Elizabeth Coppedge-Henley
Senior Pastor
Favorite Bible Passages:
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.” John 3:16 NRSV
“He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” Micah 6:8 NRSV
John 3: 16 is Christianity 101 for me. Faith is God reaching out to us in love so that we might be in relationship with him. I love that this verse is one of the most well-known texts in the Bible. Micah 6: 8 is the follow up. Jesus, the living word, modeled what faith looks like. It’s active: doing justice, loving kindness and walking humbly with God. Christians are called to live as he did. So together, these texts tell us how much God loves us and has done for us; AND they tell us how we can respond in love and live for God.
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Kyle McCain
Pastor
Favorite Bible Passage:
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God— what good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:2 NRSV
Saint Paul’s words in Chapter 12 of his letter to the Romans serve as encouragement to me for how to live a life of faith, rooted in the teachings of Jesus. I find permission to live differently than the culture around me and to say no to cultural influences that create tension and conflict. I think Paul’s reference to “this world” points to the physical world that operates under political, social and economic systems that create competition and division. Instead, he offers up a transformative alternative by the “renewing of your minds”, that is the mind of Christ. This renewal is the process by which we discern the will of God for our lives, testing it at every step to be sure we are following where God is calling, leading and sending us. God spoke so clearly to me through this passage at a time when I was questioning what I had been pursuing for so long. After 20 years of chasing success by the worlds standards, I was encouraged to take a different path. The daily study of scripture and weekly group meetings with others became the instrument of God’s renewing effort. Over time the thing I was wearing myself out to gain diminished in value and the pursuit of God’s will for my life became my new center. It was then that God revealed His call to pastoral ministry and I am so pleased to have heard and responded. I am blessed use the gifts God has given me to do the work He has called me to.
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Jenn Harris
Director of Connections
Favorite Bible Passage:
Be still and know that I am God. Psalm 46:10
And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Hebrews 10:24
These verses inspire me to live a life centered around knowing God and loving people. I am blessed beyond measure to be called into ministry and dedicated to helping create an environment where people can grow in their relationship with God and each other. As a servant of the Lord, I am also passionate about helping others discover the way God is calling them to use their spiritual gifts to serve as the hands and feet of Christ in our church, community, and the world.
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Emily Rivers
Youth Pastor
Favorite Bible Passage:
“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:36-40
The greatest commandment is built on one thing: loving relationships. In this passage I am reminded time and time again that life with God requires us to recognize and value all the relationships in our lives. This passage points back to the Shema, the Jewish declaration of faith that states there is one God and one God alone. But here, in the New Testament, Jesus adds that we are not only commanded to love God fully, but to also love our neighbors fully, AND to love ourselves fully! Did you hear that? The Bible tells us to not only love God and one another, but to also love ourselves! Matthew 22 shows me that our relationships with God, with our neighbors, and with ourselves are interdependent. In other words, we love God more when we love our neighbors more, and we love our neighbors more when we love ourselves. I love this passage because I believe that our outward mission begins with an inward affirmation. Yes, God expects us to move in love for God and each other—I think that is clear. However, as this passage shows us, and as I have discovered, loving God and one another is much more difficult if we never learn to love ourselves.
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Kelly Regueira
Director of Children’s Ministry
Favorite Bible Passage:
But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs.” Matthew 19:14 NRSV
Jesus wants a relationship with everybody, no matter how small! This verse drives our ministry with children here at Harrison. Every child should feel welcomed and loved here, when they are worshiping with their parents, attending Children’s Worship or Sunday School, or attending a special event. We strive to help children understand that they are a special and important part of the church family. Children are never too young to begin learning about Jesus and his love for them!
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Karen Perry
Office Administrator
Favorite Bible Passage:
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:4-7
This verse provides so much comfort, reminding us that God is always near. In particular, I love the statement that God is guarding not just our hearts but also our minds, caring for our physical, emotional, and mental health needs. I am thankful to God for loving our whole selves and reassuring us with his gift of peace at all times.
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Jennifer Siebenaler
Music Director of our Journey service
Favorite Bible Passages:
But Ruth said, “Don’t force me to leave you; don’t make me go home. Where you go, I go; and where you live, I’ll live. Your people are my people, your God is my god; where you die, I’ll die, and that’s where I’ll be buried, so help me GOD – not even death itself is going to come between us!” Ruth 1:16-17
Speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Ephesians 5:19-20
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Andrew Carson
Video Production Director
Favorite Bible Passages:
“For I know the plans I have for you” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11
This verse really rings true in almost any hardship I’ve been through. In the moment, it is sometimes hard for me to grasp this concept, but it never fails that after I make it through a rough situation or a hard time in my life, I can look back and see that it was God who got me through it and that He is always there. It reminds me of when the disciples were on a fishing boat with Jesus, and a storm came out of nowhere. Jesus was sleeping, and the disciples were losing their minds and thinking they were going to die, so they woke Jesus up and asked him how he could sleep through it. Jesus responded, “why are you so afraid, do you have no faith?”. God controls everything from the simple things in life, to the huge storms, winds, and waves. Looking back at a few rough combat deployments overseas while I was in the Army, It is clear that God really follows through with His word, and if He can get me through that, I shouldn’t be worried about the minor things in life. He is in control.
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Zach Hugo
Interim Traditional Music Director
Favorite Bible Passages:
“Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and put a new and right spirit within me.
Do not cast me away from your presence,
and do not take your holy spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and sustain in me a willing[b] spirit.
Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners will return to you.”
Psalms 51: 10-13.
These verses are the text of the first solo I ever sang in church. It reminds me that the reason we raise our voices in song and worship is to ask for God’s help in transforming us into our best self. We are also called to use those gifts he has bestowed on us to bring others into his presence and show them God’s love through our own love and actions.
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