Come join Pastor Jeff for the Thursday morning studies. We will explore the faith of Islam and our own.
Pastor Jeff will cover the history and basic tenets of Islam, including the origins of faith for the Muslim world; the Prophet Mohammed; the Sunni and Shia split, key terms and theology and more.
Come join us as we venture together in learning more about one of the world’s large monotheistic faiths.
Pastor Jeff Ruby was born in Pennsylvania and moved to Arizona at the age of five. He received a B.A. in Political Science from California Lutheran University and a Master of Divinity degree from Pacific Lutheran Seminary. He has served as a pastor-developer and lead pastor in three churches across the United States before coming to La Casa in 2006.
Pastor Jeff is married to Susan, who has worked in the business and education fields. They are the parents of two children, Kaitlin and Erik. As the lead pastor, he is responsible for the spiritual and administrative oversight of the congregation and staff and is committed to leading our community through Jesus with the skeptics, strugglers, and doubters, so that the Good News can be shared with all generations.
Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of the Kandake (which means “queen of the Ethiopians”). This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the Book of Isaiah the prophet. The Spirit told Philip, “Go to that chariot and stay near it.” Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked. “How can I,” he said, “unless someone explains it to me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. This is the passage of Scripture the eunuch was reading: “He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he did not open his mouth. In his humiliation he was deprived of justice. Who can speak of his descendants? For his life was taken from the earth.” The eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?” Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus. As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized?” And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing. Philip, however, appeared at Azotus and traveled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea.