Throughout the past month, our church (Slave Lake Alliance Church or SLAC) has been rekindling the fire of our faith and family life as we met regularly to join in worship each week.  It has been an exciting time for many of us!

So let’s recap…Our church mission statement is as follows, “Because we love God and care about people, we are compelled to address the spiritual, physical and emotional needs of our church and community.”

Spiritual

Caring for our spirituality is a big part of why we do ‘church’ every week.  It is because of our faith that we are compelled to address our spiritual needs and the needs of those around us.  It is true though that spirituality is an easy thing to pretend, and we are often tempted to do just that.  We want our church to be healthy and to take care of the internal part of ourselves that may be struggling, including the spiritual.  We want to bear healthy fruit in our lives and share that with our community so they in turn can bear healthy fruit.

Challenge: There is a difference between being religious and being a Christian.  We want the inward, healthy change to lead to outward growth.  

Physical

When we think of outward growth or the external, we think of the physical act of being together.  The practice of hospitality is where we as a church can be physically present in the lives of others.  Good hospitality is an outpouring of the gospel, and leads to the spiritual and emotional parts of peoples’ lives as we engage in relationships.  

Challenge: As we think about our daily lives, who do we know that needs to experience the hospitality we can offer?  Who needs to experience the touch of Jesus in their lives?

Emotional

We want to be a healthy and balanced church in all aspects including the emotional.  Our spiritual self is connected to our emotional self and our brokenness can be caused by a lack of understanding.  Perhaps we are unable to receive and live out of God’s grace, love and forgiveness.  We may have a hard time applying God’s grace to ourselves and also in turn have a hard time giving it to others.  If we don’t feel it, we may not be ready to give it.  

Challenge: How do we identify and learn to give unconditional grace, love and forgiveness to ourselves and those around us?  

As a church body, we look forward to moving ahead in our growth and relationships as we seek God in each area of the physical, spiritual and emotional. 

 II Timothy 1:6-7 “For this reason I remind you to kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.  For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.”