A Note From Pastor Seth
On my desk is a small bronze compass that was given to me by one of my mentors. Every day my gaze inevitably falls upon it and I am reminded of what he repeatedly said to me: "Keep pointing people to Jesus." His words have been a constant reminder to me that every day we can experience unconditional love and unprecedented purpose in Christ. In essence, I believe the Bible teaches us that Jesus is the solution to mankind's deepest problem, but he’s also the model to follow (Titus 2:11-14; Mark 3:13-15; 1 Cor. 11:1).
Jesus is the solution to our deepest problem – Man's sin can only be met in the sinlessness of Jesus Christ. For so many that remains unknown. I long for people to experience the unconditional love of Christ. I'm convinced, that one of the deepest desires of the human heart is to be fully known (in all our brokenness) and fully loved (despite all our brokenness). Whether you've never found life in Jesus, or have been following Jesus for fifty years, I think that kind of an experience is one that many give up on far too quickly. It’s true that everyone while has struggles, very few people find the joy of struggling well. As a pastor, I long to be a part of a culture is authentic and vulnerable, able to point each other to God's overflowing grace in Jesus.
Jesus is the model to follow – I'm also convinced that to find what we're looking for in life, we need to find something more than God's grace. We need a God-given purpose, which is ultimately found in Jesus. We are designed to make an impact in the world as Jesus did: seeking out the marginalized, loving our enemies, etc. What if we thrived in our workplace, using it as a way to glorify God, but also as a place to show and share Jesus? In fact, each month we take a portion of our service to hear from someone in our church about how they experience sin and brokenness in their industry, as well as how they bring gospel hope and restoration. We all need people to point us to the life he intended for us.
At Salem, you’ll find that our entire vocabulary is built around Jesus. Our mission, our values, our measures, our strategy...and even our vision (where going for the next five years) is built around Jesus. Because following Jesus is a way of life that incorporates all of life. And it's one that we do together. If you long to experience Jesus in more fullness, I invite you to join us on this journey. I can't promise you we'll do it perfectly, or that you'll find answers to all of life's most difficult questions, but I can promise you that we'll always point you to Jesus.
Following Jesus with you,
Seth Dunham
Senior Pastor
