The Beauty of Radical [church] Love.
Over the past month, I’ve witnessed something truly powerful happening in our congregation!
New faces are showing up — some cautious, some curious, some deeply hurt by past church experiences. And as I’ve gotten to know them, a common theme has started to emerge in their stories. Again and again, I hear them say:
“I’ve never experienced a church this accepting before.” (At least I think they mean that for the area that we are in, Southern Ohio.)
Those words hit me every time.
These aren’t just surface-level compliments. They’re confessions of relief. Of healing. Of finally exhaling after years of holding their breath in churches where they were taught to fear God more than love God. Where the measure of their worth was wrapped up in shame, exclusion, and conditional belonging.
But now, something is shifting!
They’ve walked into a community that doesn’t just tolerate people—it celebrates them. A community that doesn’t gatekeep God’s grace, but pours it out freely. A place where Jesus isn’t used as a weapon to condemn, but as a model of unconditional, radical love.
I’ve heard stories of people leaving churches where they were told they didn’t belong—because of who they love, how they dress, what they’ve done, or even just who they are. And now, here, they are learning about a God who doesn’t just allow them to be in the room, but actually delights in them being there. A God who weeps with them, heals them, and walks alongside them with compassion, not condemnation.
One visitor told me, “For the first time in my life, I feel like I’m allowed to believe that God actually loves EVERYONE.” Not just tolerates. Loves.
That’s what the Church should be.
Not a place of fear — but freedom.
Not a place of rules — but of restoration.
Not a place of judgment — but of joy.
If you’ve been carrying wounds from churches that preached a harsh and distant God, know this: that was never who God truly is. That was religion distorted by fear. But Love — true Love—is here. And it’s not just available. It’s already chasing after you. Come as you are. Jesus’s love is already here waiting, arms wide open.
Let’s be a church that reflects that radical, reckless love—not just in word, but in everything we do!
Join us on Sundays, 301 Front Street, Portsmouth, Ohio 45662 @5:30 PM EST. (Or join us online.)
Written by: Landen Puckett
