Pilgrim Church

Wandering, deconstructive impulses, and the decision to light a match and walk away... Deconstruction is the systematic pulling apart of the belief system you are/were in… a major faith transition. During Lent, we will look into Deconstruction and Restoration phases of life and faith. Many Christians “are deeply fearful and traumatized by their own curiosity, because of the structure in their comm...

Do you want to speak words that heal and mend the world?  The Bible contains consistent teaching about our words and their power.  There are three speech acts, from three directions, that we can engage  with to alter our perceptions and our realities. These ancient words  empower action that heals the world if we can learn again the power of  our words.

Our words shape the world we live in. From "fake news" and wildly different reports on impeachment, to Communist China's suppression of the truth about the Novel Coronavirus, we live in a world of offence fed by lies and deception. This Sunday at 10 AM, we continue in our series with The Heart and Truth-Telling. Truthful speech that flows out of a new heart helps shape a different kind of church a...

Our words can express the love/kindness that the Jesus Creed tells us is central to our faith. Thoughts of love lead us to actions that are caring and kind. This is COUNTER-CULTURAL for all of us! In the culture of the world, this is a sign of weakness, even stupidity to some, BUT it is the weak things that God uses to confound the wise through which His Power is experienced and made known. We oft...

Pilgrim is so grateful for our students! This Sunday join us as one of our Regent graduate students, Josh Song, from South Korea shares during the teaching time!

 The Right Tools There are different tools for different jobs in life. Tools can be literal objects or skills for doing, and all doing has a thought process behind it. To use a tool efficiently, you practice, even master or memorize it. The focus of this is not the tool, but the goal of adjusting or fixing another object or situation. The right tool matters and makes a job easier. Certain phr...

The Story that Summons What is the core message we are to share as a church? "gospeling declares that Jesus is that rightful Lord, gospeling summons people to turn from their idols to worship and live under that Lord who saves, and gospeling actually puts us in the co-mediating and co-ruling tasks under our Lord Jesus. When we reduce the gospel to only personal salvation, as soterians are tempted...

In January we are on re-centering around Jesus! We're in trouble when we aim for a salvation culture instead of a gospel culture. A church with a gospel culture goes way beyond, "I'm a sinner; Jesus, take my place." Dallas Willard writes, "Gospels of Sin Management" presumes a Christ with no serious work other than redeeming humankind...[and] they foster "vampire Christians,' who only want a...

Join us this Sunday as we welcome guest speaker Jenn Richards, Pastor of Discipleship at Life Church Vancouver in Mount Pleasant!

Advent 4 - Luke 1

The church is about healing and hope rooted in Jesus done from a position of courage and service. The book of 1 Peter ends with encouragement on how to live, that people are not the true enemies we face, and a fierce spiritual war around us. Realizing we are in a toxic place is an empowering truth that helps us navigate life better and learn to resist. One author put it, “Before the truth sets you...

Suffering for the cause of right, for the cause of Jesus, who is love, lived and defined, comes with temptations to turn away. However, this kind of suffering also opens us up to encounter a greater vision of life beyond quickly wilting pleasures. Suffering can be a prelude. If You're Going Through Hell, Keep Going! -Winston Churchill

This Advent we are continuing in First Peter as he writes to encourage the new believers in Asia. This text wrestles with grace and truth and some strange commands about the power of love. One author writes, "Our temptation is to try to separate them... we want love to be “niceness” or “toughness,” but real love is neither of those things (nor is it a combination of the two). It’s a third category...

Join us at 10 AM on the final Sunday in the Western Church year, Christ the King Sunday! As we continue our First Peter Series, we will look at a challenging bit of the New Testament addressing how to think about threats and real suffering inflicted by empires against followers of Jesus. Peter addresses being a jerk and asks believers to “check ourselves”--are we suffering for Christ? In the midst...

The problems ancient Christians faced living in a society that opposed them are present again to us in the post-Christian West (or anywhere, really). Peter gives local advice to new Christians whose family and society see them as a problem. Come out on Sunday at 10 AM to learn what this advice looks like and how we are called to bless unbelievers without compromising on Jesus!

Does the Bible call for sheep-like submission to authorities? Is there something revolutionary to responding in submissive ways, loving and breaking cycles of hate? When we respond to the oppressor with hatred we internalize the very evil that is/was oppressing us and become as evil as those we hate. There is another way to live in response to injustice, a third way, a loving subversive submission...

Join us and listen to our special guest, Jacob John, from Acts29 church!

Where do you live? Each of us is building and being shaped into something in our lives. Are you building a source of sanctuary or distress, a place of flourishing or floundering, strength or stumbling? As we continue our look into the ancient book of First Peter, we will learn what makes a good house for being in community and making a difference in the world.  Join us at 10 AM, Sunday!

What does the fullness of God mean and are you sure you haven't mistaken me for someone else? Ephesians 1:15-23 Join us this Sunday at 10 AM as we have Andrés Pérez González share with us!

We wrongly assume that information and facts alone will change us. But the truth is, imagination is a tool that can be shaped for transformation. The Bible calls this spiritual seeing and hearing. Re-presenting old memories, now with Jesus present, can take away the power they have over us and re-program our triggers. Understanding how to use our imagination is a core component of following Jesus...

Don't assimilate! Is the teaching of Peter to the Christians he writes to in Asia. Staying unique by following Jesus as God and his commands of radical love. Not being bound to the rat race of money, sex, and influence, and cultivating wonder are some of the Biblical commands we will explore. Don't assimilate back into what you were glad to leave behind. You left for a reason. Join us October...

There are four aspects of our lives that scriptures call "The Flesh". These aspects keep us from becoming fully alive and more human. They are all around us and in us. Join us for a deep dive into the broken places and learn how they keep us stuck in a self-defeating trap. Join us this Sunday at 10 AM as we continue our Triggered Series. Get out of the trap and start the journey again! Reading Scr...

Our fall verse-by-verse series is through First Peter. This Sunday we look at words that encourage us when we are pressured and persecuted. These words call us to lean into the future, not being drowned by the present. As the days get darker, there is light, there is hope! The best is yet to come. Join us Sunday at 10 AM!

Transformation is a key aspect of the Christian's life. Many have believed in and experienced the rewards of hard work in the world and yet often in our own emotions and our relationship with God we hit a wall. Trying harder doesn't bring change alone. In fact, it can block transformation. What is the way forward? Do we give up? Do we simply give in to nothingness? What options are there beyond "t...

Peter calls followers of Jesus "sojourners and exiles". Our Fall Bible teaching series, rotating with "Triggered," is on First Peter about the life of the Pilgrim. The Christian life is one of journey, of pilgrimage through the world as it is, toward the world as it is becoming. This journey involves pain, good pain and bad pain, as we seek to follow our Guide and Lord, Jesus in EVERY aspect of li...