Pastor Joshua and Leah Glick of Journey UP Church.Journey UP Church will hold its first service this Sunday!
Joshua Glick was an assistant pastor at an established Pentecostal Church in California 11-years ago when he felt that God was calling for him to pursue a different path.
After praying on it for some time, Glick had a dream in which he was in an immense building traveling down a long hallway. Every door he opened showed someone else’s story in progress. Finally, after a long turning path, descending four flights of staircases and up again, he found a room of his own.
Inside was a huge complex that was under construction, with scaffolding and sheetrock dust. A man with blueprints approaches him and asks: “Pastor, what do you want me to do here?”
Now Glick knew what he had to do, but wanted his bishop’s blessing. Surprisingly, the man abruptly had a change of heart and blessed Joshua on his journey. Glick took it as a sign.
This weekend, the dream will finally come to fruition. Joshua Glick and his wife, Leah, are opening a new congregation JOURNEY UP Church in Warrenton. The United Pentecostal church (UP) will hold its first service, Sunday, May 19 at the Warrenton United Methodist Church located at 341 Church Street, Warrenton, Virginia.
It is something they felt compelled to do, but it is also, they believe, the kind of church the community needs.
“We are the only United Pentecostal Church within Fauquier County,” said Joshua. “We are a Bible-fed and Spirit-led church. “ The church will be focused on the Bible, the word of God, but also encourages the leading of the Spirit through services and personal experiences.
The mission of Journey UP is to UNITE: To Unify the body, to Nurture the active ministry, to Ignite nonbelievers with the power of the Holy Ghost, and Teach the Gospel in Exultation to God.
He wants it to be a place of “great compassion” where people care about one another and move forward together. More important than denominational tradition, is “relationships,” said Joshua, and he wants to know his congregants.
Leah will be the “friendly face” of the church. She is also working behind the scenes handling administrative tasks, media and event planning, crucial to making the church a community.
The tenants of the church fit the JOURNEY UP name. They are “inward passion, outward purpose and upward path.”
Inward passion can be described as one’s desire to have a relationship with God; outward purpose is receiving fulfillment in finding God’s design and plan for each person; and upward path is the concept of building forward-moving momentum “as we all walk together towards a common goal of making it to heaven.”
But the name Journey UP holds meanings for the couple as well. When Joshua proposed to Leah, he read to her a poem he wrote about his journey to find his life partner.
That was 15 years ago, and today the couple lives in Warrenton with their two young children. Joshua works for the Federal Government and Leah works from home part-time for two agencies.
Over hardships, they believe their lives have come together through trust in God’s grace and plan for them, which as it has unfolded has provided opportunities that seemed unlikely, even miraculous.
They want to extend that sense of purpose to others.
“Come as you are,” Joshua said, all are welcome. Joshua and Leah want the church to feel like family. The atmosphere will be relaxed and the music contemporary.
They are here purposefully to plant the church, nurture it and watch it grow. They are not planning on going anywhere, and not planning on giving up.
“The Journey UP is not about doing church together. It’s about doing life together,” said Joshua.
Not too traditional, “seeker-friendly” they welcome people from all walks of life. "Fellowship" is “hanging out” at church events, said Leah, explaining it will be very relaxed.
And they welcome young people. As a former Youth Pastor and College & Career Leader for the state of Virginia, Joshua has seen that young adults have so much talent and enthusiasm to offer the church and want to experience more than the secular life. Families are welcome as well, and they will have a Sunday school class for children.
Both Joshua and Leah are very excited to see the culmination of their work coming together. They hope you can join them on Sunday at 3 p.m. Contact them via email pastor@ourjourneyup.org or call 703-673-6878. Their website is ourjourneyup.org.
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