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WHO IS PASTOR ROB TOORNSTRA?

Pastor Rob

I was born and raised just outside of the city of Edmonton, in Alberta, Canada. I grew up as the oldest of four boys. I will always be grateful for parents who raised me in a Christian home, and taught me what it means to love and serve the Lord.

When I was in High School, God began prompting me to think about becoming a pastor. At first, I wasn't too enthused about this -- I had my mind set on becoming a lawyer. God had other ideas, and after my second year of High School, I was sure that God wanted me to become a pastor.

After taking a year to work(I was a baker at Tim Horton's, and an employee at a large grocery store), I began my undergraduate work at Reformed Bible College (now called Kuyper College) in Grand Rapids, Michigan. It was there that I met my wife Amy; we were married two years later. I completed my college degree, and began my studies at Calvin Seminary, also in Grand Rapids. I graduated with my Masters of Divinity in 2006.

I have been serving at Sunnyslope since 2006, and my passion is preaching. I enjoy listening to what God is saying in the Bible, and helping others understand what that means for us today. I also enjoy visiting with members of the church, and learning their stories of how God has been with them in times of joy and pain.

When I'm not "pastoring," I enjoy spending time with my family, whether at a local park, or on a road trip to some of the sights in the area. I also enjoy reading, cooking, and aviation.

LAST SUNDAY'S SERMONS:

June 13, 2010 AM Slavery, American Idols, and the Greatest Freedom of All


June 13, 2010 PM Hope For Henny Penny When the Sky Is Falling

PASTOR'S CORNER:

Years ago, many churches in our denomination (and in many other denominations) experienced what were later called the “Worship Wars.” Can you imagine? Churches fought over organ or piano; hymnals or projectors; hymns or contemporary music. Some churches actually split over this issue. Martin Lloyd Jones, a British pastor and theologian observed that “the question of singing caused more quarreling and divisions in churches than practically anything else, that singing gave the devil more frequent opportunities of hindering and disrupting the work than any other activity in Church life.” Worship is an area of church life where theology and personal preferences overlap, and the enemy would seek to exploit this area of the church in order to do great damage.

There are real dangers in the area of worship. Perhaps we decide that we want worship that makes us feel good. Or we insist on singing only songs from the hymnal. Or we dismiss music because it doesn’t match our personal tastes. The list is lengthy…

Recently, the worship committee met to talk about our convictions on worship in the life of our congregation. Together, we came up with several core, biblical convictions about worship. These are still in process, and so your feedback is welcome!

"The purpose of worship is to come together in Christian fellowship, sharing in common our bond in Christ, to remember God’s grace, demonstrated in Jesus, and to express our communal adoration of God."

"Worship must faithfully reflect the word of God, as we understand it from a Reformed Point of view. We must be careful to guard against inaccurate biblical teachings from shaping our theology of worship."

"The church is unlike any other organization, in that we are made up of people from a wide range of ages, ethnicities, socio-economic backgrounds, and walks of life. Corporate worship must help each group express their love for God. Thus, the purpose of worship leaders (praise team, musicians, singers, organists, readers, etc.) is to HELP The CHURCH express her worship (not to perform, not to take over, or drown out, etc.)"

"We will not define our worship by age (catering to younger or older believers) preference (contemporary or traditional) or anything else. Our worship reflects our unique makeup as a part of the body of Christ."

"Scripture reflects a wide variety of musical styles, which the church is free to engage in."

Do you have thoughts or questions? If you are on Facebook, check out the church’s facebook page, under “Discussion” and post your comments. Or, feel free to email me. Let us worship the Lord together; let us sing to the Lord our God!


CONTACT PASTOR ROB

PHONE: (503) 363-5159

ADDRESS: 197 Hrubetz Rd SE Salem, Oregon 97302

EMAIL: Pastor Rob
SERMON ARCHIVES
9-20-09 AMNew Year's Eve '0903-07-10 AM
9-27-09 AM01-03-10 AM03-07-10 PM
9-27-09 PM01-10-10 AM03-14-10 AM
10-04-09 PM01-10-10 PM03-14-10 PM
10-11-09 AM01-17-10 AM03-21-10 AM
10-11-09 PM01-17-10 PMEaster Sunday '10
10-18-09 AM01-24-10 PMGood Friday '10
10-25-09 AM01-24-10 PM04-18-10 AM
10-25-09 PM01-31-10 AM04-18-10 PM
11-01-09 AM01-31-10 PM04-25-10 AM
11-01-09 PM02-07-10 AM04-25-10 PM
11-15-09 AM01-24-10 PM05-02-10 AM
11-15-09 PM01-31-10 AM05-02-10 PM
11-29-09 AM01-31-10 PM05-09-10 PM
11-29-09 PM02-07-10 AM05-16-10 AM
12-06-09 AM02-07-10 PM05-23-10 AM
12-20-09 AM02-14-10 PM05-23-10 PM
12-27-09 AM02-21-10 AM06-06-10 AM
Christmas Day '0902-21-10 PM06-06-10 PM
   

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