Dr. Laird said his organization will also work with pastors and existing churches that want to become safer and more effective in outreach, but their primary ministry target is the large segment of formerly churched who have already left and aren’t coming back.“Love is a higher value than evangelism. Christian love isn’t a technique to convert people. True love is an unmerited, selfless gift,” Laird said. “When people feel loved and valued for who they are rather than what they do or how much they give, that’s when the gospel is getting through. That’s all we’re trying to do – cultivate God’s love. If we can help people experience that, well, that’s Easter.”The Easter morning event includes a free continental breakfast with music by Robert and Brian Laird, the Easter story, and some words of encouragement from Dr. Laird. The event is open to the general public.For more information, visit www.sanctuarychurch.net.
Special Easter Celebration Service hosted by Rev. Dr. Chuck Laird and Wife Jeanette
March 18, 2005
Santa Paula News
Rev. Dr. Chuck Laird, former pastor of Santa Paula First Presbyterian Church, and his wife Jeanette will host a special Easter celebration service and breakfast Easter Sunday at 9 a.m. at Logsdon’s Restaurant in Santa Paula.
Rev. Dr. Chuck Laird, former pastor of Santa Paula First Presbyterian Church, and his wife Jeanette will host a special Easter celebration service and breakfast Easter Sunday at 9 a.m. at Logsdon’s Restaurant in Santa Paula. The service is sponsored by Sanctuary Christian Ministries, a Christian non-profit organization that seeks to minister God’s love to formerly churched and unchurched Christians who are disillusioned with or wounded from previous church experience. Dr. Laird is executive director of the national organization, which is based here in Santa Paula.“Half of all the people in North America who do not attend church today are former church attenders,” Laird said. “There are millions of highly-committed Christians across the country who have given up on local churches, not because they want to, but because for them church is no longer emotionally or spiritually safe.“Our goal is to provide a safe place with no strings attached where people can be real, experience some positive encouragement, and maybe learn a few interpersonal skills to help us become safer people. Then everybody wins.”Dr. Laird said the vision of his organization is to establish a “Sanctuary presence” – safe, Christian groups or churches – in every community in North America. Their plans include establishing the Sanctuary Church Network, a lay-driven coalition of independent home churches or small groups connected to the host church in Ventura County and each other through the Internet. The primary emphasis will be Christian personal and relationship development.“Our society doesn’t know how to love and we’re paying a terrible social price, both inside and outside the church,” Laird said. “You cannot share God’s love apart from personal relationships.“The Christian gospel of God’s love for people is the happiest, most positive and liberating message on the planet. Every person is God’s priceless diamond and should be respected as such. But that’s not what many people are either hearing or experiencing from Christians or in church. Now that’s a problem.”
