Bryan Tomes, Lead Pastor
Worship Style - Contemporary
Interestingly, quite often when we have visited a church during our pilgrimage, the lead pastor is not giving the sermon. This was the case again this week. The guest speaker was Pastor Bob Wise. Also, we have consistently encountered attending a church in the middle of a series. This was the case again this week. The series was entitled, "Stories."
Pastor Wise was there to share his story, and his wife, Jane, also shared her story. They were a couple of steelworkers' kids, first to graduate from high school and then college in their respective families. They both had amazing life stories. They had been married for 50 years and had met when they were 11 and 10 years old. They have years of history, experiences, and wisdom to share. Each of them took experiences from their lives that they then related to a variety of scriptures. They spoke of being saved, being baptized, tithing, and prioritizing God, sharing various scriptures to support their beliefs. Jane also shared that when you are in a battle (particularly fighting cancer), you are never alone when you have Jesus. (Psalm 41:3). They blessed the congregation with personal, intimate, and poignant testimonies.
The closing scripture and challenge that they shared was John 1:12, "Yet to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God..." This was firmly suggested to be the most important human right. Therefore, as children of God, why do we deny others of this fundamental human right and keep silent about our Lord and Savior?
Worship Style - Contemporary
Interestingly, quite often when we have visited a church during our pilgrimage, the lead pastor is not giving the sermon. This was the case again this week. The guest speaker was Pastor Bob Wise. Also, we have consistently encountered attending a church in the middle of a series. This was the case again this week. The series was entitled, "Stories."
Pastor Wise was there to share his story, and his wife, Jane, also shared her story. They were a couple of steelworkers' kids, first to graduate from high school and then college in their respective families. They both had amazing life stories. They had been married for 50 years and had met when they were 11 and 10 years old. They have years of history, experiences, and wisdom to share. Each of them took experiences from their lives that they then related to a variety of scriptures. They spoke of being saved, being baptized, tithing, and prioritizing God, sharing various scriptures to support their beliefs. Jane also shared that when you are in a battle (particularly fighting cancer), you are never alone when you have Jesus. (Psalm 41:3). They blessed the congregation with personal, intimate, and poignant testimonies.
The closing scripture and challenge that they shared was John 1:12, "Yet to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God..." This was firmly suggested to be the most important human right. Therefore, as children of God, why do we deny others of this fundamental human right and keep silent about our Lord and Savior?