A Welcome to Thrive Church

By Pastor Tom Anderson

Welcome to Thrive Church! I am so glad you're reading this! We are committed to loving our neighbor no matter who they are and connecting them to the transforming love of Jesus Christ. Jesus came to give us abundant life. We want to live that life and share it with others. That’s the meaning of Thrive Church. If you are just visiting, just beginning or a seasoned member, it’s good to brush up on who we are and what we do.

We have one mission: to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. Everything we do feeds into this fundamental purpose. (See Matthew 28:19) What is a disciple? Simply put he's a follower of Jesus Christ. The journey begins with repentance, faith and baptism. It continues by living in obedient communion with Jesus. It’s a life of love and participation in his mission. (see Matthew 22:37-40) The world is full of brokenness and sin. Our mission is to shine the light of the gospel message to everyone. Salvation is at stake!

Our strategy to carry out this mission is simple: 1) Connect; 2) Grow and 3) Serve! We connect with God and others through faith-sharing, worship and fellowship. We grow by using the means of grace: prayer, fasting, searching the scriptures, Christian gatherings, and Holy Communion. We serve by sharing our time, talents and treasure to show the love of Jesus in practical ways. We serve our families, our church, our community and our world.

What kind of church do we want to be? What is our vision? Our vision is to be a thriving church where families experience life together connecting with Christ, growing in Spirit and serving generously. We’re straining forward to make this a deeper reality each day.

Values describe how we go about our life’s work. Values describe the key character traits of our church family. Our values not only define who we are but they are also our aspirations for each other.

Family. We value authentic relationships with each other. Jesus said, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” We take the time to care for and listen to each other. We rejoice with those who rejoice and grieve with those who grieve. When we offend, we make amends. We do life together in personal connection.

Biblical. We use scripture as a foundation for all that we say and do. The Psalmist said, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” We study it in classes. We sing it in worship. We hold ourselves accountable to it as the rule and guide for our living. John Wesley said, “A Methodist is one who seeks to live his life according to the method laid down in scripture.”

Enthusiasm. We worship joyfully and like to have fun together. The Psalmist invites us, “Worship the Lord with gladness and come before him with joyful songs.” Our services are come-as-you-are. We sing, we shout and we clap our hands. We love to laugh. We do things with spirit and warmth. The joy of the Lord is our strength.

Generosity. We are a people who see human needs and meet them. Paul said to Timothy, “Do good, be rich in good works, be generous and ready to share.” Relieving human suffering in body or spirit is our special interest be it our local Community Sharing ministry, children in Pontiac, the homeless in Detroit, Mexico and Africa or inviting new people to faith in Christ.

Serving. We value each other’s talents and gifts. Peter wrote, “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace.” Every member is in ministry. Every member aspires to serve others every week. It starts in our homes with family members and neighbors, extends into work, school, church and the world.