We At St. Paul's Church

OUR CORE VALUES

As we follow Jesus in the transforming power of the Holy Spirit, we value:

– Seeking the Lord through Bible teaching, prayer and worship;

– Passionately serving our local and global communities; and

– Experiencing life together as we grow in faith.

Our highest calling as followers of Jesus is to connect with God. Connecting with God means living each day in a personal relationship with the God who made the universe and everything in it – because God wants that relationship with us! People are the pinnacle of his created order, and God made humanity in his own image, indicating his desire to have a special, unique relationship with people that he has with no other beings.

We believe that connecting with God on a deep level, through Jesus, is the best and only true way to experience a full life in this world and eternal life in the world to come.

How do we connect with God?

First and foremost, we connect with God through worship. This can happen on our own in private devotion, and it can happen with the church gathered together in corporate praise. Each of these plays an important role in the life of the Christ-follower as we seek to develop our relationship with God. Our time of private Bible reading and prayer at home is a dialogue, wherein God speaks to us through his Word (the Bible), and we share our deepest thoughts and feelings with God as we talk to him (through prayer). Among the church family, we connect with God through our worship time together on Sunday, and through our other faith building activities with other believers.

Any organism that stops growing stops living. That’s why, once we connect with God, it’s important for us to grow in Christ. Growing in Christ happens as we mature, both spiritually and emotionally, in our walk with God.

How do we grow in Christ? This comes through our understanding and application of the Bible. After all, filling our heads with Bible knowledge doesn’t mean much if it doesn’t somehow spill over into daily living. That’s why we listen to Sunday messages, read Christian literature, and discuss our faith with other pilgrims on the journey of life in Christ.

At St. Paul’s, we have three main resources that will help you grow in Christ (click here to learn more about how we help kids to grow in Christ):

• Sermons that we hear at worship take a passage of the Bible, explain it and apply it so that we can make a difference for God in the world. Our Pastor records his messages each week and posts them to his blog (http://www. passionatelyhis.com) so you can listen again if you wish, or so you can pass along the link to a friend.

• Our Library is full of excellent Christian reading material to build your faith – everything from Christian fiction to Bible commentaries can be found in our Library, at the far west end of the building, beyond the gym. Books are available for borrowing in the usual manner libraries loan books, except you don’t need a card!

• LifeConnect Groups are groups of up to about 12 people who meet together, usually in people’s homes, to discuss some material based on the previous Sunday’s message, to pray together, and to enjoy each other’s company. Joining a LifeConnect Group for 9 weeks at a time will help build your faith as you share with others who share life’s struggles and joys.

One of the things the Bible tells us about being followers of Jesus is that it’s not just a ‘head’ thing – it’s practical. God calls his people to put their faith to work through serving in various ways, according to the gifts he has given us.

And as we serve, we do so in community. It’s possible to be a follower of Jesus in isolation, but, like an ember set aside from the heat of the fire, it’s much easier for our faith to be ‘snuffed out’ when we try to live it out on our own. That’s where the church comes in. The church is composed of growing followers of Jesus and their children, and we can do together what would be much harder to do alone.

Being in community is a ‘Sunday’ thing, of course – our corporate worship enhances our personal worship. Being in community is also a day-to-day thing. When we join a LifeConnect Group, we can study, pray, and engage in mission with other followers of Jesus.

Serving in community allows us to build our relationship with God, and our relationships with others. It’s an exciting journey!

Jeff Loach (B.A., University of Waterloo; M.Div., Tyndale Seminary; D.Min., Ashland Theological Seminary; Th.M. Tyndale Seminary; C.S.D., Canadian Council of Professional Certification) is a minister in the Reformed tradition, serving as Lead Pastor of St. Paul’s Church, Nobleton, Ontario, since January 2009.  Prior to accepting this call, Jeff served as Central Ontario District Director for the Canadian Bible Society, and in pastorates in Bruce County, downtown Windsor, and suburban Toronto.

Jeff also serves as Clerk of the Presbytery of Oak Ridges, as a certified spiritual director in private practice, and as an adjunct instructor in spiritual theology at Tyndale Seminary, Toronto.  He is an Oblate of the Order of St. Benedict, affiliated with St. Vincent Archabbey in Latrobe, Pennsylvania.

Jeff’s passion for the Word, and for the church, is only slightly rivaled by his passion for the sport of curling, and for his hobby, model railroading.  Jeff is building an HO-scale empire in his basement that seeks to replicate the railways of the North Bay area in late September, 1978.   He is married to Diana, a curriculum designer, bookstore associate, and children’s ministry consultant.

They enjoy railfanning, RVing, and quiet evenings at home.

To contact Jeff at the church, email jeff@stpaulsnobleton.ca.

Read Jeff’s Blog