Jasmine's Story

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I searched for "Churches at UF" on Google and found Salt Church. I vividly remember attending a Sunday service that August of my freshman year, feeling overwhelmed with anxiety as I walked in. Yet, as I listened to the sermon, it felt as though the pastor was speaking directly to my innermost thoughts. Past experiences had left me feeling disconnected from church communities, but that day’s message centered on the concept of church as a loving community, designed by God to be a family. After my first service, I met my connection group leader for the year. Despite my skepticism about joining a new church community, God gently nudged me out of my comfort zone. Gradually, Salt Church became my home. Now I serve as a Salt Company Connection Group leader and a graphic designer on the Salt Creatives team. God made me an artist, and it's fulfilling to see my gifts leveraged for the kingdom.

Salt Church became a channel that God has used to position me for transformation. Salt Company’s 2022 Fall Retreat was where He taught me how to listen when He said He loved me. For the first time, I believed it! Only in the past two years have I truly grasped what it means to worship God in spirit and truth. There were many firsts. I had Christian mentors for the first time. I confessed sin for the first time at a connection group. God broke many sin cycles that had enslaved me. Being both discipled and discipling others shaped my character. I cannot imagine what my spiritual life would look like without community. 

Salt’s emphasis on sending out laborers and creating community makes it easy to invite others into Christ-centered fellowship. I could point any stranger to any connection group and know with assurance that they would be loved/discipled well. Salt Company outreach events like Kickoff and Beach Retreat make it easy to invite classmates to a place where I know they will hear the gospel. Furthermore, our church’s (and network’s) emphasis on Luke 10:2 shows the mission of multiplication implemented at Salt.