God does not call us to simply believe certain teachings or doctrines, and to go to church on Sunday mornings. We are not called to pray certain prayers and to go through certain motions as if doing these things are sure to earn us God's favour. God is not a far and distant being who demands that we worship in a certain way.
Perhaps it would be more helpful to see our relationship with God, not as something that is "fixed" for all-time, but as a journey. In our daily living and with the passage of time, we walk through life hand-in-hand with God. Since it is a journey, there is much we can learn and experience about God along the way. As we learn and experience new things about God, we grow spiritually.
As Christians, we are certainly called to engage in spiritual growth. We are called to invite the Holy Spirit into our lives, to model our way of being and living against the character of Jesus Christ, and to become more loving just as God the "Father" is loving. In fact, if one has heeded Jesus' call to repentance and to being "born again", then ongoing spiritual growth and development is not optional.
To help us along this journey, a number of spiritual growth programs are offered at Palermo United Church.
Bible Study: An occasion to gather with others who are interested in learning more about the Bible, and in how it can apply to daily life. No prior knowledge of the Bible is needed to join-in!
Worship Leadership: Some find that helping during worship by doing things like singing in the choir, reading from the Scriptures, serving communion, greeting people, and so forth are ways that they get closer to God. At Palermo United, congregants are always welcome to assist in any of these ways.
Sunday School: During Sunday morning worship, children 13 and under may choose to join-in our Sunday School. There, they'll have the occasion to learn about the Bible and Christian faith in both a fun and safe atmosphere.
Confirmation Classes:
From February 23 until June 8th Confirmation Classes at
taking place. Four of our teen agers are engaging in a
bi-monthly spiritual growth and learning experience with the
hope of becoming full members in the United Church of Canada
in June 2014.
All of this, however, is just the beginning. As the congregation grows and develops, more spiritual growth programs will be offered. All depends on the needs and interests of the people.