With giving hearts and loving minds, Love Lake Norman is a church that cares deeply about you personally, and your neighbors down the street, and those across town!
True to their steadfast motto of “Belong before you believe” — Love Lake Norman’s goal is to help people find and follow Jesus, but they respect that everyone’s faith journey is not the same.
“‘Belong before you believe’ has been our motto from day one,” explains Lead Pastor Jerel Law. “We know that while we all have questions about God and what it means to believe, everyone wants to belong to something bigger than themselves. Our people love the fact that they can explore faith at their own pace, while belonging to a church that is trying to do good in our world.”
Love Lake Norman began on April 2, 2017, with their first service held at the Oak Street Mill in Cornelius. The church draws from the greater Charlotte area — including Cornelius, Davidson, Huntersville, Mooresville, and Charlotte. Love Lake Norman has recently — and very thankfully — relocated services to the Cain Center for the Arts in Cornelius, and their single 10:00 a.m. worship experience on Sundays is a blessing to all. With a family focus, “Love Kids” is the group’s children’s ministry for ages six weeks through fifth grade, and the youth ministry “Next Wave” serves sixth through twelfth grades.
With a strong mission to “Love Local,” the church spreads their work to local schools and apartments, and recently “left the building” one Sunday morning for a program they call “Love Serves.” In place of their regular service, over 200 volunteers went out into the community to serve where they were needed.
“We firmly believe our actions are as important as our words,” says Jerel, who is the very personable, incredibly positive lead pastor.
“I’ve been helping start churches for most of my adult ministry life — for the last 25 years or so,” he says. “It’s in my blood! Helping launch Love Lake Norman is the most fun I’ve had in ministry so far.”
Jerel and a team of other passionate leaders envisioned a place where people in the Lake Norman area — and beyond — could find a place to be accepted and belong, and at the same time be encouraged and challenged to take their next step and follow Jesus. The group is simply committed to building a church that shares hope with our world — hope that says there’s a bigger story where we all belong!
Last Thanksgiving they launched an initiative called “Holiday Love,” where members connected to families in need through school counselors, and provided meals and a shopping experience where neighbors could come and choose gifts for their own family in an interactive, dignified setting. The church plans a similar experience for 2023.
If you’re looking for a perfect Mother’s Day activity for your family this month, join Love Lake Norman on Sunday, May 14, from 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m., for a community-wide event at Blackberry Ridge Farm on Beatties Ford Road in Huntersville. There will be a service, a flower bouquet-making station (for all the special women in your life!), fun kids’ activities, and a photographer onsite to snap family photos.
Read through their website and you’ll immediately feel welcomed at Love Lake Norman, and as it says — they are saving a seat for you!
Love Lake Norman meets on Sundays at 10:00 a.m. at The Cain Center for the Arts, 21348 Catawba Avenue, Cornelius, NC, 704-237-0654. You can email [email protected] for information on their ministries and how you can connect, and follow them on Instagram @lovelakenorman.
