The Crozet Way refers to our understanding of how God calls people and congregations to live. The three components of The Crozet Way are Love, Grow, and Go.
Love: We believe that God loves all people. As a Christian church, we believe that God's love has been supremely revealed in Jesus Christ, who not only forgives sin, but who calls and leads us to abundant and everlasting life. Christians, therefore, are called to be thankful people; thankful for everything from the beauty of creation to the blessings in and of our lives. So, we love God, and that love is manifest in our worship of God, and this is why the Crozet Way begins with love.
Grow: Jesus taught that we should not only love God, but that we should know God as well. We believe that God has a plan for our lives, and that we can discover that plan through study of God's Word found in the Bible. This study can be done in two ways, both of which are equally important: in private acts of study and prayer, as well as in time with others in small groups. We see Christian discipleship not as a destination but as a journey, a journey we make together, learning from God working in the lives of others, and as others learn from God working in us.
Go: Jesus describes loving God as having an important dual component: loving others. We believe that we do this through our service to others. This service includes our service to the church community, our service to our local community and world, our time in small groups helping others grow in their faith, service to those in need through things like the Crozet United Methodist Church Food Pantry, or in a number of other ways. This is what is sometimes called "paying it forward." As God loves and blesses us, so we are called to love and bless others. Thus, we understand our love and knowledge of God being used in all of the places in which we find ourselves: work, home, school, our neighborhoods, with friends, or anywhere we may be, as we seek to live as the hands and feet of Christ for the sake of those we know, those we love, and those we have yet to meet.
Where can I learn more?
We believe the Bible is the best place to begin. Here are some verses to get you started:
On God's love for us and our need for God: John 3:1-17.
On God's call for us to grow in our faith: 2 Peter 3:18
On God's intention for our love of God to be manifest in our love and service to others: Matthew 22:34-46.
These are, of course, just the beginning. To learn more about our specific way of living as followers of Christ, I invite you to contact me by phone or email.
Grace and Peace
Doug Forrester
Senior Pastor
Crozet United Methodist Church
(434) 823-4420
