Abundant Life Christian Fellowship (ALCF)

Today, we visited Abundant Life Christian Fellowship's 8:30am service. When we entered through one of the side entrances, we noticed the Children's classrooms immediately and tried to figure out how to register our children on their computers located at the entrace foyer. As soon as we figured out that it was for people who are already registered, we asked someone and was directed to go to the newcomer's registration table. We signed our children in and had them take the pictures of all five of us and were handed the "sign-in" slips for the kids which contained their info and their picture along with the parents' pictures for identification purposes. The kids also had to put on computer printed name tags with their own picture on them. Additionally, for our youngest kid, we were given a pager.

At this point one of the staff members (Pastor D.) wearing a bright orange vest came by to take us to the classrooms very kindly.
The kids' classrooms were behind a double door where we were not allowed to enter; and the receiving teachers took the sign-in slips and our kids went into the classrooms. The room seemed pretty spacious and noticed some tables set up with various activities for them to start on.

Later, we found out from our kids that three were about 25-30 kids in each of their classes and they were allowed to do some activities until the starting time and then had a time of praise using CD music and then had a time of either discussion or a message depending on their age group, and then the class was over. The worship time was just at 1.5 hours so their program was just under that length.

The main sanctuary is in a baseball diamond shape with a second floor balcony section. The prasing time was led by a group of singers and a leader with a band of instrumentalist in one end of the stage.

After the baptismal service of about 15 people (adults and children) in the baptistry behind the stage,
the church announcements were presented through a short video clip on the screens in addition to the printed ones in the bulletin. And today, there was a testimony from the Ministry Team encouraging the members to take part in the ministry. Currently, they have about 5,000 members and about 1,000 of them are active in at least one ministry. But more members should sign up because not only they need more people, but they will be guaranteed to be blessed because they will be plugging into the work of the Holy Spirit. The offering is made individually into the offering boxes located in various parts of the church and the pastor lead the congregation in an offertory prayer before his message.

The message was Part 2 of "Take Heart, Daughter" on Mark 5:21-34 on healing of the woman with hemorrhage for twelve years. This message specifically speaks to women but the rest of us should relate as well. The message was on how at many times the women are ignored of their needs because they are in a role of providing services to others. The lonliest place is being alone in a crowd. That's where she was in this scene, a transparent person, feeling insignificant; and that's a terrible place to be especially when we know that she has a physical disease and financially in the hole.

In Mark 5:27 (after hearing about Jesus, she came up in the crowd behind Him and touched His cloak) we see the turning point of her when she "heard" about Jesus. This is what we need to do -- take the right information to someone -- when we want to provide any chance of anyone turning around their messed up lives. That's the reason for this ministry here at ALCF. In fact, in Jeremiah 17:5 is says: Thus says the LORD,
"Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind
And makes flesh his strength,
And whose heart turns away from the LORD."

When we realized that she needed Jesus, she "got down low to the ground just so she can just touch his clothes with the tip of her finger". That should be the position of our approach to Jesus -- in humility and reverence.

Lastly, when Jesus said in Mark 5:34: Daughter, your faith has made you well, not only He was saying she is healed from her disease, but she is now also related to Him by His blood at the cross. She is the only one called "daughter" in the Bible, and she has also joined the ranks of Ruth, Naomi, Hannah, and Leah when she turned to Jesus despite her "deadly" circumstances.

After the service, we returned to the children's section and signed them out via the computer and when the printer printed out the sign-out slips, we handed them to the teachers who then called our kids out for us. We stopped by the fellowship hall to enjoy some coffee and hot cocoa before leaving the church.

Website: www.alcf.net
Worship Times: Saturday 5:30pm / Sunday 8:30am & 11am (both services have Children programs)