Coming Home + Finding Messy Progressive Religion | Rev. Josh Lee

Rev. Josh Lee starts our Coming Home Series by highlighting the ways in which The Church has always been a messy progressive religon. He outlines how our views have progressed or differed throughout Scripture while also highlighting a disagreement had in the early church around the full inclusion of non-Jews. The Church of Jesus Christ has always been progressing, changing, adapting, and super freaking messy! But even amidst the mess some really beautiful things have been born when we allow ourselves to progress and embrace the mess!

Josh RaderLeeForefront ChurchAugust 28, 2022differences, politics, unity, progressive, justice, racism, conformity

New Dawn Rising

Guest Preacher, Emmy Brett talks about change, about a new dawn rising. Emmy takes the recent changes at Forefront as inspiration for the continued journey to usher in the next 500 years of Christianity. We remain the change, and forge ahead. Though the church may not always have welcomed change, Jesus was a catalyst for change. How do we respond to his example and how do we adapt to the changes we see in our church and in our lives? In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, an entire globe has found itself faced with unprecedented change. Socially, new changes are making us re-consider how we define Christianity and whether or not America is the true center of expanding Christian practice.

Emmy BrettForefront ChurchSeptember 19, 2021unity, community

Spiritual Refugees Unite, Like the Church in Corinth

This past Sunday Guest Preacher, Pastor Josh Lee (he/him/his), shined his bright light on the Forefront congregation! Thank you, Josh! In this sermon, Josh Lee speaks about community. Many of us feel like spiritual refugees, fleeing, or being chased out of our communities of faith because we weren’t in a safe place anymore, or left because of oppressive doctrine. Our community at Forefront is made up of spiritual refugees and we can be an example of a community that doesn’t require uniformity to have unity. Josh is the Teaching Pastor at Imago Dei Church in Peoria, Illinois, and has a rich theological background.

Josh RaderLeeForefront ChurchSeptember 5, 2021unity, community

FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT | "Love"

Speaking truth to love.

The vitriol and divided discourse is at an all time high. We've lost the art of speaking truth to one another. What if speaking truth means having empathy for the pain and fear of others before anything else? Would it change our country?

In this third sermon in our Fruits of the Spirit series, Jonathan Williams talks about love, the greatest fruit of the Spirit.

1 Corinthians 13 1: "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."

Jonathan WilliamsGuest UserSeptember 27, 2020love, truth, empathy, unity