visit our webpage. When considering what
I most wanted to share with you, I thought long and hard. “What
is the most important, most basic idea I would really like you to
know?” It’s actually quite simple, “God loves you.”
God loves you. Yes, it is simple, but also beyond your first impression.
You see, I’m not talking about a syrupy, sweet love. I’m
talking about a love that won’t ever end. A love not determined
by your thoughts or actions. A love not based on how hard you work
at being a Christian, or how involved you are in a church, or how
well you know the Bible. A love from God that doesn’t even care
if you believe in Him. No matter what, God loves you. You are his
special child, and that’s what matters.
There is a misconception that Christianity is all about following
strict rules that govern your life and how you live it. That if you
have too much fun, God won’t love you. You may even be one of
the many that are disillusioned with churches. You’ve felt the
sting of judgment from those who call themselves Christians, the same
people that should accept and love you without condition. Sadly, this
is all too common. What Jesus teaches us about God is exactly the
opposite. Jesus teaches us of a loving God that wishes us to be happy
and to love one another. Jesus had a great time with his followers
and with the people he met. He loved each and every one of them with
his entire being. Imagine how meaningful it is to be with those you
love, and those that love you without condition.
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know that life is not all fun and joy. Even Jesus had his struggles.
He had stress, he had frustration, and he was eventually tortured
and murdered. If you are struggling right now, know that Jesus also
struggled. By coming to us as a flesh and blood man, God was subjected
to persecution, prejudice, racism, and hatred. Jesus wept on the ground
in prayer the night he was falsely arrested. We believe that through
Jesus, God knows the pain and suffering that we endure in our lives.
God knows your pain, and weeps for you.
The great news
is that God loves each of us enough that God uses God’s power
to transform our sorrows into joy. God wants you to have a full,
meaningful life. In fact, God has a vision for your life that is
beyond your imagination. God has given each of us very special gifts,
and wants you to use your gifts to be the best you can be. Faith
in God isn’t about rules, it’s about opening ourselves
up to God’s love and direction, so that God can transform
us and God’s world into a new, meaningful, and perfect creation.
I pray that
you will feel the love of God in your life. My hope is this. If
you are looking for a group of people who love each other and who
support each other through the joys of life as well as the hardships
we all face… if you are looking to be surrounded by people
who strive to help each other to be open to God’s love…
if you are looking for people who are seeking God’s direction
in the messy and complicated journey known as life, that you will
come to Westminster, or any other church, and join those people
in their own journey.
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