I've been in battle with the word all my life. The hard distant pews were too hard of seats for me. It meant too much then too little. I saw the rules as chains so it's funny that when my soul breathed church is where those chains were broken and I was truly set free.
If you would like to read more of my poetry please take a look at my portfolio. You can also watch a few of my poetry readings.
I currently work for a church in the Santa Cruz Mountains called Elevation. Elevation has been around since early 2009, and I joined the church family in late 2009. Throughout the years I have seen how God shows up at Elevation. This will be more of a background to what Elevation is rather than specific stories of God showing up.
It was the second church I went to as an adult with my friends, and we quickly became a part of this wonderful church. After a few major life changes with me, I became the admin for Elevation in 2018. That is not where the story of Elevation starts, though.
The story of Elevation has to start with the pastor, Chuckk (yes, spell check it has 2 k’s). His openness to share his past, personality, and love is one reason everyone involved with the church feels safe to be themselves.
It is a beautiful thing when a group of people can be authentically themselves as they journey towards a personal relationship with God the creator. When there are no walls or barriers to break through, you can then learn and grow with people on the same journey as you.
The quick answer are the people. Like every church, those involved and belong to that church makes the church what it is. Church is not about the building or even the weekly service. The church is the people who make up the community of believers we hang out with.
The skill of musical people and other creative people are part of the culture of Elevation. This is also one reason I fit into this church. We are weird creative people who love God.
We must be cool because we meet at a nightclub. The actual location of the building doesn’t matter. We just need a space to meet. Plus, more people may be all right going to a nightclub and not a cathedral or other church building.
I’ve learned a lot from being part of Elevation and see God show up a lot throughout the years of being part of Elevation. It is such a beautiful group of God-loving people.
For more information about my amazing Church, you can go to Elevation’s website.
For more blog posts in this series, you can visit my God Shows Up page. I also have a YouTube series that goes hand in hand with this written series.
In 2009, as summer faded, I attended church for the first time since high school. My new interest in Christianity brought me to a large multi-building church with my friends. It was unlike the Catholic churches I had known as a child. This church had modern with chairs instead of pews and different rooms. It even had a bookstore.
The main sanctuary had a stage and screens. The walls were beige, not stone, and there weren’t any stain glass windows. Plus, they had a sound system and theatrical lighting that would change for the different worship songs, that I did not know, yet.
My friends, who I moved out to California with, were going to this church, so one Sunday after I chose to try out Christianity they brought me with them. I still remember the newness of walking into this odd, but normal looking building.
After the first service, I approached the information table and the lady there gave me a mug and information about the church as a welcome gift. She seemed to care that I was there.
A few weeks or months of us going to the morning service passed. We then learned about an evening ministry. It was about to become its own church. It was a smaller, more intimate church named Elevation.
We couldn’t get enough of God and learning about who He is and how to follow Him. We kept going to both churches for a while since the time didn’t conflict. Both churches then also begun Bible studies, so the group went to one from each church. Both Bible studies met during the week in the evenings.
We were on fire for God and supported each other to be more and more involved. Soon I was helping in different ministries for both churches and trying to get as involved as I could. The others were also serving and helping.
God flooded and saturated our lives that first year. We grew immensely in our relationship with Him and our understanding of Christianity. It was a lovely spring board that set up our future paths. It is part of my life that I am truly grateful that God gave me and the group. He was the one that grew us and gave us all the opportunities to grow.
For more blog posts in this series, you can visit my God Shows Up page. I also have a YouTube series that goes hand in hand with this written series.
I don’t remember too many lessons about God from when I was a kid. Honestly, I believe the majority of lessons I hear in church fall away from my conscious memory. When I was a kid the ratio was even higher. This is because most services were spent in the back of a catholic church where me and my sister would help each other not pay attention.
One Sunday I did go to a children’s church program. It was at my step-dad’s church, so I was at least 8 years old. The kids would go downstairs, into the basement of the church, while the adults learned in the main sanctuary.
As the lesson start all the kids were given gum. We were told to chew it up and then put our gum on the cross.
Now I didn’t know much about Christianity, the cross, or church, but I knew the basics. Putting gum on the central symbol of Christianity seemed disrespectful.
My gum was chewed up, covered in my spit, and gross. That was part of the pastor’s point. Our sin is gross.
The part about putting it on the cross was showing us we can give our grossness to God. Jesus dies on the cross and rose again, so that we can know a relationship with Him.
Through out my life I forgot many lessons, feel away from God, and didn’t believe in Him. However, I never forgot the lesson of the gum on the cross.
This is a post in the series God Shows Up. Follow the link to read more.
Going to church doesn’t make you a Christian, just like going to a rock concert doesn’t make you a musician. Still church is an important aspect of the Christian life. Finding your church home and being part of a community helps you grow spiritually and can strengthen your relationship with God. A church family also can support you and give godly advice.
I’m not sure which one of my 4 close friends found Elevation or suggested it first, but we all went one Sunday evening. After attending only a few times, we were invited to come early for dinner. I was uncertain about going. I thought we would be out of place and not belong, but the gang went.
We soon would start to go to ‘after hours’ and spend more time with the church people we had just met. I then started helping out, along we the others. We became part of the family of Elevation.
As we grew spiritually Elevation felt more like family. We were home when we were around Elevation’s people.
For a few years I did move away and had to find a new church. It was hard feeling alone in my journey and not among my church family. In a way that grew my faith and moved me along my spiritual journey. It showed me how to follow God alone and what truly blocks me from following Him closely.
Once I moved back to the area it felt as though I filled a new void and fit into the family again. Sometimes I even forget that there was a time I wasn’t seeing the Elevation family weekly.
Yes, we can be weird and easily distracted. We are not perfect, but we love God and follow Him. The Elevation family helps those in need and loves all. We do our best with what God gave us and work towards being closer to Him. Our church helps each one of us do that.
For more information on my amazing church you can check out our website.
For more information about how God has shown up in my life you can check out the other posts in this series.
After my layover chat with the Mormons I realized I never write in detail about my church. I love it yet I’ve never wrote about it. It is so unique, authentic and loving that I believe our story should be told.
The story of Elevation has to start with the pastor, Chuckk (yes, spell check it has 2 k’s). I believe his openness to share his past, personality, and love is the reason everyone involved with the church feels safe to share and be themselves. It is a beautiful thing when a group of people can be authentically themselves as they journey towards a personal relationship with God the creator.
When there are no wall or barriers to break through you can then start to learn and grow with people on the same journey as you.
Chuckk’s wife, Andrea, of course needs to be spoken about. She is there every week setting up environment and loving people. She is encouraging and a strong Christian woman. She has become my mentor and one of the ladies who I look up to. She leads by example and makes sure everyone feels welcomed into our church.
I could go on about ever single person that is important to the church but that would fill a book and I am not up for that right now. I would most likely forget to mention the middle school leader or the grumpy guitarist. I’ll just leave talking about each awesome person for another post. Or maybe it would be another series.
I really want to focus on what makes Elevation, Elevation. The people are what is important and what gives Elevation the unique feeling but that is not the only thing. People where I start when I think about Elevation.
We believe that Church is not about the building or even the weekly service. The Church is the people who make up the community of believers we hang out with. And most do hang out either after service, during the week, or at random events. It seems like lately there are a bunch of events that people are going to and inviting other members. Elevation also organizes events, because we know that there is only so much that can be learned from Chuckk and it takes community to really grow and help others grow.
We do have service each week which is important. This is where we can worship and learn about God from a smart dude who very obviously knows God and has a deep relationship with him.
We also get to express our love for God through music which, Jeremy leads. He is also a pretty great dude. I mean he was willing to leave his home in Colorado to move to an un-churched area for the worship leader position that can only pay him as a part-time position. If that isn’t trusting God I’m not positive what is. HE also has a wonderful talent for finding great musicians.
The skill of musical people and other creative people are part of the culture of Elevation. This is also one reason I fit into this church. We are weird creative people who love God.
The mission statement of Elevation is, “Elevation exists to worship God, reach the unconvinced and together grow to be more like Jesus.” The 7 guiding values are, “Scripture-centric Teaching, Cultural Relevance, Missional Living, Engaging Worship, Authentic Community, Transformed Lives, and Focused Simplicity”
Oh yeah and we must be cool because we meet at a night club/ bar. You see we believe the actual locations doesn’t matter. We just need a space to meet in regularly. Plus, more people may feel alright going to a night club and not a cathedral or other church building.
For more information about my amazing Church you can go to Elevation’s website.
Let me know if you have any questions about Elevation or church in general; and all feedback is welcomed.
I met 3 Mormon missionaries during my layover in LA, while I was going to Virginia on my family vacation. They were going home after being on a mission for 2 years in LA. I wasn’t going to talk to them. I figured that since… well they are Mormons and that seems like a large ritualistic church with unfamiliar believes.
Still I did talk to them and it was a good conversation. We talked about how Jesus is Lord and savior, the importance of the Bible and relationship verses religious rules.
We even talked about what is done during their missions and what I’ve done when I went on a mission trip.
At first it seemed like we were trying to convert each other and explain how our way of doing it was better. LEaving though I realized that as long as our hearts are pointing towards a growing relationship with God, focus on learning the Bible and believe we cannot save ourselves (it takes the creator to fix his broken creation) then isn’t that the same? I know there are differences and I know they have an entirely other book that they use, but talking with them it seemed like a weird addition.
They did give me a copy of the Book of Mormon and I am going to at least look through it. If I find anything that pulls me away from my relationship with Jesus then I will put the book down and write about it.
Don’t worry though Jesus and God’s love comes first.
I am curious to learn what they believe and how it differs from only believing and reading the Bible.
After they boarded their flight I had a bunch of other questions for them. I might as well ask them here right?
1.)Sister Scott mentioned that she was raised and taught by her church and prayed for a relationship with God. It appeared to me that it seemed like a struggle of conformity and not a desire for relationship. My question to the 3 I meant is: Have you met or know of anyone who felt like God was pursuing them?
2.)This actually ties into question 1. While on the mission trip did you see any fruits, such as someone converting/ choosing a life focused on Jesus, a growing sense of peace, patience, love, kindness, or self-control?
3.)Going off the mission trip question. How does your life at home differ from being on the mission field? Do you act/ behave the same and still focus on the mission to grow your relationship with Jesus and become like him?
4.) Is a 2 year mission trip a mandate for a system within the Mormon church or just appears to be? Also, is the placement forced or if you feel led to a certain area of the world can you set up a mission trip there?
5.) Finally, Why was it sister Scott and elder Hash (I think that was one of the names)? Shouldn’t both genders be elders or men be brothers?
Please, know that I am asking out of curiosity and because the questions came to me after our conversation. That being said I hope you read the questions and write-up as a loving pondering from a human that does not know Mormonism, but does loves the God of the Bible.
UPDATE: Okay, so I didn’t even publish this, but instead of re-writing everything I will put this note down here. I had given the missionaries my card, because sister Scott and the elders seemed pretty cool. I was thinking that we would have an open conversation or at least an email. My card also has my website on it, so hey maybe one of them would read it or look at least. Instead I guess she gave it to someone at her church. My curiosity was smashed by that. That made it seem like I was actually just a number to her. I did not give her permission to give my number away and that erased the good conversation about relationships. It also makes the Mormon church look like a machine rather than a place where relationships are important.
I am still curious about my questions though, so if any one knows any answers please let me know. If not, oh well.
Tomorrow’s post will be about how I do church and my church, that I love and never feel like a number.