Church Potluck Picnic in the Park
Church potluck picnic at Oakhurst Park Pavilion at 6:30 p.m. Bring a dish to share. The church will provide tableware and ice cream. Feel free to bring outdoor games to share (cornhole, frisbee, etc.) See you there!
Tag: church community
Women’s Group
This is a social group for women at The Journey Church. They usually meet on the 2nd Saturday of every month in a member’s home or somewhere in the community. If you’d like to be kept up to date on where the next gathering will be, please sign up on the Connect Tables at church and Christie Sears Thompson will reach out to you.
British Tea Party Fundraiser
Kelly Thomas is hosting a British tea party, complete with a variety of teas, scones, and other treats on Saturday, May 16th and Sunday, May 17th, from 3:00–5:00 p.m. Kelly is putting this on as a free-will fundraiser for those who would like to donate financially. All funds will go to The Journey Church. Please sign up at church on the Connect Tables at church on Sunday.
Why We Struggle With Connection—and Where Peace Begins
This week’s teaching explored why we long for connection but often struggle to experience it, and how God’s design—and His peace—leads us back to wholeness. It matters because in a world full of relational tension, God offers a better way forward through shalom, a deeper kind of peace that restores connection.
This Week’s Sermon: I Desire Connection
Key Takeaways
- We were created for connection, but brokenness often leads us to withdraw or attack instead.
- Real relationships require vulnerability, even though it feels risky.
- Every person carries brokenness, so grace is essential in every relationship.
- God’s vision for relationships is shalom—deep, interconnected peace.
- We can actively bring peace into our relationships by becoming “shalom makers.”
Sermon Highlights: Finding True Connection Through God’s Peace
Most of us want deeper connection in our lives—but we also know how complicated that can be. Relationships can feel risky. We’ve all experienced moments where opening up led to hurt, misunderstanding, or disappointment. So we learn to protect ourselves. Sometimes we pull back. Sometimes we push back. Either way, we end up stuck in a tension: we want connection, but we’re not sure how to get there without getting hurt.
That’s where this week’s teaching meets us—with an honest look at that tension and a hopeful path forward by finding true connection through God’s peace.
Big Idea of This Week’s Teaching
We were created for deep, meaningful connection, but because of brokenness, we often struggle to experience it. The good news is that God invites us into finding true connection through God’s peace—a kind of relational wholeness the Bible calls shalom.
Key Scriptures
- Genesis 1–3 — These chapters show God’s original design for connection, the introduction of brokenness, and the relational tension that followed.
- Genesis 2:15–25 — Highlights that humans were created for meaningful work and deep connection, including vulnerability without shame.
- 2 Corinthians 5:17 — Points to the hope of becoming a new creation, moving us toward restoration.
- Philippians 4:7 — Describes God’s peace as something that guards our hearts and minds.
- Matthew 5:9 — Calls us to be peacemakers, or “shalom makers,” in the world.
1. Finding true connection starts with God’s design
In Genesis 2, we see a powerful truth: even in a perfect world, God says, “It is not good for man to be alone.” That’s not a flaw—it’s a clue. We were made for connection. Before anything was broken, there was relationship. Not just between people, but within God Himself. The Trinity—Father, Son, and Spirit—reflects connection at the deepest level.
“Is there anybody I can love and who will love me? I just want somebody to love.”
Finding true connection through God’s peace begins by recognizing that connection isn’t optional for us. It’s foundational. When we ignore that, we feel it—loneliness, disconnection, or a sense that something isn’t quite right.
2. Finding true connection is hard because of brokenness
Genesis 3 introduces the reality we all live with now: broken relationships. Shame enters the picture. Hiding becomes normal. Vulnerability feels dangerous.
The sermon described this through the “porcupine dilemma.” Like porcupines, we have ways of hurting each other—through words, actions, or withdrawal. So we either pull away or lash out. And yet, even with all that, we still long for connection.
Finding true connection through God’s peace means acknowledging this tension honestly. We are all, in a sense, “as is”—each carrying our own wounds, patterns, and imperfections. Recognizing that doesn’t make relationships hopeless. It actually opens the door for grace.
3. Finding true connection through God’s peace requires vulnerability
One of the most striking images in Genesis 2 is this: “They were both naked and felt no shame.” It’s not just about physical vulnerability—it’s about emotional and relational openness. That kind of openness feels almost impossible now. We’ve learned to guard ourselves. We carefully choose what we reveal and what we hide.
But finding true connection through God’s peace involves moving, even slowly, toward that kind of honesty again. Not recklessly, but intentionally. It means allowing ourselves to be known—by God first, and then by others in safe, healthy ways. It’s not about perfection. It’s about trust, built over time, rooted in grace.
4. Finding true connection through God’s peace leads to shalom
The Bible’s vision for relationships isn’t just “getting along.” It’s something deeper: shalom. Shalom means peace—but not just the absence of conflict. It’s a sense of wholeness, harmony, and connection between God, people, and creation.
“Blessed are the shalom makers, the peacemakers.”
Finding true connection through God’s peace is really about stepping into that kind of life. A life where we are at peace within ourselves, which allows us to bring peace into our relationships. This is what Jesus invites us into. Not perfect relationships, but relationships marked by grace, safety, and growing connection.
Practicing This Week
- Take a few minutes each day to ask God for peace in your inner life.
- Notice where you tend to withdraw or attack in relationships, and pause before reacting.
- Choose one relationship where you can take a small step toward honesty or openness.
- Practice being a “shalom maker” by responding with patience instead of defensiveness.
Questions for Reflection
- Where do I tend to withdraw or attack in my relationships?
- What would it look like for me to experience more of God’s peace internally?
- Is there a relationship where God might be inviting me toward greater openness?
- How can I bring peace into my family, friendships, or workplace this week?
We don’t have to figure this out perfectly. The invitation isn’t to become flawless—it’s to become open to God’s work in us. As we move toward finding true connection through God’s peace, we can trust that He is already at work—restoring, healing, and reconnecting us, one step at a time. There is grace for the process. And there is hope for deeper connection than we may have thought possible.
Remembering Together: Our Good Friday Agape Feast at The Journey Church
On Good Friday, April 3, 2026, our community at The Journey Church in Westminster, Colorado gathered for one of the most meaningful traditions of the year—our annual Good Friday Agape Feast.
The evening began, as it always does, around tables filled with food and conversation. This shared potluck meal reflects the heart of the early church—people coming together not just for worship, but for relationship. There’s something deeply grounding about breaking bread with one another before turning our attention to the significance of the cross. It reminds us that faith was never meant to be lived alone.
After the meal, we moved into a simple, informal service centered on the final words of Jesus. Often called “The Seven Last Sayings,” these statements from the cross give us a powerful window into the heart of Christ in his final moments.
Seven members of our church each took one of these sayings and spent weeks reflecting on it—sitting with it, praying through it, and considering what it reveals about Jesus and about our own lives. Then, one by one, they came forward to share.
We heard Jesus speak forgiveness: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”
We heard his promise of hope: “Today you will be with me in paradise.”
We saw his care for others even in suffering: “Behold your son… behold your mother.”
We felt the weight of his anguish: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
We were reminded of his humanity: “I thirst.”
We stood in the truth of his victory: “It is finished.”
And we witnessed his surrender: “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.”
Each reflection was different—personal, honest, and deeply human. That’s part of what makes this service so special. These aren’t polished sermons from a stage. They are real stories and insights from people in our own community—people we sit next to on Sundays, but don’t always get to hear from in this way.
And something beautiful happens in that space.
As we listen, we begin to understand one another more deeply. We hear how different lives intersect with the same words of Jesus. We see how his sacrifice meets each of us in unique places—our struggles, our questions, our gratitude, our hope.
The Good Friday Agape Feast is not a somber reenactment as much as it is a shared remembering—one that holds both the weight of the cross and the quiet joy of being together in it. It draws us closer to Jesus, and just as importantly, closer to each other.
In a world that often feels disconnected, this night reminds us of something simple and powerful: we are a community shaped by grace, gathered around a table, and held together by the love of Christ.
Lent at The Journey Church: A Season of Reflection, Generosity, and Hope
Lent at The Journey Church is a season of reflection, generosity, and spiritual growth leading up to Easter. During these forty days, we slow down, remember the sacrifice of Jesus, and practice simple ways of growing in faith together as a community.
Refocusing Our Lives
Each year, the Christian calendar invites us into rhythms that help us pause, reflect, and refocus our lives on what matters most. One of the most meaningful of these seasons is Lent. At The Journey Church, Lent is a time when we intentionally slow down, reflect on our faith, and prepare our hearts for Easter.
Lent at The Journey Church begins on Ash Wednesday and continues through Good Friday and Easter Sunday. This season traces its roots back to the early church. In the earliest centuries of Christianity, believers would spend time fasting and reflecting between Good Friday and Easter as they remembered the sacrifice of Jesus and anticipated the celebration of his resurrection.
Over time, this practice expanded into the forty-day season we know today. For centuries, Christians around the world have used this season as an opportunity to step back from the busyness of everyday life and reconnect with their faith. At The Journey Church, we continue this tradition in ways that are simple, meaningful, and accessible for everyone.
Slowing Down During Lent
One of the central invitations of Lent at The Journey Church is to slow down. Life moves quickly, and it is easy to go weeks or even months without intentionally reflecting on our spiritual lives. Lent gives us space to pause and remember what our faith is really about.
Throughout this season, we encourage people to take time to reflect on the life and sacrifice of Jesus. This reflection helps us approach Easter not just as a holiday, but as the celebration of the resurrection that sits at the center of the Christian story.
This year during Lent, our Sunday teaching series is called “Spiritually Formed.” Through this series, we will explore what it means to grow in our faith and allow God to shape our lives from the inside out. Each week we will look at practices and perspectives that help us become more rooted in the love of God and more aware of how our faith shapes our everyday lives.
Giving Something Up
One of the most well-known traditions during Lent is the practice of giving something up. At The Journey Church, we invite everyone to consider setting aside something meaningful for the forty days leading up to Easter.
The purpose is not simply self-denial. Instead, it is about creating a small but intentional reminder of our faith. When we give something up for Lent, it helps us pause and remember the sacrifice of Jesus and the love that led him to the cross.
For some people, this might be giving up a certain food or drink. Others might step away from something like social media, entertainment, or another daily habit. The specific choice is personal and flexible. The goal is simply to choose something that helps you pause and reflect whenever you notice its absence.
During Lent at The Journey Church, each moment of that reminder becomes an opportunity to reflect on what Christ gave up so that we might experience life and hope.
Giving Something Out
Alongside giving something up, we also practice giving something out. Lent at The Journey Church includes an opportunity for generosity through our annual Rice Bowl project.
Rice Bowls are small containers that people take home during Lent. Throughout the season, you can place spare change or bills inside them. At the end of Lent, these gifts are collected and donated to support vulnerable children and orphans in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Globally, there are more than 160 million orphaned children, with many living in extremely difficult circumstances. Through the Rice Bowl project, our church partners with organizations working specifically in Sub-Saharan Africa, where many children face challenges like poverty, hunger, and limited access to support.
Most of the compassion projects we support as a church focus on our local community. Rice Bowls give us the opportunity to extend that compassion globally and support children who need care and resources. Our goal this year is to raise $1,000 to support this work.
If you would like to participate, simply pick up a Rice Bowl at church and place your donations in it throughout the season.
Good Friday Agape Feast
Another meaningful tradition during Lent at The Journey Church is our annual Good Friday Agape Feast.
The word “agape” is a Greek word used in the New Testament to describe self-giving love. In the early church, believers would gather for a shared community meal called an Agape Feast. This meal reminded them of the love of Christ and the unity of the church.
Each year on Good Friday, we continue this tradition together. Our Agape Feast is a potluck-style meal where everyone is invited to bring something to share. It is a simple and meaningful evening that includes food, conversation, and a short reflective service as we remember the sacrifice of Jesus on Good Friday.
This gathering also helps us prepare our hearts for the joy of Easter Sunday, when we celebrate the resurrection and the hope it brings.
Join Us for Lent at The Journey Church
Lent is not about perfection or pressure. It is about creating space to reflect, reconnect with God, and walk together as a community of faith.
Whether you participate by giving something up, contributing to the Rice Bowl project, attending the Good Friday Agape Feast, or simply engaging with the Spiritually Formed teaching series, Lent at The Journey Church offers a meaningful way to slow down and focus on what truly matters.
As we move through this season together, we invite you to take small steps that help you reflect on your faith and prepare your heart for Easter.
Lent at The Journey Church is ultimately about remembering the love of Christ, growing in faith, and walking toward the hope of resurrection together.