January 2016
640 Grosvenor St. London Ont N5Y 3T4 519-858-4123 churchalcc1@gmail.com Week at a Glance
Twitter: @LifeALCC
10am CafĂŠ 10:30 Service
www.alccnet.com
Paradise Kids & The PlayRoom KidMin 10:30
discovery faith and purpose
LIFE Groups 6:30 pm
connection sharing and caring
Tues: Ladies Coffee Hour 10:30
response serving and generosity
Wed: Ignite Youth Group Thurs: Celebrate Recovery 7pm
simplicity
The simple message of Jesus bring healing and rescue to all people
Sermon series for January
Instagram #abundantlife_london
discovery| connection| responsibility | simplicity
Life…. Our world is full of unhappy and dissatisfied people. For this reason, people everywhere are looking for answers to the emptiness they feel inside. These people will try anything, if it might bring them some sort of satisfaction or happiness. Perhaps this explains why there is so much divorce, suicide, thoughts of suicide, drug dependency, alcohol abuse, criminal behavior, prostitution, sexual impurity, depression, pornography, eating disorders, emotional, and psychological disorders. We are messed up. So, what is the solution? How do we find happiness and satisfaction in life? The answer is found in John 10:10 , "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full" Live life as Jesus intended…to the fullness! God desires that his children are living a life full of happiness, peace, and a genuine friendship with God. Fullness in God gives us the life God intended. It all starts today… “The past is behind, learn from it. The future is ahead, prepare for it. The present is here, live it.” From our family to yours, Happy New Year! PBill and Kathy
My wife and I were talking about the past year and there were more than enough hurts and struggles this year. We looked at each other and I said to her that it was a good year and thanks be to God, we survived! Tragedy, hardship and barely making it though it's still good? I call every year a good year. Not because it was full of laughter, full of success and prosperity. Because God is good and He brought us through it. He gave us those days, gave us breathe, each other and the strength to get through what seemed impossible. His comfort, joy and peace stilled our hearts and minds when we needed it. My wife quoted this scripture over and over again and I just got it in my devotions on Christmas week: Philippians 3:13,14 "I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus"! We lived by it during 2015. Where we didn't expect an easy year but a good year that would be full of holding tight to God like year should. We didn't make it on our own and I'm thankful that our God was, is and will always be with us! Say goodbye 2015 and welcome 2016! And strain for what lies ahead because your God is with you! He is greater, Tony Mejia
Welcome! We are glad you are here, and we trust that are feeling at HOME. It is our hope and prayer that you will join in as we share our lives and celebration of faith together. We believe our life is about discovering who God is, using this faith to live out His purpose and His plan and to live it with passion. We call ALCC our HOME. We are intentional about relationships with God and each other to bring the message of HOPE to our community.
Good Morning Café When we wake up in the morning, we all have our rituals, traditions and “must do’s” before we head out the door. That’s why we offer our
Good Morning Café
to you at 10 am. You will be greeted by a warm and friendly smile from one of our weekly hostesses and you can choose a beverage of coffee (hazelnut or regular), tea (regular or seasonal favourite), juice and not to mention a homemade snack from our dedicated Café Team. So come a little early to enjoy this time of relaxing and the opportunity to get to know your fellow Lifers!
Good Morning Café Sunday’s 10– 10:30 am
discovery| connection| responsibility | simplicity
The
Kidmin PLAYROOM is
excited to present
SPIN IT TO WIN IT Kids will play fun games and win awesome prizes as they learn who Jesus is and how we can be like Him! Our dedicated team of volunteers are waiting to share the love of Jesus “In all these things we will do even more than win! We owe it all to Christ, who has loved us!”
Sundays 10:30- noon
SPIN IT TO WIN IT GRADUATION Sunday January 31 @ 10:30 am
Welcome Care Givers! The purpose of our Paradise Kids is to provide you with a safe place to nurse/change your baby, and eventually leave them in the loving care of our dedicated and loving
Paradise Kids Team Feel free to sign your child in at any time during the service. Some care givers would like their child to stay with them for the music or until they (the child that is) gets restless. Once you have signed them in, you can pick them up at the end of the service by signing them out again.
Newborn—JK 10:30—noon The Goody Gumdrops board game will come to life for preschoolers as they learn who Jesus is and how we can be like Him.
discovery| connection| responsibility | simplicity
thank you Debbie We want to thank Debbie Maling for her service as the Nursery leader. Being the lead of a such a precious ministry can be demanding. Giving up BIG CHURCH more than your scheduled time, finding and delegating the curriculum, planning events is a sacrifice that Debbie has willingly done for our young familes. SO THANK YOU DEBBIE!!!!! You have been Jesus with jeans on for little ones, and have been a great support for the care givers:)
paradise kids ministry Welcome Cathy Woodburn to the newborn –3 years old age group. Cathy has chosen Paradise Kids Ministry as the new name for the Nursery. She has a great team of dedicated volunteers who are excited to work along side of the care givers and bring God and His amazing love to our babies/toddlers. May the name of God be imprinted on their hearts and minds as
the Playroom saves Christmas… The PlayRoom had a real Nativity experience including a manger scene, a village store, a home and lunch from the local “diner”.
discovery| connection| responsibility | simplicity
alcc Christmas party With over 100 attending, our Christmas party was a lot of fun. Val and her team did a wonderful job overseeing the food, and the rest of the Servant Council/Board did an amazing job serving our family style Christmas lunch. Thank you all for being such kind and fun servers/cleaner-uppers! The PlayRoom Kids entertained us their rendition of Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree, lead by Deb. How cute was that!!
discovery| connection| responsibility | simplicity
the dash “The splash will come and go,
but the ripple lasts.”
Pearlette brought a strong message of hope, purpose & faith in God. 1. learn to trust God in all things 2. Learn to wait for the answer 3. Learn to meditate on the Lord 4. Learn to listen to His voice 5. When things aren’t clear, God isn’t finished with us yet 6. Be willing to endure conflict
life lunch Celebrating our Christmas lunch at Swiss Chalet was good idea. No clean up! Starting January 26, 2016 our Life Lunch will have a cost of $3. This will help cover the cost of the food items purchased to create the lunch.
the sock tree We asked you to bring in socks to decorate our Christmas tree. BLESS THEIR SOCKS was blessed with your generous donations and kindness. Claire and Destiny putting the lights on the tree. George & Shelly With a heart of love and compassion, Bless Their Socks was born. Thank you all for your generous contribution of socks/sweaters and other winter wear.
congratulations: William & Jenn We would like offer our warm and sincere congratulations on the engagement of William & Jenn. Falling is love is easy, building a love based on Christ is where the boys and girls are separated from the men and women. May God give you wisdom and joy as you grow in love and in faith.
discovery| connection| responsibility | simplicity
Doors open 5:30 pm Come early & join in the PRE-YOUTH activities
Student ministry 11– 18 years
finding connecting belonging
Tuesdays 10:30 –noon Our ladies that come together to pray & learn from the Bible, and from own journey. This unique group. We are made up of young and not so young, but that adds to the flavor of learning to follow Jesus in our everyday thinking, living, working. Our time of sharing/praying/caring is open to everyone. be a friend |make a friend |bring a friend
discovery| connection| responsibility | simplicity
Since 2003
STEP 5: INTEGRITY We admit to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs. “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. James 5:16 As we struggle with our addiction we are likely to avoid honest communication with others about our problems. It is important, however, that we return to the relationships that will help us face the truth. Eph 4:25 “So put away all falsehood and tell your neighbor the truth, because we belong to each other.” NLT Accountability and honesty in our relationships are essential to successful recovery. When we make our self accountable to others the caring influence of godly friends can help keep us on the right track. They can provide us with an objective perspective, helping us to admit the truth. We often become isolated as a result of our shame or fear that we will be rejected if we even reveal who we really are. Admitting our wrongs to trustworthy people helps break down the isolation. Jesus even gave specific instructions for dealing with people who have done wrong but persist in denying it. “If another believer sins against you, go privately and point out the fault. If the other person listens and confesses it, you have won that person back. But if you are unsuccessful, take one or two others with you and go back again, so that everything you say may be confirmed by two or three witnesses. If that person still refuses to listen, take your case to the church. If the church decides you are right, but the other person won’t accept it, treat that person as a pagan or a corrupt tax collector.” Matthew 18: 15-17 NLT In Step Five we set out to stop this internal struggle and admit that wrong is wrong. It is time to be honest with God and ourselves about our cover-ups and exact nature of our wrongs. We need to admit the sins we have committed and the pain we have caused others. We may have spent years constructing alibis, coming up with excuses, and trying to plea-bargain. It is time to come clean. It is time to admit what we know deep down inside to be true. “Yes, I’m guilty as charged. There is no real freedom without confession. What a relief it is to finally give up the weight of our lies and excuses. When we confess our sins, we will find the internal peace we lost so long ago. We will also be one step closer to recovery.
We meet every Thursday 7 pm Pot Luck Dinner Thursday January 21 @ 6 pm
discovery| connection| responsibility | simplicity
His Torch
Dear Lord; Please shine down on us, let us continue to bask in Your glory this new year. Please let so many more of Your children open their hearts to You papa, let them feel as I have felt and as many of my brothers and sisters have felt Your grace and love and all of its abounding and steadfast love and glory.
The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.” ~Zephaniah 3:17 Thank You for giving us life, without Your death for all of Your living creation and their sins it would not be possible that I write this in the freedom that I do. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. ~1 John 2:2 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. ~Galatians 5:1 My heart reverberates for my King and my one true love! His love is entangled in my blood and it has been etched into my bones so much that my body aches from the overwhelming pounding in my soul to cling to Papa. I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. ~Galatians 2:20 With Papa, I cry and reach out for those who are lost in the dark and flailing their arms and racing down in the black abyss. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. ~Ephesians 6:12 I light a path with my torch and some may never hear the cries but I have tried my best to light the way, this is when I know it's Papa's turn to take over. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ. ~2 Corinthians 4:6 For those struggling, I pray you hear our cries echoing in our songs, our praise, our walk, our talk, because in the end we will rise an empire to take God's hand the beauty and power that He has bestowed upon us, WE WILL take over, it is written in the book, come be apart of it there's nothing to lose and peace to gain, grab a hold and begin the new year in showering the world with Christ's word; the blood of the lamb of God, He deserves our all this new year. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. ~1 John 1:7 Hallelujah! Praise to Papa! Sincerely, His torch. Burning bright and lighting a way with His word; Let's burn bright together for our Savior. -For the commandment is a lamp, and the law a light..~Proverbs 6:23
discovery| connection| responsibility | simplicity
Coming in January 2016 Prayer Series Jan. 9 ALCC Leadership Day
Saturday January 9 @8:30 am
Jan. 10 Life Groups Begin Jan. 21 Celebrate Recovery Pot Luck Jan. 22 Girls Night Out Jan. 26 Life Lunch Jan. 30 Men’s Anger Workshop Jan. 31 The PlayRoom Graduation
WHAT CAN I DO? Providing the comfort of a caring heart and warm feet Phil and Donna Williams
The Neely Family
Servant Heart Ministries
YWAM International
Dominican Republic
Bringing hope
discovery| connection| responsibility | simplicity
Sat. Jan. 30 8 am $ 20 (includes breakfast)
WORKSHOP Men’s Life Group begins Feb.7, 2016 Sunday 6:30 pm
Formerly NO BOYS ALLOWED Come and enjoy an evening of inspiration music sisterhood Jan. 22 @ 7pm
discovery| connection| responsibility | simplicity