What is The intention?
The Gospel According to John begins with the claim that in the beginning was “ὁ λόγος”. In English, that Greek phrase is typically rendered “The Word,” and from that translation, we get a verse that reads “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1)
But what is the Word? What is ὁ λόγος talking about? The Word is the principle of Divine reason underwriting the
whole of creation. That’s why John goes on to say that “through him, all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.” (John 1:3)
Put another way, ὁ λόγος is The Intention.
And The Intention was in the beginning. And The Intention was with God. And The Intention was God.
And The Intention became flesh and made his home among us. (John 1:14)
We believe that the Intention is peace. we believe that the Intention is love. We believe that the Intention gives us hope. And faith demands that we partner with those pursuing the Intention so that all things seen & unseen might be made new.
Who’s intention for?
The Intention Church is for those who’ve seen enough to be skeptical, but are still drawn to the narrow way of Jesus. Intention is for those committed to seeing peace on earth. Intention is for those committed to loving their neighbors better each and every day.
Intention is for those who aren’t looking for the privileges of membership, but the responsibility of partnership.
Intention is for those looking to connect and gather with diverse people all seeking the reconciliation of all creation.
Intention is for those looking to grow in the wholeness God is calling them into.
Intention is for the dreamers: those who are willing to pray “on earth as it is in heaven” and dare to believe it.
What’s church with intention like?
We are not here to replace nor replicate live, in-person worship services.
Some things just don’t translate well. Live music? Singing songs together? It doesn’t really work over Zoom.
But connecting with people? Forming meaninful relationships? Studying the Bible? Being transformed by the narrow way of Jesus? Becoming ambassodors of peace? Learning to love better? Taking care of “the least of these?” We can do all of that just fine!
We’ll have weekly zoom meetings centered around Bible-based teaching and reflection and communion through sharing. We encourage you to gather people (family, friends, neighbors, etc.) physically when we meet so that we can literally celebrate the Lord’s supper together.
(And, if all goes as planned, we’ll work toward some regional, in person gatherings as well!)
Meet (Some of) The Team
Trey Ferguson
Pastor
Trey enjoys walking beside people in their journeys of faith. A questioner by nature, he’s fine with holding the minor things loosely as he pursues the way of Jesus with reckless abandon.
Having earned a Master of Divinity degree from the Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology at Virginia Union University, he holds the rich traditions of the historic Black church and Black theologians near & dear. His goal is to honor those roots in the church of the future.
In addition to serving as a pastor in The Intention Church, Trey serves as the Executive Pastor of the Refuge Church in Homestead, Florida. He lives there, in the southern portion of Miami-Dade County, with his wife (Jessica) and their three children. When he’s not theologizing or ministering, he enjoys visiting zoos, aquariums, botanical gardens, and all of the places he can see all kinds of life.
Trey regards love as the commitment to wholeness, and is therefore committed to your wholeness.
Find out more about Trey at pastortrey05.com.
Tim Amor
Co-Conspirator, Advisor, and Executive Pastor-type guy
Tim serves as the pastor of St. Catharines United Mennonite Church. Tim was born and raised in Burlington, Ontario, and has most recently served as the pastor of Summit Street Church in Nebraska. He is fond of playing guitar, playing board games, science fiction, good coffee, and he remains a loyal fan of the Toronto Raptors and Blue Jays. Tim and his wife Jen moved to St. Catharines in 2023, and have two happy kids and one grumpy cat.
Jessica Townes
Associate Pastor
Two words to describe Jessica A. Townes are jovial and joyous. The Midlothian, VA
native is affectionately known as “Jess” or “Jessie.” Jessica’s ministry experience
includes working with youth, young adults, adults, social media, and running the
soundboard.
Jessica currently serves as an associate minister at Garland Avenue Baptist Church in Richmond, VA under the leadership of Dr. Jeffrey O. Smith. She graduated with a BS in Psychology from Virginia Commonwealth University (2011) and earned a Master of Divinity from The Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology at Virginia Union University (2014).
Jessica works as a case manager in Richmond. In her not-so-abundant spare time, Jessica enjoys watching basketball (WNBA and NBA), listening to music, writing, reading, shopping for sneakers, and playing guitar.