A church for people who feel church isn’t for them.
Sunday: 9:30AM, 11:00AM
801 Beirne Ave, Huntsville (5-Points)
Upcoming events
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Healing Service
September 20th
We believe that when we ask God for healing, His answer may be yes, no, not yet, or different from what we expected. No matter the answer, we believe in the power of prayer and in bringing our requests before God, trusting Him with the outcome. Join us September 20th during both First and Second Service for a powerful time of prayer and healing. We’re believing God to move in a meaningful way as we seek Him together.
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Lobby Dedication
September 9th
Join us on September 9th at 5 PM at the 2101 as we come together for a special time of prayer and dedicate the 2101 to God. We’ll spend time praying over the space and inviting God’s presence and purpose into all that happens there. You’ll also have the opportunity to write a prayer or Bible verse on the lobby floor as a lasting declaration of faith. This is come and go between 5PM and 7PM.
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Parent and Child Dedications
September 20th
We are so happy to partner with parents and join you in this special time of dedicating your child to the Lord and yourselves to raising your child in the ways of the Lord. We ask each family wanting to participate in the dedication service to attend a class the weekend prior. If you have already attended this class at Essential and are dedicating another child, you do not need to attend the class again. Register here.
You Belong Here
We don’t care what you wear, how many piercings or tattoos you have, what candidate you voted for or even if you know anything about the Bible. We are a church filled with people just like you with every kind of story imaginable.
It’s dark, it’s loud, and it smells a lot like coffee. We love Jesus.
We love the Bible, and we love our church.
We’re having a ton of fun, but we aren’t just playing around.
We love what we get to do here.
We think you’ll love it too.
Huntsville
Address
801 Beirne Avenue Northeast
Huntsville, AL 35801
Summer Service Times
Sunday: 9:30am and 11:00am
Last week’s Teaching:
Why Would a Loving God Allow So Much Suffering?
If God is loving and all-powerful, why doesn’t He stop suffering?
It’s one of the oldest and most difficult questions about Christianity. The Bible’s answer begins by reminding us that God did not create the world in its current broken condition. God created something good, but humanity’s rebellion brought sin, death, and brokenness into the world. Much of the suffering we experience is also the result of human beings using their freedom to hurt one another.
But what about the suffering we can’t explain?
The story of Job reminds us that our inability to see God’s reasons doesn’t mean He has no reasons. If an infinite God exists, we should expect there to be times when His purposes exceed our understanding.
Christianity also gives us something more than a philosophical explanation. It gives us Jesus.
At the cross, it looked as though evil had won. An innocent man suffered. His mother watched Him die. His friends were devastated. Jesus Himself cried out to God. If Friday were the end of the story, we might conclude that God was absent.
But Sunday was coming.
The event that looked like evidence that God didn’t care turned out to be the very means God was using to save the world.
We may not know why God allows every individual instance of suffering, but Jesus shows us that God has not remained distant from it. He entered our suffering, suffered for us, defeated death, and promised that one day He will make all things new.
Jesus doesn’t tell us suffering isn’t real. He tells us suffering isn’t final.
The cross tells us God entered our suffering. The resurrection tells us God can redeem our suffering. And Revelation tells us God is going to end our suffering.