This weekend, Teaching Pastor Sean Palmer shared an important message on the purpose of the Church; exploring the nature of division throughout God's story in scripture, and the call of God's people into the ministry of reconciliation.  

This week, Pastor Chris Seay shares with us the opportunity to be present in our pain. He shares 4 simple things to do during this season of lament in our city as we recover and heal. Will you lean in together with our community? Join us this week as we pray the Prayer of Dependence 500 times a day.

Our dear friends, Dr. Dan Allender and Rachael Anne Clinton from The Seattle School, joined us to offer vital language and great hope for the unavoidable trauma of this challenging time. We encourage you to share it with others as we seek to not merely rebuild, but truly experience transformation as individuals, as a church, and as a city in this long season of healing. 

Pastor Sean Palmer offered meaningful guidance toward finding peace and faith in a season that is overwhelming in so many ways. As the recovery from Hurricane Harvey has only just begun, how will we center our reliance on God to provide the direction and endurance needed for the long road ahead? 

We were overwhelmed and grateful to gather together as a family in the aftermath of the devastating storm that has rocked Houston and our wider region. Pastor Chris Seay shared a message on our love for this city, how we face with hope and resilience the trauma we've endured, and the call of the Church to lead the way as we rebuild and restore.

Pastor Chris Seay continued our series, The Gospel According To C.S. Lewis; challenging us to combat hatred by making the first step of committing ourselves in significant and tangible actions to care for abused and neglected children in our own community and around the world. If we are to see every child with the eyes of Jesus, as our own, how will we stand defiantly against the darkness for the sake of generations to come?  

Pastor Sean Palmer continued our recent series. In a "show-off" culture where we are prone to project a carefully crafted image of ourselves, prone to believe we are "better than....", how does Jesus lead us instead into the kind of humility which aligns our sight with reality? Are the deep divisions in our culture in part a product of individuals and groups lashing out over the need to feel significant at the expense of the other?

Pastor Sean Palmer continued our ongoing series; teaching from Genesis on how we truly seek and submit to God's will, the ways that we are prone to avoid trial and pain by claiming that our will and God's are one in the same, and an encouragement that God's will may not be as mysterious or far off as we tend to believe.

Pastor Chris Seay continued our recent series, teaching on the vital place of beauty within the church and in our lives. Seeking beauty is one of the core rhythms of Ecclesia; and in seeking, we find that we are surrounded by the beauty of God's love in creation and in all those who bear his image, and are drawn ever closer to the heart of Christ. 

Pastor Sean Palmer continued our series drawing from scripture and the unique insight of writer C.S. Lewis to approach the reality of evil. Do we believe that we live in an enchanted world in which there exist dark forces at work, and how will we embrace our call to be a vital part of the "resistance", committed to standing against evil in our midst? 

Our Teaching Pastor, Sean Palmer, continued our recent series with an important word on prayer; how it brings us into greater alignment with God's will, why it is often so difficult for us, and how we can embrace the fullness, simplicity, and mystery of prayer in our longing to hear God's voice in our lives. 

Pastor Chris Seay continues our series drawing from Scripture and the unique insight of writer and theologian C.S. Lewis to teach on the necessity of imagination as we consider our part in God's story; the kind of imagination through which we join in the audacity of the prophets, gain sight for the unseen, rediscover the joy of play, and deepen our love and capacity for prayer. 

Pastor Chris Seay teaches from Rome following a recent invitation to meet Pope Francis. Chris asks us to reflect upon the beauty of the teaching, art, and history we receive from the Catholic Church, and consider how we can acknowledge our differences without becoming further divided from our true identity as one united body in Christ. 

Pastor Chris Seay continues our recent series, drawing from Scripture and the unique insights of theologian C.S. Lewis to teach on courage. What barriers keep us locked in places of fear and inaction, and how does love transform and embolden us to live courageously? 

Our guest teacher, Gideon Tsang, taught from the Book of Acts to consider the Holy Spirit poured out on all flesh as the source of our energy, offering dreams and visions to guide us into deeper understanding of the meaning of our experiences, and granting us the power and language to speak healing and unity. 

Pastor Chris Seay continued our recent series, drawing from Scripture and the unique insight of theologian C.S. Lewis as he taught about the ways in which the implications of Jesus' incarnation have often been historically misunderstood or understated. God became fully man; and that truth must radically transform our lives, our beliefs about our bodies and the created world, and point us toward our shared calling of living fully into the image of Christ. 

This Sunday, we were excited to welcome the newest member of our pastoral team, Sean Palmer, to enter the scriptures and teach on transformation; our resistance to being truly transformed, how we submit to God in the ways he wants us to change, and its nature as a continual process unfolding over a lifetime. 

Pastor Chris Seay continues our series drawing from Scripture and the unique theological insight of C.S. Lewis to explore the nature of true friendship. Jesus not only dwelt among us, but called us his friends, inviting us to embrace the kind of deep friendship that we believe will transform us, those with whom we're in relationship, and ultimately the world.

Our guest teacher, Sarah Thebarge shared pieces of her incredible story; surviving cancer, befriending a Somali refugee family, and serving as a medical missionary in Togo, to consider the meaning of faith, hope, and love. We are called to "the greatest of these", driven by a love that perseveres and lives in action as we seek to join God in the work of healing brokenness in the world. 

Guest teacher Jeanne Stevens taught from Paul's letter to the Romans, inviting us to consider the difficult circumstances and battles in our lives in the light of who God has told us he is, and who he tells us that we are. None of us are immune from trial and grief, but all of us are equipped to be more than conquerors with God by our side.