Reformation in Real Time

Easter Sunday we adorn this cross with fresh flowers--later to be dried an added to candles for prayer and healing.

Welcome back, friends. It’s been a little while since our first blog post back in February—“Under Construction: Reformation in Progress”—and I want to begin this update by simply saying: thank you for your patience as we continue to find new rhythms to match the new work God is doing in and through our church.

If you’ve been following along with our worship series, you know we’ve just stepped out of Lent, a season where we named The Battles We Face—internal battles, spiritual struggles, and very real challenges that shape who we are. Lent was honest. Sometimes heavy. And necessarily so.

But now it’s Eastertide. Now, it’s victory season. Our new worship series is called “Victory: From Battle to Breakthrough.” Because that’s exactly what resurrection is: not just survival after struggle, but a holy breakthrough into new life.

The first message in our series reminded us: Because He rose, we begin again. And now, as we move forward, we’re claiming a deeper truth: Because He rose, we walk bold.

This boldness isn’t about being loud or polished. It’s not about having all the answers or doing it like the megachurches do. In fact, the opposite might be true. At The Reformed Church, we’re leaning into a more grassroots, authentic way of being church—much closer to how Jesus started His own ministry. Small. Local. Real.

We’re in a season of reformation—not just as a slogan or strategy, but as a spiritual reality. We are actively rebuilding our website. We’re expanding weekly content on Facebook. We’re slowly stepping into other platforms. And while we don’t have a tech team or a social media coordinator or even a dedicated media budget, we do have something just as powerful: a sense of calling.

Honestly? It feels daunting. There are more dreams than hours in the day. But I believe the Holy Spirit is whispering something new here—in Scottdale, in our people, in the ashes of old ways that no longer serve the Gospel as fully as they once did. This church is small, but sacred. Rooted in history, and now reaching toward renewal.

We’re exploring creative worship formats that honor our liturgical tradition. We’re deepening community engagement through partnerships. We’re dreaming of hybrid ministry that meets people in person and online, without losing our soul in the process.

Because here’s what we know: Resurrection didn’t end with Easter morning. It began there.

So this blog will become a kind of companion to the journey. Each week (or as often as life and Spirit allow), I’ll be using this space to share reflections on our sermons, updates on church life, spiritual practices to try at home, and behind-the-scenes glimpses of what it looks like to reform a church in real time.

If you’re reading this and you’re in a season of spiritual exploration—if you’re wondering where faith fits into your life, or how church can be relevant again—I invite you to journey with us. We don’t have all the answers. But we have each other. And more importantly, we have a Risen Christ who still moves stones and calls people to walk boldly into something new.

Because He rose, we rise. Because He lives, we live. And because He leads, we walk bold.

Brightest Blessings,

Rev. TJ Lucas

Lead Pastor, The Reformed Church