Pen's Calling

"I feel strongly that God is calling me into ministry with a church that asks itself the question at the heart of Paul’s letter to the church at Corinth: how are we to live as a set-apart people in a world that too often fails to mirror what God intends?

I believe that the church is called to struggle with this question - not to disengage with the world in an attempt to perfect our piety, and certainly not to allow the church to cater to the needs of our culture in an effort to become more attractive.

I believe … that we are faced with a particularly pointed question: whom do we trust? We are called to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ, who, in the face of fear, ushered in a new reality that confounded the powers that promulgated that fear. We are called to put our trust in the God of Abraham and Sarah, who shattered limitations and expectations and raised up a people.

It is exceedingly important to remember to whom we belong and to whom the church belongs - not to a particular ideology, or issue, or manifestation of fear - but to Jesus Christ, who claims us through the power of the cross".