Church of the Nazarene

The Church of the Nazarene is located in every state in the U.S. and in over 157 world areas. It has a very strong emphasis on missions, with over 600 missionaries worldwide. Church of the Nazarene emerged from the Pentecostal and Methodist faith, with a belief in Entire Sanctification. It a protestant church of the Wesleyan-Holiness tradition that was founded in 1907 as the Pentecostal Church of the Nazarene. The church dropped the name 'Pentecostal' due to "the modern Pentecostal tongues movement."

Holiday Park Church of the Nazarene calls itself a Life-Saving Station. Their mission states they, "pull men and women from the wreckage of sin and offer them new life and hope through Jesus Christ."

I attended the Holiday Park Church's 10:45 am Sunday service. They have a substantial group of Pakistani congregants, so they also have an Urdu Service at 7 pm on Sunday Evenings.

They started out with musical worship, then Pastor Michael Johnson gave his sermon. He referred to the members as Beloveds. The sermon was about Solomon and his fall from Wisdom to Folly. The minister gave congregants a Formula to Avoid Disaster:

A. Don't allow a little Wiggle Room 1 Kings 3:1-3
    There is no such thing as partial commitment. Bolster your Humility and Banish your Arrogance. 
B. Don't ever think that you can be the exception Deuteronomy 17:14-20
    Keep a close relationship with God. Do not take liberties in God's love. 

The Lord has told you, “You are not to go back that way again.” Deuteronomy 17:14

C. Deal with your weaknesses 1 Kings 11:1-8 
    Deal with the issues of your own lives, so that you do not perpetuate them on the generations to come. Glorify and be content with the Blessings you receive, do not always crave fro more or greater ones. 
D. Embrace correction 1 Kings 9:1-9
    Have a heart open to correction. 

"THERE ARE NO EXCEPTION CLAUSES IN DEVOTION"

Afterwards, they passed out communion to everyone as they remained seated. The bread appeared to be flatbread or Naan. There was a group prayer and then people took the sacraments. The services concluded with a send off prayer.

Several people greeted and welcomed me. 

THANK YOU Holiday Park Church of the Nazarene for sharing your service with me. 

Celebrate Wesleyan Church

The Wesleyan Church is a protestant, evangelical, holiness denomination. The Wesleyan church was originally part of the Methodist Church but split from it in the mid 1800's, due to disagreement about sanctification -- the process by which people become more holy. The church took its name after John Wesley the founder of the Methodist church. A fundamental teaching of the faith is, "a victorious Christian life is possible for all believers through the experience of both forgiveness of sins and the filling of the Holy Spirit in our lives." There are just a few Wesleyan Churches in Albuquerque. 

This past Sunday, I attended Celebrate Wesleyan Church's 10:45 service. Reverend John Bubbico conducted the service. It started with singing, a call to the altar, and prayers. Then Rev. Bubbico gave a very well prepared and moving sermon based on Romans 8:28

"All things work together for the good of those who love God."

Rev. Bubbico preached about the difficult times in life and how to not close yourself off from God during these times. He talked about using moments of grief and crisis as an opportunity to grow, to strengthen your relationship with God, and could even serve as some of life's best lessons. He talked about how attitudes are the biggest factor in determining how these moments affect you. He said, "Your attitude in life, affects your spiritual altitude." He also discussed the common pitfalls in how people choose to face life's challenges:

• Self Pity - Asking God "Why Me?" and soliciting pity about your circumstances from others
• Rebelling - Getting angry and trying to fight back against the sorrow or challenges you are facing - as if getting mad at God will really change things
• Breaking Through - Using the grief or sorrow for creating something good in your life. Always looking for the lesson or the good in the hard times.  

He encouraged us to put our Faith in God, because God has a way of pulling together the broken pieces and sculpting them into a beautiful new creation. 

It was a simple service, but very good insight into the Word of God. An elderly couple invited me to have lunch with them but I already had plans ♡♡ Very Sweet.  

OPEN YOUR MINDS AND HEARTS TO THE SPIRIT OF GOD. 

THANK YOU Celebrate Wesleyan Church for such a great and inspiring service and sermon. 

Asbury United Methodist Church

The Methodist Church is a Protestant Christian denomination with an emphasis on practical Christianity. It has roots back to 1739 in England and is based on the teaching of John Wesley. In 1968, different factions of the Methodist movement joined together to form what is now The United Methodist Church. 

Today I attended the Asbury United Methodist Church. I went to the Church's Website before I attended - it was very open and informative. It told me exactly what I needed to know to visit their church. 

Every Sunday they hold both a traditional and a contemporary service. In theory, I believe that God's word should be enough to engage any audience.  In practicality though I think that it is smart that many churches are offering contemporary services to make the church more inviting and inclusive to a different group than has traditionally been involved in the church. 

I attended their Act2 Contemporary Service at 11 AM. Associate Pastor Dr. Todd Seelau led the service. A live band provided warm and meaningful music. They put the lyrics to the songs and the bible verses up on a big screen.   

Today was part of the advent and since the advent marks the beginning of the new year, the sermon focused on what that would mean in your walk with Christ this year. The sermon spoke about John the Baptist and how he was not accepted in his time. Rev. Todd spoke about how our path following Christ might too have times of struggle or be unconventional by cultural standards. 

They'll know we are Christians by our Love

John 13:34-35 Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.

He spoke of what our actions say about us - are they consistent with the kind of person that we think we are, "are we letting people see and hear the person that we want to be." - Rev. Todd. He also spoke of having FUN during your journey with God. There ain't nothing wrong with a little fun along the way! Amen Brother. 

Communion was open to all ~ "this do in Remembrance of me"  
They had a wonderfully moving communion which included lighting a prayer candle for someone and praying over a blanket that would go to a needy individual. 

I also loved that they had a man in a cart after the service offering to transport people to their car if they needed assistance. 

I thought the Church did a great job at helping people get closer to God. Reverend Todd was very engaging in the service, even soliciting participation from the group. Many of the congregants welcomed me and were friendly. The entire process was very inclusive and inviting to members and guests alike. 

Thank You Asbury United Methodist Church for allowing me to worship God with you today. 

Post Note: The church sent me a lovely letter, thanking me for my attendance, and hoping I felt welcomed in their home. Kudos ♡♡♡