All Nations Assembly of God

Assemblies of God were first part of the revival Pentecostal movement. In the early 1900's, tent revivals sprang up all over parts of the U.S. as a way to breathe life into stale Christian worship. The Assembly of God denomination came about in 1914, when people from the movement sought to organize the revivals into the structure of a permanent church community. Evangelism and missions are at the foundation of the Assembly of God Church.

The Assemblies of God have a four-fold Mission:

1. Evangelize the lost.
2. Worship God.
3. Disciple believers.
4. Show Compassion.

I attended the Sunday evening 6:30 service of All Nations Assembly of God. A small chapel, within a block of the Indian Pueblo Cultural Center. All Nations is a church dedicated to evangelizing the gospel to people of all the tribal nations.  

ALL ARE WELCOME IN GOD'S HOUSE

It was a small group but a big and powerful message. Pastor Marleen Mercer has been preaching the word of God amongst the Native Cultures for almost 40 years. It opened with a prayer and songs. People shared their praises and a young woman recited John 3:16 in Navajo ~ it was very meaningful and touching. 

Pastor Mercer gave a powerful and moving sermon. She spoke of our Spiritual Body Armour - Armour of God that helps us withstand in the battles against evil and self destruction. She made the illustration that negative thoughts are like runaway wild horses and God is what you must use to reign them in. When we are clothed in the breastplate of Jesus, we are righteous. It is difficult to allow ourselves to believe that we are righteous because we judge ourselves on our own actions and our limitations. We are righteous, however because it is Jesus that is righteous for us. This she affirmed, is the armour that will defend you against the World and allow you to shine God's love. 

Shall they that receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one, even Jesus Christ. ~ Romans 5:17

We closed the service with a prayer circle. We joined hands and prayed out loud for the person on either side of us, for the group, the community...The room was truly filled with the Holy Spirit. It was an amazingly uplifting service to be a part of. I now know why they call them Revivals!

THANK YOU All Nations Assembly of God for showing me that we are all part of God's Tribe. 

My time with the Plain People

Plain Anabaptists are those of the Anabaptist Faith that have kept with a certain lifestyle that is conservative in nature. They feel this lifestyle helps them have a closer relationship with God and also prevents them from getting distracted by the sins of the modern world. Most people of these faiths are born into them, but there are some converts. Plain church congregations can be found in the denominations of Amish, Brethren, Hutterite, & Mennonite. 

I attended the Belen Mennonite Church, a church that has stayed committed to a conservative lifestyle and an unwavering devotion to God. Their service was at 10am and open to the public. 

Before I attended, I studied about Plain churches and what to expect from a great Anabaptist Faith Resource Site. I read about what I should wear. Even though I wore my hair up and a conservative blouse, skirt, tights and flats - I was still an obvious anomaly. 

In the church, the women are on the left and the men are on the right, young women sit at the front of their section. The only deviation I saw was with small children, they were sitting with a parent on both sides. I noticed the only jewelry they wore were watches, not even wedding rings. Women do not speak during church, other than to sing. All people wear plain garb, the men wear button up shirts and plain coats and women wear the same cut of dress of plain or small print colored fabric. The boys do not wear the plain coats until they are baptized and take the commitment of the Conservative Mennonite Faith, the men I saw were clean-shaven. The girls wear their hair in braids until they are baptized and then they wear a white head covering. 

They started the service with several hymns sung a cappella and many songs were sung throughout the service. Then gentlemen read biblical passages and led the group in prayer. The congregation prayed by turning around to face the pew and kneeling down.  The children then left the service for their Sunday school. A moderator led the adults in a bible lesson from a Conservative Mennonite study guide published quarterly for congregations. The men took turns reading the bible passages and answering questions posed by the bible study guide.

SIMPLY SAY YES TO GOD'S OFFER

The children returned and there was a sermon given by a man who I believe was a bishop, but I am not sure of his title. The title of the sermon was, "Why We Stay Conservative," He spoke of how difficult it is to stay true to the conservative values in a land "saturated with consumerism." He spoke of how easy it is to justify, the idea of letting go of some of the traditional ways; but he warned of allowing such errors creep into your lives. He spoke of families that had fallen away and the results of their decisions. Jude 1:8-11 He also spoke of the pitfall of focusing on the conservative lifestyle itself, more than focusing on keeping the "Spirit of God in our Hearts." He encouraged the members to stay steadfast in their conservative and plain lifestyle as a means to a Godly life free of many of the burdens of the modern world.

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, for ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. ~ 1 Corinthians 15:58

Before and after the service, many women spoke to me. They were very friendly and asked me to visit again. 

THANK YOU Belen Mennonite Church for graciously allowing me to be a part of your worship service. 

Note:This group is not Old Order Mennonite so they do use electricity, cars, phones, and many electrical items. Most still will not listen to the radio or watch television.  

Gigachurch

John and Dodie Osteen

There are megachurches and then there is the Gigachurch*, Lakewood Church in Houston. Called the "Texas-size congregation," it is the largest congregation in the U.S. with at times over 50,000 attendees per week. 

Lakewood Church is a non denominational church first started in 1959 in an old feed store by John Osteen. After he passed away, his son Joel Osteen took over the pulpit in 1999 and increased the membership exponentially. In 2005, they renovated and moved into The Summit, a sports arena. The services are also televised to over 20 million weekly. 

We arrived early to negotiate the parking. We were greeted upon entry & I advised them I was a newcomer so they sat us right up front. 

Paul Osteen MD said a few words before the main service, "Cast your cares to The Lord, for he cares for you." ~ 1 Peter 5:7

It starts out with about an hour of music worship that is full throttle and high energy! 

They have members of the prayer group, including Dodie Osteen and Paul Osteen, pray for anyone who comes up front. There is a group confession before the sermon, in order to receive the word more readily. 

Associate Pastor John Gray gave the sermon today is also sang a little before he started preaching. He is a funny guy with a great love of The Lord. 

He talked about how Jesus is knocking at the door of your heart - answer the door. Don't wait until your house is clean to let him in. Jesus doesn't want perfection, he just wants honesty. Pastor Gray wanted us to make time in our busy schedule for Jesus. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. ~ Matthew 11:30

Be loud about your Love for God. 

THANK YOU Lakewood Church for welcoming me into your mega service. 

Blue Mass

Red Mass has been a tradition with the Catholic Church since the thirteenth century. The tradition honors St. Thomas More, the patron Saint of the legal profession. It was named Red Mass because,  "lawyers and judges would proceed into a church clothed in red garments, signifying the fire of the Holy Spirit's guidance to all who pursue justice."

Red Masses are still a tradition in most large cities, but there has not been one in New Mexico for years. In 2010, NM Judicial Advisory Opinion No. 10-09 deemed Red Mass a religious activity and prohibited a judge from using his official position to promote such an event.

Blue Mass came about in the same fashion as Red Mass but to pray for members of a different profession - Police Officers. The first Blue Mass was held at St. Patrick's Cathedral in Washington DC in 1934. It has since been expanded to honor all First Responders ~ Police Officers, Firefighters, Military, Correction... 

Blue Mass was adopted as a tradition by the Archdiocese of Santa Fe many years ago. This year, I attended their Seventh Annual Blue Mass at St. Pius X High School in Albuquerque. 



11:50 The law enforcement animals were blessed 
12:00 Catholic Mass in the gymnasium

The service started with a memorial video of all the fallen warriors from New Mexico over the last few decades. It was sad to see so many military and police personnel who have died in the line of duty. 

Archbishop Michael Sheehan presided over the services.

LORD BLESS THE PEACEKEEPERS

The main mass was Catholic and included the Liturgy and Communion. Archbishop Sheenan praised the first responders for risking their lives for others and prayed for the safety and protection of those who protect our community from harm. He advised those in careers in public service, to fulfill the Parable of the Good Samaritan Luke 10:25-37. 

The bishop blessed coins that were later given out to attendees. Those that weren't Catholic could receive a blessing in lieu of Communion.  After Communion, Chaplains from the different disciplines gave their unique blessings. A member of the Navajo Code Talking Assoc. recited the Marine Corps Hymn in Navajo which was a touching thing to watch. The service concluded with taps and Amazing Grace. 

It was quite an impressive event - Very touching to have a tradition to Bless our Public Safety personnel and to show them support in such a meaningful way.

THANK YOU to everyone who makes this wonderful event happen every year.