January 2018
640 Grosvenor St. London Ont N5Y 3T4 519-858-4123 churchalcc1@gmail.com #abundantlife_london Twitter: @LifeALCC www.alccnet.com
discovery| simplicity | empowerment
Happy New Year….The days are long and the years are short. I heard this from Kathy one day and I never forgot it. Seems when we are younger, that summers never end, holidays seem to go forever and life seemed different. Then when we get older, time seems to speed up. Where did 2017 go? One thing is for certain, I have grown not to mark the days, months and years so much as the season’s that God has us in. There are seasons of sorrow, seasons of growth and seasons of affirmation. It has been said often to me, we have two seasons in London, winter and construction. What season are you in? Solomon said so wisely… To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven…God hath made every thing beautiful in his time Ecc 3 As we enter into a new season of winter and peaking into the new year, ask yourself that question, what is the season God has you in? Perhaps you are in the season of growth as you read the story. Perhaps the season of ridding yourself of debt. Then again, maybe you are in the season of new beginnings. I sense in my life that 2018 is turning the page for me with a new beginning of some sort… time will tell. Remember this: God has made it beautiful in His time. You may not see it yet, but ultimately God has a plan for our lives and it is a wonderful journey. May this coming year be filled with a season of His love and grace. Happy New Year! PBill and Kathy We ask for your wisdom, for your strength and power to be constantly present within us. We pray you would make us strong and courageous for the road ahead. Give us ability beyond what we feel able, let your gifts flow freely through us, so that you would be honored by our lives, and others would be drawn to you. I’ll never forget the first time, I prayed. Awkward and introducing myself to God. I felt like He didn’t know me and vice versa. It was like a first date. I did a lot of talking and I was so awkward that I didn’t listen to Him but that’s another spiritual discipline that we’ll look at. Line Right now, we are looking at prayer. Someone I know had a dream about dropping Manny and cracking his head. They woke up and prayed for his protection. That day, one of his parents (won’t say who) was walking with him and almost had a serious fall. Coincidence? Prayer can be so simple but so complex. We can pray in adoration (You are great -1 Chr 29:11-14), confession (I am sorry - 1 John 1:9) thanksgiving (Thank you - 1 Chronicles 16:34), supplication (Please - Philippians 4:6). There are so many ways to pray (Ephesians 6:18-20). The simplicity of prayer. The more we look into prayer and the more we pray to God, the more we see that: He created prayer for us to communicate and align our ourselves to His will, way and love (John 15:1-17). We see that God actually listens and He cares (1 Peter 5:7). The more we look into prayer and the more we pray to God, the more we see that: He created prayer for us to communicate and align our ourselves to His will, way and love (John 15:1-17). We see that God actually listens and He cares (1 Peter 5:7). I pray for you and I hope you pray for me. But overall, let’s pray to God like He’s alive and well. Like He is the God of the universe. Like He is the God of possibilities. Like He took the time to create, plan and shape our lives. Like He is our Father in heaven. Who we go to about anything and everything because He’s that type of God. He cares about us. What if you try praying in a designated time and throughout every simple and complex moment of your life?! If prayer is prayer, what are we waiting for? Let’s not leave it to chance but let’s leave it to God. Pray it. Praying like it works, Tony Mejia
We are glad you are here, and we trust that feel at HOME. It is our hope and prayer that you will join in as we share our lives, struggles and celebrations of faith together. We believe life is about discovering our faith and purpose, and using this discovery to live out His plan for us with passion. We call ALCC our HOME. We are intentional about relationships with God and each other to bring this 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 to you at 10 am.
Good Morning Café
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@ 10 am
People matter to God
Sundays 10:30- noon
Ages 0-3 years Welcome Care Givers! 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. Ages 4-11 Your kids will enjoy the variety of stations and Bible learning activities offered in the PlayRoom. It’s a fun and diverse time of games, Bible story, application and snack.
discovery| simplicity | empowerment
THE STORY CHRISTMAS PARTY There was a lot of preparation that went into this day! Thank you everyone, especially our little ones who made the day by re-enacting the Nativity Story.
People matter to God
discovery| simplicity | empowerment
LIFE GROUP BOWLING
What an awesome time bowling with all the Life Small Groups. We’re just a bit competitive!
LEADERSHIP It is an honour to for our ALCC Leadership Team to have served you this past year. Their prayers and dedication in is greatly appreciated. Don’t forget to personally say “thank you” to this great group of God loving folks!
people matter to God
Since 2005
12 Step Recovery Program Based on Matthew 5:2-12 (The Beatitudes) 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. Ephesians 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 ourself 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.
Thursday’s 7 pm Closed Women’s Group Mondays 7-9 pm POTLUCK January 25 @ 6-7pm discovery| simplicity | empowerment
Doors open 5:30 pm Come early & join in the PRE-YOUTH activities
Student ministry 11– 18 years
finding connecting belonging
IGNITE equips teens with personal faith to take on our changing world. We are taking a journey from Sept-May to read the Bible from cover to cover with THE STORY. We will explore God through history and the world around us. IGNITE is a space where we can be ourselves without fear of judgment. Group activities, music and talks geared to inspire us to live a God filled life. People matter to God
We pray for your Spirit to lead us each step of this New Year. We ask that you will guide our decisions and turn our hearts to deeply desire you above all else. We ask that you will open doors needing to be opened and close the ones needing to be shut tight. We ask that you would help us release our grip on the things to which you’ve said “no,” “not yet,” or “wait.” We ask for help to pursue you first, above every dream and desire you’ve put within our hearts.
discovery| simplicity | empowerment
Saturday January 20 9am-1pm Breakfast 9-9:30 am Seminar 9:30am –1 pm $15
Our BREAKFAST is a fund-raiser for Mike who is taking the LEAD Training Program with Circle Square Ranch. $5 of every ticket will go toward his education, training and practical studies. Seminar Facilitator: Dean Holtz Dean is no stranger to us. He has facilitated music seminars, lead our music team, and Participated in our Fanshawe Outreach. You will enjoy Dean’s humor, practical application of celebrating spiritual disciplines. People matter to God
This easy-to-use and fun mobile app will help keep you on track with a video and a reading plan THEBIBLEPROJECT
Abundant Life Community Church Abundant Life Church @LifeALCC
@abundantlife_london Abundant Life Community Church – London