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....
Scripture not only asserts that Jesus rose from the dead. It also explains why his resurrection matters. Below are six implications of the empty tomb. The Resurrection of Christ declares that Jesus is the Son of God. By raising Jesus from the dead, the Father affirmed Christ's identity as the divine Son. "[Christ Jesus] was declared to be God's powerful Son by his ...
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When I moved to New York City in the late 1980's, my first job was as a long-distance telephone operator with ATT. This was back in the days before texting and cell phones and social media. Email had been invented, but few people used it yet. Back then, Zoom and Skype would have seemed like something out of science fiction. So, because long-distance calls were costly, to p...
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It has been five months since ACC began holding in-person worship services on Sundays. I am grateful for the safety guidelines developed by our Re-Opening Task Force and for the hard work done by our Hospitality Team each Sunday to help us follow protocol. When we returned to in-person worship, we decided to be more cautious than required by public health guidelines. The ...
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We have different ways to warm ourselves up on cold winter days: a cup of hot chocolate, a favorite sweater, an extra blanket on the bed. But how do you warm up your heart? If your sense of God's love has grown cold, what can you do? A book that helped to warm my heart this winter is Dane Ortlund's Gentle and Lowly: The Heart of Christ for Sinners and Sufferers. Drawing ...
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My name is James, and wanted to share with you how I got connected to Astoria Community Church over the past year. Though I grew up in Queens and have lived here mostly since, I had been attending a large church in Manhattan for many years due to working in the city and many of my friends being there. I, for some time, had a desire to attend a local church in my borough wh...
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The nativity stories in the Bible show us that God's actions are often initially frightening. But when we move on from fear to faith, we soon experience God's joy. CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE DEVOTIONAL....
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The light of Christ shines in the darkness, and the darkness cannot overcome it! Click hereto watch the video....
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One of the themes of Advent is 'hope'. In this devotional, I share what Christian hope looks like and how we can put it into practice. Click here to watch the video....
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Thank God for allowing us to live in a democracy, where the people have a say in the selection of their leaders. Praise God for his mercy and generosity to our nation over the last 244 years. Praise God that we have been able to proceed with the election in spite of the pandemic. Ask forgiveness for bitter thoughts you have harbored and unkind words you have spo...
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"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood,but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powersof this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord's people." (Eph. 6:12, 18b) According to the Bible, there is a battle being waged in a realm we canno...
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