**We will be volunteering at the FCCAU homeless shelter in Belcamp, MD on June 26th. While there, we will be making 3 meals for the clients, serving them and just making some new friends. If you would like to be a part, please click on the 'Contact' link and let me know!
Our Story
Troy Hamby grew up in a pastor's home and was a first hand witness to all the good and bad stuff that happens in church. In his teen years, he strayed from his faith and got as far away from God as he could for many years. In 1997, God delivered him and called him into a ministry that stresses the grace and restoration that only Jesus Christ can provide.
Paige Hamby is the most organized person, comical blog writer and best Mommy you could ever imagine! She has a very compassionate heart and longs to see the hungry fed, the naked clothed and the broken heart mended.
Both Troy and Paige graduated from Lee University (Cleveland, TN) where Troy earned a B.S. in Pastoral Ministry and Paige a B.A. in Psychology. They have two incredible boys, Carter (20 months) and Jackson (6 months).
They cannot wait until the next chapter in this story and hope that many more friends join them along the way!
We Are Followers of Jesus
A survey was taken recently of young Americans between the ages of 16-29 and they were asked "please list one word that describes Christians". 91% said 'anti-homosexual', 87% said 'judgmental', 85% said 'hypocritical' and 72% said 'out of touch with reality'.' When this same group were asked to use a word to describe Jesus, they used words like "loving", "kind" and "friendly".
This study reveals that American Christianity has a major problem...it looks NOTHING like Jesus! Or as Alan Hirsh puts it "Christianity minus Christ=Religion and Jesus is anti-religion." We want to push the reset button on Christianity and begin to take our movement back to it's roots.
Our desire is to shift the focus back to Jesus and what it means to follow Him in our every day lives. There is no way that you can truly encounter the risen Son of God and not come away radically changed and that change should shine through in how we live. We want to 're-present' Christ to this generation through authentic caring relationships, compassion, truth and extravagant love.
We Are Missionaries
Within a few short years, the ragtag group of misfits called the "church" in the book of Acts turned the world upside down and ushered in a revolution that we're still feeling today! In the postmodern society in which we live, churches and followers of Jesus must operate as the early church did if we want to see the results that they saw.
It's becoming clear that followers of Christ must make a radical shift from being nice, American christians to becoming more like missionaries, with a renewed emphasis on the message and mission of Jesus. In other words, our purpose at Sanctuary is not to make church members but instead to produce missionaries to our culture.
Our greatest desire is to proclaim and embody the gospel so that others can see, hear and feel God's love in real, every day practical ways. We want to serve our communities with unconditional love and show compassion to the poor, hungry and hopeless.
We Are Friends
There are many metaphors in the Bible used to describe the church--flock, body, people of God, etc. But the main way that the church was described in the New Testament was family! The church was never meant to be a building or a corporation...it is simply supposed to be a group of friends who share life together and have one common goal: to make Jesus' name great and to love other people!
That's what we want to be here at Sanctuary. Wherever you find us, we hope you will find a group of friends that truly care about each other and accept you into the family with no strings attached. We will share meals together, try to follow God together and share life as friends who would give their lives for each other. So, if you're looking to join an "institution", we're probably not for you. But, if you are ready to share your messy life with a bunch of other messed up people, join us!!
*What We Believe
Join a Movement!
Do you ever wake up in the morning and think "there HAS to be more to life than this!" If so, we are looking for you! Our launch team is forming and we are searching for people that love God and love other people in profound ways. ..people that enjoy being part of a team...people that want to partner with God in His redemptive mission to this world. You don't have to be perfect or even have any special gifts, you just need to be able to love out loud. If I've just described you, please email Pastor Troy as soon as possible! We would love for you to join with us on this adventure of a lifetime.
Check out what we're up to and get to know us by clicking on the Facebook, Twitter or blog icons below.
The Latest and Greatest
We are currently meeting at Troy and Paige's house (608 St. Albans Ct Abingdon, MD 21009) every other Sunday night at 5pm. During our times together, we eat a lot, pray, think and talk through the Bible together and have fun! Oh, did I mention that we eat A LOT! So, if you're interested in checking us out, send Troy a message and he'll be sure to get right back to you with the details.
Sanctuary Church
608 Saint Albans Court
Abingdon, MD 21009
(443) 504-2804
troyhamby_gmail.com
