So what do we mean by the phrase “Helping you become the person God created you to be”?

In the first chapter of Genesis it says, “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.” And this was after he had made human beings! The world, as God made it, was perfect. And the humans had been created in God’s own image.

But when Adam and Eve sinned, they somehow set in motion a chain of events than damaged all of creation—including them and all their descendants. Since that time, every human has been alienated from God, from other humans, from nature and even from himself.

That explains our dual nature. Because we still are bearers of the image of God, we are capable of incredible good. But because our character is bent and twisted by sin, we are also capable of acts of disgusting depravity.

So universal is this flaw in our nature that the word “human” is often used as a synonym for “imperfect.” How many times have we said, “What do you expect? I’m only human”?

The damage done by sin has affected every part of us. We are marred physically, emotionally, intellectually, morally and spiritually.

But God was not caught off guard by this turn of events. He had a plan. Through his Son, Jesus Christ, he set about restoring us to the original condition.

Of course, the heart of that restoration was spiritual. Through Jesus Christ, we now have the opportunity to be reconciled to our Heavenly Father. But God is not satisfied with undoing the damage done just to our spirits. His plan also includes our minds and bodies. He intends to fulfill the original intent of his creation. His ultimate goal is to make us perfect in every way.

Perfection can be a destructive goal. The harder we try not to make a mistake the more prone we are to messing up. If we ignore our shortcomings and pretend to be already perfect, we lock ourselves into perpetual imperfection. We will never take any of the steps that would be necessary to grow closer to perfection.

But perfection is not something that we try to produce in our own lives. God does not expect us to be perfect. He wants to make us perfect. Any of the real work in that regard is done by him, not us. All he needs from us is the permission to do that work.

And let’s admit right up front that much of that work will not be completed in this life. As long as we live on this earth, our bodies will be imperfect. We will still get sick, worn down, incapacitated. It will not be until we get the new bodies that Paul talks about in his first letter to the Corinthians that we will experience physical perfection.

But, whether in this life or the next, God’s goal for us is to make us into the people he created us to be.

So what part does the Wesleyan Community Church play in all this?

Without a doubt, the most important part of this process is God restoring our relationship with him through his Son. One of our highest priorities as a congregation is to introduce people to Jesus Christ and to encourage them to accept the life God offers through him. Without this restored relationship, anything else that might be done is insignificant. It is like rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.

Our most serious problem as humans is our alienation from God. Nothing else much matters until that is addressed. But once we have accepted the life God offers to us in Jesus Christ, God is able to expand his work in our lives to every other area.

At the Wesleyan Community Church we believe we have been called by God to be one of the tools he uses to enhance every part of your life: to bring healing and wholeness to your family, to enable you to take control of your life, to help you become an effective parent, to restore damaged relationships, to help you achieve your dreams, and to allow you to experience the abundant life Christ said he came to give to us.

God is interested in every area of your life, not just the “spiritual” part. As a church, we are committed to helping you become the person God created you to be.