Victory Family Church

Today we worshiped at Victory Family Church, 21150 Route 19, Cranberry Township, PA 16066, 724.453.6200, www.lifeatvictory.com, John & Michelle Nuzzo, Senior Pastor.

Scripture – 1 Timothy 4:8 NKJV

For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come.

Bob’s thoughts:

We were a few minutes late after getting our grandchildren off to the nursery, so rather than look for seats on the main floor in the dark we headed up into the tiers. I quickly learned the spacious leg room on the ground floor wasn’t there in the stadium seating as my knees hurt so badly I had to leave. The volume was better up there, but the roving spotlights really got me.

The service is on numerous monitors outside the sanctuary where there is comfortable seating, so I got to listen to most of the message out there. I was grateful for what I could hear of it: there was more innovation than I’ve heard for years. The plan he outlined is not only a great way to build up future leaders in the church but to minister to and build up other churches. I have listened to the unspoken competition between churches for so long that I found this exceedingly refreshing.

Jan’s thoughts:

We have worshiped at Victory before; it is a huge church with services on Saturdays, Sundays, and one Wednesday per month, and today we came to worship with our birthday girl daughter and grandtwins.

The sheer number of volunteers is astounding, as they are everywhere in every conceivable capacity from parking lot attendants to greeters who open the door for you to the information centers, child care, and café service. And I’m sure that is the tip of the iceberg and there are far too many others to list even if I knew them.

Some folks smiled and/or offered a “Good morning,” which is a lot for a church this size. I felt like a visitor but not an invisible one.

Since the service was barely underway when we entered the Sanctuary we ended up sitting in the second tier, somewhere new for us.

The stage featured a full praise band along with a group of vocalists and thus plenty of volume. I enjoyed that each of the three opening songs was led by a different vocalist.

The message, “Your Fit,” was part 4 of the series “The Next Chapter,” referring to the next chapter of life. He started by listing three reasons we end up not finding where we fit in the Body of Christ: 1 – we become critical, and instead of doing something to help we will stand back and criticize; 2 – misplaced priorities and focusing on what the world tells us is important instead of focusing on God; and 3 – condemnation for actual or perceived sin. He specifically – and I thought gently – mentioned abortion, and prayed for anyone present whose life had been touched by it and pointed out that when we accept Christ, God throws our sins into the Sea of Forgetfulness and then puts up a ‘no fishing’ sign. I liked that, as it’s something I tend to do, give it to God and then take it back. The thought of a ‘no fishing’ sign is a helpful mind picture.

His closing reminder was, “our yesterdays do not define us,” and his final recommendation was to “give your life away.” I found both inspiring.

He ended the service with an altar call, which I always find exciting.

I appreciate this pastor’s down-to-earth, forthright preaching style. He is practical and honest; it’s almost more like a conversation.

Our prayer for this church:

Lord, we pray this church takes to heart these initiatives You have given them. May they truly be a beacon on the hill. Amen.