Dear friends,
As you may know, every fall and spring we conduct a fund drive to keep our church going. So from now until June 14th, we are inviting you to become a Supporting Member of OSC. Supporting Members are those who commit to give regularly to support our mission.
Why does this matter? Let me answer by telling you about a few of our newest friends who have joined OSC this year.
Discovering a bigger God
One woman who joined OSC this year shared with me that she was raised in a church that believes women are subordinate to men. This badly stained her view of both God and herself. But a few years ago, she began to question those ideas and break free of those constraints. She told me, “I am so grateful to be at a church now where I’m allowed to see God as bigger than I ever imagined, and where I know my voice counts just as much as anyone’s.”
As someone who is dedicated to seeing women lead, I cherished hearing that.
Discovering a more just God
Before he joined, a man in his early 30’s wanted to know what I thought about Christianity’s long history of violence in God’s name. I shared that we prioritize the teachings of Christ, who instructed us to love our enemy (not kill them!). Relieved, he said, “I can’t raise my kids to believe in a violent and vengeful God." He has now become a leader at OSC, even though at his prior church he felt pressured to not ask those kinds of questions.
As a father of three myself, I can very much relate to his concerns.
Discovering a more generous God
Another man in his 60’s introduced himself to me after a few Sundays: “You seem a bit liberal,” he teased. “You should know, politically speaking, I am just to the right of Attila the Hun!” We shared a good laugh about that. But then he told me, with sadness, how he had been banned from volunteering at his old church because he expressed some thoughts about Christ’s atonement that the Pastor felt were doctrinally incorrect.
It broke my heart to imagine this kind, thoughtful man relegated to the sidelines because of a minor difference of opinion.
These stories are very common among the 60 or so people who have become part of The Oceanside Sanctuary this past year.
In our culture, people are becoming more informed about matters of faith, which often leads them to question ideas that some churches have held onto very tightly. This has created a rapidly growing number of spiritually homeless people in the United States. Some have left church for good (click here if you’re interested in reading more about that). But many others are longing for a more just and generous expression of Christianity.
At The Oceanside Sanctuary, we are called to create just such a community, and to welcome exactly these kinds of people.
We are a good fit for folks like this, because we don’t police boundaries of belief. Our church is made stronger by a diversity of voices. We need each other to draw closer to Christ, whom we place at the center of our community.
If you value that mission then please consider becoming a Supporting Member today by signing up quickly and securely by clicking here.
Despite the challenges we are all facing in the Coronavirus Pandemic, it has been a truly remarkable year for our church:
We welcomed 60 new congregants
We started the Second Saturday homeless resource fair
We completed a remodel of the upstairs offices
Sarah’s Hope provided fresh groceries to 125 households each month
We started two new Community Groups
We started an online worship gathering that people are joining from across the country!
Thank you so much for your ongoing support. I am so inspired and humbled to be part of this remarkable community of faith.
Jason Coker
Lead Pastor
PS: By the way, we have some fun gifts for those who become Supporting Members. Click here to check out the details at oceansidesanctuary.org/membership