Freedom from Fear of Conflict

This fall season finds us contemplating a liberated faith. A faith that courageously calls us to look within ourselves and our communities and journey deliberately across territory which is far too often unchartered. It is a bold faith that continuously takes a U-turn from the road of white supremacy culture. It is a fearless faith that steers clear of perfectionism, one right way, power hoarding, a sense of urgency, and quantity over quality. Rev. Venida continues our exploration of Liberated Faith and helps us navigate a characteristic of white supremacy culture some may fear—Open Conflict.

Free from Perfection

We continue our Liberated Faith sermon series with a look at how we can unlearn and break free from our alignment with white supremacy culture. Rev. Venida explores the role of perfectionism this week, and as we prepare to courageously weave our way through other critical topics in the following weeks.

Welcome Home to a Liberated Faith

Happy 13th Birthday to Forefront Church! We celebrate and give praise to God for each and every person, service, offering, prayer, hug, kind word, smile, tear, decision, sermon and song that have helped sustain this beautiful community for over a decade. Rev. Venida shares the Good News that the best is yet to come as we continue to liberate our faith and prepare the way for our next chapter.

Venida Rodman JenkinsForefront ChurchSeptember 28, 2025liberation, liberatedfaith, 13thanniversary, welcomehome

Celebration

The discipline of celebration is believed to undergird all the spiritual practices we’ve explored over the past few weeks. Rev. Venida invites us to reflect on how the joy found in celebration can strengthen us, ease our anxieties, and open us to deeper love and compassion.

Venida Rodman JenkinsForefront ChurchSeptember 7, 2025discipline, celebration, justice, joy

Rest

Rev. Venida focuses on the vital discipline of Rest, a practice that is mentioned frequently throughout the Bible and encouraged by Jesus himself. She invites us to reflect on what the Holy Spirit may be saying about embracing rest more intentionally in our lives, and how rest can strengthen and renew us for the journey ahead.

Venida Rodman JenkinsForefront ChurchAugust 24, 2025rest, capitalism, grindculture, discipline, selfcare

Summer Reading Panel

Rev. Venida adds a unique twist to worship reimagined as she moderates the conversation with Forefront authors and special guest writers on the summer reading panel. They are Naima Coster, Anna Gilchrist, Diane Richards, and Dr. Mark G. Shrime. These featured authors share the impetus for their work, their writing as a sacred practice, and how their books can offer hope and carry messages of divine inspiration.

The Body Shaming

As we continue our Dear Paul, Sermon Series, Rev. Venida invites us to imagine a world where body shaming does not exist. Where we are free to move and make decisions about our bodies and lives without being hindered by others’ impressions or opinions of us. Where we are able to use our authentic voices, minds, and creativity to decolonize and free our bodies from self-sabotage and everything restricting us from experiencing liberation. A world where we truly love ourselves and others.

This sermon examines body image oppression, Scripture which may have led us here, and how we can break free of the chains, heal, and reclaim our bodies. What a world!

Venida Rodman JenkinsForefront ChurchJuly 6, 2025body, shame, healing, trauma, reclaim

What About All that Wrath? | Rev. Venida Rodman Jenkins (she/her)

Rev. Venida invites us to make another stop along the Talk Bible to Me sermon series journey. This time with a focus on the Bible and wrath.

Venida Rodman JenkinsForefront ChurchMay 25, 2025bible, wrath, love, inclusion, mercy

Is the Bible Authoritative, Inspired or Inerrant? | Rev. Venida Rodman Jenkins (she/her)

Rev. Venida continues the Talk Bible to Me Sermon Series in true Forefront fashion—by asking questions. She will delve into questions that many people have pondered and debated throughout generations: “Is the Bible Authoritative, Inspired or Inerrant?”

How Did We Get the Bible and How Do We Understand It? | Rev. Venida Rodman Jenkins (she/her)

Rev. Venida Rodman Jenkins (she/her)begins our new Talk Bible to Me sermon series with, “How Did We Get the Bible and How Do We Understand It?” She invites us to re-engage with this sacred text being open to its diverse interpretations and varied perspectives. Begin the journey with us as we consider how we might deepen our understanding and appreciation of the Bible's teachings.

Venida Rodman JenkinsForefront ChurchMay 4, 2025bible, reconstruction, talkbibletome

The Book of Amos: A Defiant Hope | Rev. Venida Rodman Jenkins

Rev. Venida closes out the Book of Amos sermon series encouraging us to embrace A Defiant Hope.

Venida Rodman JenkinsForefront ChurchAugust 25, 2024suffering, grace, mercy, justice

The Book of Amos: How the Heck Did I Get Here? | Rev. Venida Rodman Jenkins

Rev. Venida continues the Book of Amos sermon series looking at how shifts and changes in our life can ultimately lead us where we are supposed to be as we use our God-given power to create change.

Venida Rodman JenkinsForefront ChurchAugust 11, 2024Amos, justice, prophet, prophetic voice

Lift Every Voice: Power to the People | Rev. Venida Rodman Jenkins

Sometimes we feel like we are strangers in our own home. Like we don’t belong. Sometimes we feel depleted and lack the strength to advocate for ourselves and others because of the dominant powers and systemic barriers all around us. Rev. Venida reminds us that we all belong and helps us consider how we can give Power to the People as we begin our Lift Every Voice sermon series.

Venida Rodman JenkinsForefront ChurchJuly 7, 2024belonging, inclusion, power to the people

Story of the Songs: When God Made You | Rev. Venida Rodman Jenkins

Rev. Venida celebrates Children's Day with a reading of When God Made You by Matthew Paul Turner. This book reminds children that they are deeply loved, and that they each have been created with unique gifts that fit into God's divine plan.

These Bodies: Body Image: Let the Transformation Begin | Rev. Venida Rodman Jenkins

Rev. Venida culminates the These Bodies Sermon Series with a message on Body Image. With so many brand and beauty standards attempting to influence how we present ourselves, as well as expectations surrounding how our bodies should behave, Rev. Venida challenges us to renew our minds and to be transformed to the extent that we see ourselves as the beloved of God.

These Bodies: Honoring Aging | Rev. Venida Rodman Jenkins

As a proud elder, Rev. Venida shares a sermon on aging. From the time we are born, our bodies begin the aging process. With each birthday, we are continuously aware that growing old can come with its fair share of challenges and a host of struggles. How can we live each day with grace and dignity as we age? How can we focus on what we “can” do and not simply what we “can’t” do? How can we rededicate our aging bodies to God as a form of worship?

Venida Rodman JenkinsForefront ChurchApril 28, 2024these bodies, bodies, body image, age, ageism, honor aging

Disruption: Lent – Life and Death | Rev. Venida Rodman Jenkins

Rev. Venida celebrates the Good News of Easter Sunday with a message highlighting the power given to us through the resurrection. Through this gift, we can freely embrace our own mortality, and recognize the freedom we have been granted to pursue abundant life through the life-giving love of Jesus.

Disruption: Seeking Understanding When Everything Has Fallen Apart | Rev. Venida Rodman Jenkins

Rev. Venida shares a message on the story of Job as we continue the Disruption sermon series. Everything Job holds dear — his property, his family, his wealth, his physical health — has been taken from him. Reduced to suffering and misery, Job laments his circumstances and tries to make sense of what has happened to him. How do we also seek to make meaning of our pain?

Venida Rodman JenkinsForefront ChurchMarch 10, 2024Disruption, understanding, wisdom, suffering

Disruption: When Humans Disrupt God’s Plans for Justice | Rev. Venida Rodman Jenkins

What happens when humans disrupt God’s plan for justice? What should be our collective response when we do? Rev. Venida continues our Disruption Sermon Series sharing the good news that God can give us the strength to recreate God’s plans in our own lives with new vision and intention that propel us forward to bring change and liberation to those suffering.

Venida Rodman JenkinsForefront ChurchFebruary 11, 2024disruption, justice, humanitariancrisis

Disruption: Disrupted by Uncertainty | Rev. Venida Rodman Jenkins

Rev. Venida continues the Disruption Sermon Series highlighting the story of Peter and the disciples as they navigate the stormy seas. She looks at how God can keep us afloat, and work for us and through us in the midst of life’s uncertainties.

Venida Rodman JenkinsForefront ChurchJanuary 21, 2024disruption, uncertainty