JESUS OUR SAVIOUR

Stafford Greer, Lead Site Pastor

During the week between Christmas and New Years, many people will take the opportunity to reflect on their past year and begin to identify what areas of their life they would like to improve in 2026. Sometimes it is health related - lose weight, gain muscle. Other people will want to get organized and gain some control over their lives, finances, and schedules (it’s no coincidence that storage bins and closet organizers are in January flyers). Others would like to grow in their faith, relationships, or hobbies.

The new year is the perfect time to do so - fresh calendar, fresh opportunities to evaluate your life and start to make some changes.

But if you’ve ever tried to change, you know how difficult it can be. Old habits can be hard to break. Becoming someone new requires thinking and acting differently; it can be easier to tap into who you are and your identity than it is to become someone completely different.

This new year as a church, we are going to be going back in order to go forward. We are going to get in touch with some of the history and DNA that we carry and embrace our roots as a church as a movement.

RockPointe Church is part of the denomination, The Alliance in Canada - a movement that never meant to be a denomination. Our roots are based in the missions movement that was birthed in the early 20th century with a passion to see people across the world encounter and be transformed by Jesus.

The founder of the movement, A.B. Simpson, wanted anyone who was passionate about Jesus and seeing the gospel proclaimed to join his cause. Partnership was contingent on being able to affirm what he would coin, the four-fold gospel. Each ‘fold’ would be represented in our denomination’s current logo:

• Jesus is our Saviour (the cross)

• Jesus is our Sanctifier (the laver… it isn’t a wine glass)

• Jesus is our Healer (the pitcher of anointing oil)

• Jesus is our Coming King (the crown)

The early days of The Christian & Missionary Alliance were more than just bible studies or theological exercises - they were about encountering and experiencing Jesus as the embodiment of these statements.

This January and February, until the Lenten season, we will be digging into some of the themes of our history, our roots, to explore how embracing our heritage will help prepare our hearts, minds, souls, and bodies for seeing our vision of doubling our reach come to fruition.

At the heart of our movement and the heart of RockPointe’s vision is to increase the number of people we are able to reach with the good news of Jesus Christ. Many people are looking for salvation in all sorts of areas, but we believe what Jesus said about himself: “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)

Jesus commissioned his disciples to, “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19). The early church did just that as they took the gospel to those near and far - starting in Jerusalem where it was comfortable and familiar, but expanding into Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth!

For 2000 years, Christians have been focused on boldly proclaiming the gospel of Jesus to a hurting and broken world. Our movement, The Christian & Missionary Alliance, did the same, sending early missionaries to China and west Africa, and even planting churches across the Americas as the west was being settled.

We believe that we are still called to proclaim the gospel to those near and far, and as we move into 2026, we’ll tap into our missions-based heritage so that we can continue to share the gospel in our communities.

I am very much looking forward to what God will do in us and through us at RockPointe in this next season of ministry! Would you continue to pray for the people you interact with where you live, learn, work, and play, that you would have the opportunity to share Jesus in spiritual conversations that the Lord orchestrates?