About Us

Summary of the Templeton Project

The Templeton Committee met for the first time on October 21, 2015.  Pastor Michael Tavella had received a $5000 grant from the John Templeton Foundation through the auspices of Earl Whipple, a staff member of the organization and a member of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church.  The grant will be used to develop a manual for churches and individual Christians on how we should conduct ourselves when in conversation with atheists and others who do not attend Church (the “nones”), either one on one or in a public forum.  The biblical basis for the project is I Peter 3:  15b-16.  The proposal includes field testing the manual in church adult classes and then holding at least one public forum in which Christians and non-Christians  dialogue with one another. These conversations will constitute a Christian defense of the faith (ἀπολογία, apologia, English-apology) and a witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Logo Description

The logo on this page comes from the gravestone of a Christian named Firmia Victora. The ship is a common Christian symbol of the Church traveling through rough seas. The chi/rho and the Alpha and Omega symbols on the sail are not on the gravestone but were placed there to represent Christ. The chi and rho are the first two letters of Christ’s name in Greek. In the Book of Revelation, Jesus says that He is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. Alpha and Omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. The Church travels rough seas but will come to safe harbor through Christ.