At the ACC after-school tutoring program a few weeks ago Pastor David casually mentioned to me that he and Sobeyda were going to be hosting a refugee family from El Salvador. My heart jumped with excitement...what an opportunity for ACC to show the love of God! I also was encouraged by their willingness to share their living space with strangers, knowing they give so much already as a Pastor and Counselor. The next day Carolina and her almost 11 year old son Onandy arrived....
In Psalm 23, King David described what was often required for him to experience inner renewal from the Lord. He wrote, "The LORD ... makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul" (vv. 1-3a). Something I find striking about those words is David's admission that he often needed the Lord to make him lie down in green gra...
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Worshiping remotely It's not something new Christians all over the world these days are connecting with their church via electronic media to worship remotely with fellow believers. For many of us this is a new experience, but it has been done before. A New York Times article, dated May 21, 2006, describes a pastor who was ministering to a congregation of dispersed immig...
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A Psalm for Those Sheltering in Place Being shut indoors because of potential danger, as we currently are, can be challenging. We feel stuck. We feel alone. We are uncertain of what the future holds. In times like this, Psalm 142 can be a helpful guide for turning our thoughts toward God and directing our prayers. The scribal note connected with Psalm 142 tells us that...
Keep ReadingTo my beautiful new family in Astoria, Each and every one of you is in my constant prayer. God is good, even amidst tremendous difficulty. These are trying times, but we are still together in the sense that God is looking out for each of our needs and wants and hopes. I miss worshipping with you all very much so I prepared a small worship playlist to coincide with Davi...
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We had a wonderful time of worship and hearing God's word preached by Pastor David on Sunday, March 22nd. If you haven't watched the service yet, you can still access it by clicking this link. Here's the bulletinto follow along with. ...
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The spread of the coronavirus has, in many ways, made us feel that we are losing control. Our schedules have changed. Our plans have been cancelled. Technology we thought would protect us has proved powerless. No one knows what will happen tomorrow. We feel that control has been lost. But this is all an illusion. We haven't lost control; we never had it to begin with. J...
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"I wish I had more time for prayer." "I wish I could get some rest." "I just wish things would slow down so I had time to think." Have you ever said (or thought) anything like this? Well, guess what. God is answering your prayers. The isolation forced on us by the current public health crisis is presenting many of us with a tremendous gift TIME. Of course, we still ha...
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I have been thinking about Covid-19 and this new hoarding mentality. The supply hasn't changed, by many fear that it might. Our giving is not dependent on our attendance at church but it is based on the fact that God has not stopped giving and neither should we. Being faithful in giving is based on God's faithfulness to provide. We give God a portion of what He has given...
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The current public health crisis will likely present us with windows of opportunity to love our neighbors. Let's keep our eyes open for these occasions. People may be more open to interact with others than they normally are. Perhaps you can offer to do grocery shopping for the elderly couple next door. (Of course, make sure you maintain safe social distance.) Jesus sa...
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Dear Friend of ACC, Given the on-going uncertainty concerning the coronavirus health crisis, ACC is cancelling worship services on March 15 22. We apologize for the lateness of this decision. As we learn more about the public health situation and about how better to sanitize our worship space, we will inform you of plans for future Sundays and church events. We plan t...
Keep ReadingDear Friend of ACC:We want to keep you updated about our church's plans in response to the current health concerns affecting our city. Since the situation is changing continually, we may need to alter our plans on a day-to-day basis. We will do our best to keep you informed but ask that you check our church website or Facebook page so that you can be apprised of our plan...
Keep ReadingDoes knowing Jesus make any difference in your daily life right now? Romans 5:1-5 describes five ways that faith in Christ affects your life today. 1) You have peace with God v. 1. Through faith in Christ, believers have been justified. This means, Christian, that, because of Jesus, God has declared you to be righteous and acceptable in his eyes. This divine pronouncem...
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NowtheLordsaidto Abram, "Go from your countryand your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you.And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, andin you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." So ...
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