From my heart to our church
What I shared with our church following the evil of last week
The following is the “newsletter” letter that I regularly send to our church family. This particular version was my pastoral response to shepherd our church after the events of the week of mid-September 2025 (refugee stabbing/murder, Kirk assassination, school shooting, et al). I share it here not to add my own opinion to the ether, but a pastoral response. My tension is that we pastors will either be too safe and not say anything, or that we will become too arrogant and become bullhorns for something that isn’t the Gospel. So, Lord, have mercy.
This past week broke my heart. It sucked.
When I was a kid, I wasn’t allowed to say the word I that I just used there, but words sometimes fail us, and silence feels worse. I look at my children and I don’t have tidy answers for murder, terror, or the sudden, ordinary fear that no one is safe. We have grown sadly familiar with tragic headlines — 9/11, Katrina, Charlottesville, COVID — but familiarity must never become acceptance. I pray we never grow used to evil.
As your pastor, I want to speak plainly and pastorally to remind you of a few things. I know how quickly strong opinions can splinter a church family. I also know how fear can keep us from saying or doing what we should: fear of saying the wrong thing, or not saying enough, or not being strong enough. But fear is never the path God calls us to. Fear always keeps us from the best things in the Kingdom of God. So, what do I feel, after much prayer, that we need to be reminded of? Well, here goes...
Evil is real — and so is the power of Christ.
What we saw this week was not merely bad behavior; it exposed a brokenness and a spiritual darkness that wounds our world. But we serve a Savior who meets that darkness. When Christ cast out demons, there was a pattern: the demonic activity was most violent right before the casting out. I am holding on to the Christ that can save us, and I point you in that direction. I pray for a holy exorcism of evil that claims one person has more value than another. Discrimination and hatred do not exist in God's Kingdom. I pray for a cleansing mercy in our land and in our hearts — a holy reckoning that the lie “one person is worth less” be undone. In God’s kingdom, there is no place for hatred or discrimination.The church is the image of Jesus in this world...or it isn't the church of Jesus. Together, we bear not only the image of Christ, but the power of the Holy Spirit within us. While the darkness and the evil have real effects, it does not diminish our calling. No, we worship in defiance. The highest form of worship that we can give is to show up, refuse to sit quietly, and love loudly. We are a hub of hope for people in this community and around the world. The church is a safe place for the oppressed, the depressed, and the possessed. We are the freedom champions: freedom from sin, hate, anger, depression, sickness, rejection, and denial. We are not small-minded or ashamed of who we are in Christ. We are the image bearers of Christ, inflicting this world with acceptance and understanding, with an outward focus of love and respect for everyone; with an attraction, an appetite to find the kids in the lunchroom who have been made fun of and invite them to our table. We bring dignity to people.
Nothing — not politics, nationality, job, or ideology — must come before Christ. If anything stands between you and complete submission to Jesus, hear this as an invitation to repentance. The church is a place of welcome, but also of honest conviction: we will love you through your struggle, and we will pray for you, and we will ask the Holy Spirit to guide you into surrender. The gospel is not neutral; it is disruptive. We follow Jesus before any empire, party, or agenda. If your politics, or your job, or your nationalism, or anything else comes before being a fully devoted follower of Jesus, repent. Turn from that false gospel.
So what do we do now? Here are a few things to pray through and see what the Spirit says to you:
If you follow Jesus, go all in. Stop playing it safe. Let your life be shaped by God’s story more than comfort, reputation, or fear. Find your place to serve, take a step to grow in faith, and let God give you courage through purpose.
If you’re not a follower of Jesus, keep coming. Let us love you well. Come as you are and let this community welcome and care for you. You are not here by accident — you are why we exist.
If you are a long-time believer who’s grown weary, pray with intensity and obey boldly the next thing God puts in front of you. There is resurrection for passion; worship can be your protest against the powers of despair. Sing, serve, and let obedience rekindle the flame.
We will grieve together. We will not trade our worship for fear or for any cause that contradicts Christ. We will stand for dignity, justice, and love. We will keep pointing to Jesus.
I love you, AFA. We will walk through this season together — grieving, praying, and refusing to let evil have the last word.
Your fellow image bearer,
Pastor Nate