The Village Church

In 1978, Lakeland Baptist Church helped found the First Baptist Church at Highland Village. In 2002, Matt Chandler became the minister of that Church and it soon became known as The Village Church. The Village Church is governed by a group of male elders. The main Pastor is still Matt Chandler, but other pastors do sermons when he is unavailable.The Village has campuses all over the Dallas Metro Area - Plano, Flower Mound, Denton, North Dallas, and Fort Worth. Every Campus has a local Pastor, but the same weekly sermon is videobroadcasted to all 5 campuses. 

I visited The Village Church Dallas Northway's 5pm Service. The sanctuary filled up almost completely with young and vibrant groups of ladies and gentlemen. I was by far one of the more 'seasoned' attendees. A congregation member made announcements and then led the group in a prayer. There was energetic amplified musical worship intermingled with prayers. Then there was a video sermon entitled, A Beautiful Design, by head Pastor Matt Chandler. It was a sermon about men and women. He first discussed how Biology may make you male or female, but it is character that makes a man or woman.

He spoke of couples in Marriages. How the first few years the Lord cuts back the thorns and thistles as on a rose bush to get the flowers to bloom. He encouraged those in marriages to roll up your sleeves and do the work to reap the rewards. He furthered stated that work is not a one time event, it is ongoing in a relationship destined for or part of a marriage. In this particular sermon, he spoke of the role of Men in Marriage. Subsequent sermons would cover Women's roles. He charged Men with setting the Spiritual Climate of the home. He challenged the men to step up and step into God's design for them. When they do, they will flourish, the family will flourish, and in turn the entire community will benefit. 

The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. ~ Genesis 2:15

He told the singles in the crowd to not be discontent during your time as single and that it gives you the opportunity to be undivided in your service to the Lord. 

As we have been deemed perfect by God, it gives us the freedom to keep striving for perfection even when we continue to stumble, fall, and fail. 

What God has called all of us to do will be near impossible he said, but the rewards will be well worth it. In the end, success belongs to the Lord. 

After the sermon, young men passed out the communion sacraments to congregants in their seats. The communion is an open one available to anyone who has been transformed by Jesus. After everyone had theirs in hand, we all said a prayer over it and took communion. 

I found The Village to be Very Similar to Mars Hill in atmosphere and structure, except not all sermons are taught by the same minister. So I was not surprised to find in my research, that in August Pastor Chandler became president of Acts 29 - a church planting organization that was founded by Mark Driscoll of Mars Hill.

THANK YOU Village Church of Dallas Northway for offering a great place of Worship for Young People!

Mountain Springs Fellowship Baptist Church

There are hundreds of Baptist Conventions in the World and even several dozen in the United States. Some Baptist churches however are not associated with any specific Convention or Association and are purely Independent. Mountain Springs Fellowship Baptist Church is one of those Independent, Bible-believing churches and are committed to spreading the Word of God. I visited Mountain Springs last Sunday for their 11am service. 

They started out the service with singing praise with a choir and then they had prayer.

Senior Pastor Dr. John Adams gave a sermon about the Sons of Thunder, James and John. In the beginning, the two were difficult, would not back away from a confrontation, were aggressive and prideful. God, however, drew them close to him. They were sent to the Mount of Transfiguration and witnessed other miracles - by the end of their lives, they became known for something very different. James was the first apostle to be martyred and John became known as the apostle of love. The preacher's lesson was how God turned James and John into very different people through a relationship with Christ and you can find transformation through the same. The minister shared with us that Intimacy with Christ brings a revelation of self. The minister also spoke of ways to better represent Christ in your worldly relationships. He spoke of Reacting versus Responding. He defined Reacting as doing or saying something without thought. Response, he said, requires thought and you should ask counsel of The Lord for the right spirit in your response. Responding will be more in line with God's Will as counsel has been sought first. This will make all of your relationships more genuine and true to your Christian values.  

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. ~ Ephesians 4:32

After the sermon there was a child dedication ceremony. Sandra Burch performed a beautiful solo, "A Mother's Prayer." Baptists do not baptize their babies, children are baptized when they are old enough to comprehend the commitment and take the Christian faith as their own - usually no earlier than 10. The dedication ceremony was basically a blessing of the child by the family and the whole church community. The family took the baby to the front of the congregation, and each member laid their hands on the child's foot, head, etc. And the family and whole congregation said a prayer over him. All of those a part of this young child's life made the commitment to help raise the child with Christian and biblical principles and support him on his Christian path.  

It was a wonderful event to witness.

THANK YOU Mountain Springs Fellowship Baptist Church for letting me witness the dedication of a precious child.

Praising God with the Baptists

Baptists first came about in England in the 17th century as part of the separation of Protestants during the reform movement in the Church of England. One of the congregations that split off only accepted "believers" and they would baptize the converts as a symbol of their commitment of faith. Their opponents thus nicknamed them "Baptists," and the name stayed with them. (BHHS)

According to the National Baptist Convention, a Gospel Church is a "congregation of baptized believers, associated by covenant in the faith and fellowship of the Gospel; observing the ordinances of Christ"

Today I attended the 11am Sunday service at Mount Olive Missionary Baptist Church. Mt Olive is a 115 year old church in the heart of Albuquerque. It has been a vibrant part of Albuquerque's past and present. Although Mt. Olive has historically been an African American congregation, they are completely welcoming to all of God's children. Musical ministry is a large part of this church community, with solos and a choir being an integral part of the worship service. 

Before service, the ministerial team prepared themselves by forming a prayer circle with a private prayer. 

The service began with an uplifting prayer then the spirited musical worship began. The choir and musicians praised God in a joyous and wonderful way and the congregation joined in, singing and clapping.   

Their LOVE for The Lord was contagious

The congregation then greeted each other.  Members came up to me and greeted me with a handshake or a hug. They were very friendly and welcoming to me as a newcomer. 

Reverend Michael Sumbry preached the Gospel. His sermon spoke of the harmony of God's Law and the Gospel. He talked of the purpose of God's law including - how God's law exposes our faults such as pride or a mean spirit; how it teaches us our utter helplessness without God; and serves as a vehicle to Christ. 

For Christ is the end of the law. 
                           Romans 10:4
            For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
                                                                                                                  Romans 6:14

What God's law cannot give us, Jesus Christ does ~ Rev. Mike

After the sermon, he summoned all the people who serve as leaders (deacon, Sunday school, etc.) in the church to the front of the church. He had the congregation bless them for the New Year and then he washed their feet. He said the feet washing served not only as an expression of love for them but also a reminder that we all are here to be of service to one another. 

Communion was then shared, followed by fellowship after service. 

It was a great service - If you have never Praised and Worshiped God in such a glorious way, you are truly missing out on an amazing experience. 

THANK YOU Mt. Olive Missionary Baptist Church for welcoming me into your home to praise the Lord!

 

Rockin' it at Sagebrush

At the recommendation of a friend, I visited Sagebrush Community Church for their 3:45 pm Christmas Eve Service. Sagebrush is considered a megachurch and with almost 8,000 reported weekly attendees, is one of the largest in the Southern Baptist Convention. There are 6 locations for the church in the Albuquerque area alone with the main campus holding 5 worship services every weekend. 

Their mission is:

"We exist to know Christ and to make Christ known."

They have many basic core values that are all biblically based, one of the values that distinguishes them from many of their counterparts is they, "believe that the church should be culturally relevant while remaining doctrinally pure."

Upon arriving, there were people directing parking, shuttles from the parking lot to the church, numerous friendly greeters, and even ushers to assist you in finding seats. 

The building is a modern facility with a very impressive set up. They have kiosks for everything - to sign in your child for Sunday school, to register as a visitor, and even to pay a tithe. The sanctuary is an auditorium that can seat 1,200 people.  It is a multi-dimensional service. They showed a few humorous, yet spiritually meaningful videos. An extensive live band with amazing singers rocked the House and led the congregation in song. The energy in the place was very positive yet laid back. They work diligently at being inviting and receptive to as many as possible. 

Pastor Todd Cook gave the sermon. He started off with an anecdotal, humorous story that showed a very real side to himself. His sermon brought forth the following:

❦ God's plan and perspective for your life is bigger than your plan and perspective for your life. 
❦ God's plan for your life will be harder than your plan for life.
❦ God's plan is to use you in fulfilling his purpose on this earth.

He illustrated this lesson with the story of Mary & Joseph and the birth of Christ. He spoke of the difficulties both Mary and Joseph had accepting the truth of Mary's pregnancy; and the ridicule and social alienation it caused them and their families to follow God's will. 

“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).
                                             ~ Matthew 1:23  ✞

He related the story to how difficult your path will be at times when you too are wholly and unquestionably dedicated to God's will. He stated most Christians have, "Just enough Jesus to save them, but not enough to change them." He encouraged the congregation to further their dedication in order to fully benefit from the change that will come from a life dedicated to Christ's message and path. 

Rev. Cook has a very personal ministerial method. He speaks with conviction, compassion, and a touch of humour. His genuine and humble manner undoubtedly help people relate to him and his teachings and must be a big reason for the phenomenal success of the church and their mission. 

Thank You Sagebrush Community Church for sharing with me your Energetic Worship of God.

MERRY CHRISTMAS