Sundays // 9AM

Our Sunday morning Connections Class takes place every Sunday at 9AM. Grab a coffee and join us as we tackle some of the key themes from the Apostle Paul's last words in 2 Timothy. Final words from a prisoner facing death carry a lot of weight, even today. Let's discuss 2 Timothy together.

December 1st was the last class before the Christmas Break. We will resume on January 5th.

October 28th, November 4th, 18th, & 25th

Earlier this year, an American social psychologist named Jonathan Haidt published a book called, The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness. In his book, Haidt presents research that shows the negative impact of a phone-based childhood, including adverse effects of heavy social media usage during childhood and addiction to video games. He also claims that emphasis on virtual relationships and a lack of real-life relationships are causing this generation to experience a greater level of loneliness, isolation, and anxiety.

The scientific evidence for the benefits of an authentic community and the downsides of phone-based relationships is well documented. However, Haidt’s recommended response to the anxious generation phenomenon caught me off guard. He calls his readers to return to ancient spiritual practices and cites from the bible several times. I should note that Haidt is an atheist, but he recognizes the values of biblical principles. It is interesting to see that a scientific approach to facing the challenges of an anxious generation led to spiritual and biblical exploration. As Christ followers, we should not be surprised that the bible offers an incredibly rich teaching on the topic of anxiety.

The bible teaches, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7). Does this mean that it is sinful to be anxious? Or does it mean that God doesn’t care about our anxieties and wants us to just get over it? No, the bible teaches us a much more comprehensive perspective on human anxiety; that God cares deeply about our concerns, and desires to help us navigate through our anxieties and find the solid foundation of Jesus Christ on which we could build our lives with peace and confidence in this anxiety filled world.

Our church hosted a class to study Haidt’s book together and to explore the bible’s teachings on how to live meaningfully in this anxious generation. In this class, we studied Jonathan Haidt’s book, explored the biblical teachings on how to respond faithfully to the challenges of our generation, and examined how we can be present, focused, and rested Christ followers in order to offer the world a non-anxious presence—the presence of Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit.

This class took place on the following evenings:

October 28 - Download Slides
November 4 - Download Slides
November 18 - Download Slides
November 25 - Download Slides

November 30th

Our Stephen Ministry team hosted a special class on November 30th (9AM-12PM) to equip us to better serve those who are facing mental health challenges. As Christians, we have the opportunity to be the hands and feet of Jesus, showing his love to those who are hurting. While this calling is true for all believers, many of us don't feel qualified or adequately equipped to care in a meaningful and impactful way. 

Dr. Josh Kruse helped equip us in caring for people using his Listen, Guide, and Pray Model. Dr. Josh pastored for nearly a decade at Village Church and is a registered psychologist with a passion for helping people help people. We looked at ways to listen well to better understand what is going on for the person who is struggling. From there, we used our understanding of their circumstances to guide them with and towards resources. Then, we learned how to apply the gospel and prayer to their situation to help them connect with God and his love, support, comfort, and guidance.

Whether you are a Stephen's Minister, Care Ministry Team member, community group leader, or someone who informally supports others, you will benefit from Dr. Josh's training as you learn to minister better to those that God brings along your path.