Church guide

The love continues as we celebrate Mother's Day & continue our 52 weeks of love. Learn what Jesus has to say about distractions this Sunday morning at 10:30.

"I'll start coming to church when I get my life together." No you won't. "I'll volunteer & help others when my life settles down." That'll never happen. On week 18 of our 52 weeks of love learn why God wants to include you in what He's doing; even in the chaos of your present circumstances. Join us this Sunday at 10:30am. Remember: Setting aside a little "Him" time is more refreshing than getting more "me" time. Pastor Brad

It's a long standing tradition in the Christian church to call the apostle Thomas, "doubting Thomas." But did Jesus accuse Thomas of having weak or faltering faith? On Sunday learn the truth about Thomas & why it's important for you. You're invited to join us for our annual Easter breakfast at 9:30am, followed by an interactive Easter service at 10:30. Afterwards your children or grandchildren will have fun searching for candy & toys during the egg hunt. This Easter you & your family are welcome to join our family to celebrate the most important spiritual holiday on the Christian calendar.

It's week 15 in our 52 weeks of love at the Albion Christian Church. As we prepare for Easter this Palm Sunday we will consider the ultimate expression of love Jesus showed at the cross. You're invited to join us at 10:30 Sunday morning.

Worship in the age of Christ is radically different from worship in the time before Christ. Not only is it significantly more personal and at times very challenging but it also has the ability to heal & restore broken relationships. To learn more join us Sunday morning at 10:30 for week 14 of our 52 weeks of love challenge. Pastor Brad

Tonight's Family Supper will be yummy casseroles. Followed by games & Bible study. Our meal is open to everyone in the community & there is no requirement to attend a Bible study. Dinner is served from 6:00 to 6:30pm; the evening events end at 7:45.

This Sunday is week 13 in my 52 weeks of love challenge for 2019. My goal is to find & share God's love in every passage I preach. That means you'll be uplifted & encouraged every week all year. Please join us this Sunday at 10:30am. Also, we'd love to see you Sunday evening at 6p for our Singspiration service & reception afterwards. Pastor Brad

God has interesting & unique ways of being present & showing His power. When we come along side each other to offer encouragement & help, God is present in our fellowship & our sacrifice. Sunday I will present my 3rd sermon on experiencing the power of God in your daily life; it's part of my year long series, "52 weeks of love." Please join us Sunday morning at 10:30 to begin your experience of God's love. Pastor Brad

Tonight's Family Supper is tacos. The dinner bell rings at 6pm & is open to the community at no charge. Also, there will be a special activity for the elementary age children. Don't miss it!

I’ve often wondered how a person who’s an atheist or simply not religious can feel that they’re spiritual? As a Christian I understand myself to be both material & spiritual; body & soul. God feeds my soul which has direct impact on my life in the flesh. In a New York Times article this week by Martin Hägglund, spiritual life was defined in a Buddhist sense as being motivated by a principle or a cause under pressure from the finite nature of mortality with the possibility of personal sacrifice. By this definition spirituality is a value controlled by the realities of our material world, there is no recognition of a spiritual realm. In my understanding, spirituality is a lifestyle rooted in the non-material (spiritual) dimension where our souls interact with God. We are motivated by our connection to infinite eternity & our experience of God working through us in daily life. Being part of something greater than ourselves provides joy & purpose. The hope of eternity means that what we do now matters beyond this moment. Join me Sunday morning at 10:30 to learn more about spiritual living. Pastor Brad

Tonight is Family Supper night at the church from 6:00-7:45. Tonight's meal is pizza; which is FREE to everyone in the community. Join us! After supper the kids break into groups (preschool; elementary & teen) for games & a Bible story while the adults visit in the lounge.

One of the most frustrating realities for Christians is to sin while trying to be a good Christian. There is much false teaching on this and many have fallen away from the faith because they feel defeated & blamed for their failure. The good news is that God understands the problem, is patient with you & wants you to be encouraged. To learn more, join us this Sunday at 10:30am as we continue our 52 weeks of love. Pastor Brad

FINAL THOUGHTS: According to Aristotle’s rules of logic, something cannot both be & not be at the same time. There is a growing consensus in our culture that defining homosexuality as a sin is proof of ignorance, hatred & bigotry which negates the ability to love tenderly, completely & unconditionally. In other words, my statement yesterday that the church is called to maintain unchanging standards MATCHED with overwhelming love, will be for many a contradiction. As Christians we are called by God to live what the world views as contradictions. Therefore, when we love others properly it will be seen as approval of their entire lifestyle. Yet, learning more of what we believe will produce confusion. I think what God wants is to confound the wise with a mystery that raises questions. Because it’s in the questions that the gospel does its most powerful work. Pastor Brad

QUESTION 3: Is there a better way for conservative Christians to move forward in love? If we say that homosexuality isn’t a sin, then we’re also saying that gay people don’t need a Savior. The sins listed in the Bible aren’t there to condemn people, but to show who needs a Savior and why. God may be offended by sin, but He doesn’t allow that to diminish the generosity of His love. If we are to love others the way God has loved us then we need to look beyond each other’s sin and practice inclusive, caring & sharing love. The church’s relevance is based on unchanging standards MATCHED with overwhelming love. Standards without love are nothing more than cruel judgment. We need to see gay people as God’s beloved creation who Christ died for. We need to look for things we have in common and find reasons to enjoy their company & include them in our life. We also need to sacrifice our learned attitudes & comfort zone in order to be inclusive. They need to know that there's a place for them in the church. If love is to be more than a word; it must include action. Are you willing to get serious about perfecting your ability to show God's love to all? Pastor Brad

QUESTION 2: Is maintaining a conservative position on sin reasonable for our times? The conventional wisdom beyond the church is that for Christianity to be relevant today we need to ditch the idea that homosexuality is a sin. Some Christians wonder why we’re sticking to an idea that is so out of step with the world around us? Consider the implications of denying that homosexuality is a sin. The biggest leap requires denying the accuracy of the Bible. If the Bible is wrong about homosexuality, what else is it wrong about? If we don’t want Christianity to unravel then we must stand firm on the fundamentals of our faith. Helping people find peace with God is always relevant. Teaching truth in love is always relevant. Being there for someone in need is always relevant. What’s not relevant is practicing the hypocrisy of moral superiority. We either believe that all have sinned; or we believe that we’re better that others. The real issue is not one of being out of date; but why the world sees us as unloving? Our challenge is to learn how to stand firm while practicing generous, extravagant love? Pastor Brad

QUESTION 1: Why do churches keep splitting? Since the Bible instructs us to be united in Christ why do we keep hearing about ugly splits? Most conservative evangelical churches that split are in reality united in Christ; meaning, that they accept the accuracy & authority of the Bible as well as the person & work of Jesus. To our shame, conflicts are usually over minor issues that nobody is willing to let go of. The Methodist church is the rare exception. While most agree with traditional Christian teaching, others question the reliability of the Bible & think that stories of interactions between God & man is just myth. Their conclusion is that the teaching of homosexuality as a sin is nothing more than ancient homophobic prejudice. That’s why they want to ordain gay clergy & perform gay weddings. What we see as a disagreement about homosexuality, is really a conflict over the foundation of our faith. Which means that they have no shared starting point which can produce resolution. Pastor Brad

Last week the United Methodist Church rejected a proposal from the liberal progressive wing of their denomination who wanted them to affirm that homosexuality is not a sin, ordain gay clergy as well as to allow the performance of gay weddings. As a result, it’s now expected that the church will split. This week I will post a series of short articles designed to address this issue. My goal is to answer the following questions: Why do churches keep splitting? Is maintaining a conservative position on sin reasonable for our times? Is there a better way for conservative Christians to move forward in love? Pastor Brad

What does it mean to be spiritual? Different religions put forth different ideas that include speech, dress, posture and behavior. For Christians it requires letting God participate in your personal history. Spirituality is the intersection of God’s invisible & immaterial being with your physical material life. Maturing in Christ is the journey of learning how to do this. Join us this Sunday at 10:30am as I teach more about being spiritual. Pastor Brad

When we are in Christ there is a pattern and rhythm to life that feeds the soul. Sabbath rest is an important part of that rhythm; it's not a rest where you sit home and do nothing or indulge in recreation. It's a rest that involves reconnecting with God and His people. Sabbath rest should include the Sunday morning worship service. Please join us tomorrow at 10:30 to be refreshed and renewed.

There will be no Family Supper tonight because of snow. Our next scheduled supper night is Wednesday February 27 at 6pm.