We are "one body and one Spirit, just as we were called to one hope; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all."
(cf. Eph 4:1-5)
We share in common our faith.
That's easy to say, right? But what does it mean? What is it that we believe together? Who is the one God and Father of all? What about Jesus—where does he come in? What...or who...is the trinity? And how does the Holy Spirit figure in?
I'm glad you asked. This fall, regardless of the outside temperatures, our whole family will be walking through the essentials of our faith. You'll find our Statement of Faith by clicking here: https://www.lakeave.org/what-we-believe.
While the Statement of Faith makes for a good read, there are some heavy phrases in there, and it's tough to wallow through alone. That's why, from our youngest children to our most senior adults, all of our family will have the opportunity to learn about our Shared Faith.
There's no final exam, but we hope that your lives will be impacted as we unpack who is God? What is the Gospel? What about sin? We'll learn about Jesus our Rescuer, the Promise of the Holy Spirit, and our role as his church. Our children will walk through the same Statement of Faith as our adults, week by week, but will engage with it in different ways—with activities, games and ways that use our bodies.
We're not looking only for results here, and the intent is not to cram lots of info in your heads. Instead, as we travel together this Fall through the articles of faith, one by one, we'll grow common vocabulary and experiences and some rigorous conversations and hopefully solid spiritual growth.
We're offering a number of ways to participate—and for starters you can here are some of our favorite:
• Small groups are starting up, and an easy entry into one is to come here Wed night, 7-8:30 pm (FL204/205).
• Lake U offers weekly classes, taking time to explore one article of faith each Sunday at 9 and 11 am.
• Especially, try out the personal devotions each week on the website—there's even a version for families to do together.
Need some one-on-one? After the worship service, make your way to the Pathways Center and one of our volunteers will help you out. Or visit sharedfaith.lakeave.org for all of the ways to participate. https://www.lakeave.org/shared-faith/
To His Glory,
Carol Kenyon
