“Getting in Touch with God’s Plan” Since the beginning of time, people have been searching for meaning and purpose. Exploring “what is the meaning of life” is innate in humans and that is exactly what God wants us to do. It often starts in early childhood when we demonstrate skills, traits, qualities and giftings that…
Author: Tom de Petra
Tom de Petra has served as the Executive Director at Friendship Church since 2017 and has previously served as the Trustee Board Chair. Tom has more than 25 years experience as an entrepreneur and business advisor across several manufacturing and service industries. For about a dozen years, Tom operated his own consulting firm specializing in turnaround management of companies experiencing financial distress or facing periods of challenging leadership or ownership transition. He was educated at Loyola University, with a dual major in Business and Political Science. Tom and his wife, Shirley have been active members of Friendship Church since 2006 and have served in missions.
Finances, Generosity and Spiritual Growth
The subjects of money and finance seem at times all-consuming in the way they occupy our attention. Culture and the media celebrate wealth and accumulation and often associate it with intelligence, physical attractiveness and creativity. We cannot make it through the day without being bombarded with advice on personal finance, investments, the most favorable cash-back…
Imperfect Church – Perfect Savior
As I reflect on a lifetime of church experiences, I am reminded that none of the church buildings, faith communities or people I have connected with have ever been remotely close to perfect. In my naïve quest to find the perfect church, I witnessed again and again displays of pride, arrogance, discord and even scandal…