The Potter's House

Pentecostal churches have a unique history in that they were the first interracial churches in the United States. In the early 1900's, one of the biggest churches that contributed to the spreading of the Pentecostal faith, the Azusa Street Mission in Los Angelos; held services that were ethnically diverse. The denomination, Potter's House Christian Fellowship, is a church that was founded by Pastor Wayman Mitchell and split from the Foursquare Pentecostal church in the late '60's. It experienced a large surge of growth during the Jesus People Movement. The unique denomination now has over 2,000 congregations worldwide. 

They believe "The Holy Spirit is God, the Lord and giver of life, who was active in the Old Testament, and given to the Church in fullness at Pentecost."

GOD'S FIRE NEVER BURNS OUT

The name of the church came from a biblical reference: 
The Lord spoke his word to Jeremiah. He said, “Go to the potter’s house. There I will give you my message” ~ Jeremiah 18:1-2

Pentecostal religions have several distinct traditions - Glossolalia or speaking in tongues, Baptism with the Holy Spirit (salvation), and Revivals.  Glossolalia is believed to be a person being filled with the Holy Spirit, there are generally three types:

1. Tongues as a Sign to Nonbelievers - Acts 2:11
2. Tongues for the Strengthening of the Church - Requires Interpretation - 1 Corinthians 14:5
3. Tongues as a Private Prayer Language - Romans 8:26, 1 Corinthians 14:4 

I attended the Albuquerque Potter's House Christian Center 6pm Sunday Service. In jeans and a sweater, I was underdressed. Almost all of the women wore dresses and the men wore dress shirts, slacks, and a tie or even suits. 

The service opened up with lively group singing and prayers. During the prayers, the pastor and people in the audience spoke in tongues at times. 


Pastor Lee Wilson gave the sermon. He spoke of believers being a light in the World ~ the smallest of lights can illuminate the darkest of places. He called upon us to not allow things of the material world to come between us and God. He preached that to have a powerful relationship with God, all we have to do is ask. He shared that the true Freedom of life is allowing the Power of God to work, uncontrollably in our lives. 

So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.  ~ John 8:36

After the sermon, most of the congregation went up front and knelt down to pray and receive God's blessings. 

Many people came up and greeted me before and after service, they seemed like a very close group of believers. 

They also have live music and entertainment on Saturday nights. 

THANK YOU Albuquerque Potter's House for sharing your form of worship with me. 

Note: This denomination is not associated with the Mega Church The Potter's House in Dallas or Denver. 

Albuquerque Mennonite Church

The Anabaptist movement came about in protest to groups like Lutherans and others during the reform movement. Reformist churches required citizens to bring their children to the church for baptism. Anabaptists rejected infant baptism, believed in baptism of adults as a renewal of faith, and fought for early separation of church and state and PEACE.   

This movement led to Amish, Mennonites, Brethren and Hutterites. There are a few Mennonite and Brethren Churches in New Mexico. Amish colonies are spread out in the Midwest and on the East Coast. Hutterite communities are only in Northern U.S. States and Canada. Each group has become distinctly different in their beliefs and lifestyles, but most of them share the belief of not participating in litigation, holding government positions, or taking up arms in defense. 

A group of Anabaptists split from the Joseph Amman followers (Amish). In the mid 1500's, this group came to be led by a former Catholic Priest named, Menno Simons, and his followers eventually were called Mennonites. 

There are different orders of Mennonite churches - Old Order, Conservative, and Progressive. Most churches in the Western part of the United States are progressive. They are similar to Quakers in their goals of peace and justice. 

I attended the 9:30 worship service at the Albuquerque Mennonite Church. Worship is open to newcomers. Their belief statement:

          We of Albuquerque Mennonite Church are committed to Jesus’ call to be a
          growing community that embodies God’s love in the world, a community that 
          cherishes and practices worship, healing, hospitality, peacemaking, and respect
          for all. Open and affirming, we hold that every person is created in God’s 
          image, valued without regard to origin, sexual identity, affiliation, or status.

Every year, they ask their members to Re-Covenant to the church. 

Their worship team includes Pastor Anita Amstutz and Associate Pastor Andrew Clouse. Assoc. Pastor Clouse led the worship service. Visitors were introduced and then everyone greeted each other and were very welcoming to me. They were a very participatory congregation, vibrant and full of love.  

Pastor Amstutz gave the message (sermon) based on the story of Balaam and his Donkey from Numbers (22:21-35). 

While enroute to Moab, God blocks Balaam's path with an Angel because his path was "reckless." The Angel however was only visible to the Donkey. When the donkey would not continue on the path, Balaam beat him multiple times until the Angel finially shows himself to Balaam. 

It was a story that helps us look anew at life for unexpected mysteries. Pastor Amstutz spoke of how God comes to us in unexpected ways and unexpected places, so be open to it. Assoc. Pastor Clouse talked about how the story helps us to, "See with new eyes and to trust the God that we cannot see." 

        I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may

        know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious

        inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who

        believe. Ephesians 1:18-19

Their Worship Service included much joyous group song, as MUSIC is very important in the Mennonite faith. They feel it is their, "most profound connection with God." (Kropf) My favorite hymn was: 

Day by day, dear Lord, of thee three things I pray: to see thee more clearly, love thee more dearly, follow thee more nearly, day by day. HWB 569

THANK YOU Albuquerque Mennonite Church for sharing with me your love of God and manner of worship. 

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!

 

New Year's Eve in Unity

I attended the 7 pm Burning Bowl Ceremony at Unity Spiritual Center of Albuquerque. 

Unity is a spiritual organization that came about during the New Thought Movement of the late 1880's. The founders, Myrtle and Charles Filmore, attributed prayer and positive thought to the healing of illnesses that they both had. Unity as a faith believe in positive, practical Christianity and, "teach the effective daily application of the principles of Truth taught and exemplified by Jesus Christ." 

Unity is most well known for their belief in the Power of Prayer: 

       

       Affirmative prayer is the highest form of creative thought. It includes

               the release of counterproductive, negative thoughts, as well as holding in mind 

               statements of spiritual truth. Through meditation, we experience the presence 

              of God. Prayer and meditation heighten our awareness and thereby transform 

              our lives. (Unity.org)

Their national organization runs the well known publication Daily Word and the 24 hour prayer line Silent Unity. 

Unity does not believe in original sin. They believe people are inherently good because we are, "created in the image and likeness of God, and as such we are originally blessed."

The Albuquerque Unity Church has a pastoral couple, Reverends Ross and Jude Campbell. 

Rev. Ross started the service with a prayer about the "boundless riches of God," inspired by Ephesians 3:8.

They had a pianist and a soloist. The congregation greeted each other and they advised the packed house that chaplains were available for anyone with prayer needs after the service. Rev. Jude gave a brief sermon about the New Year. She spoke of rather than making a New Year resolution, make a New Year intention. She spoke of tonight's ceremony as a ritual of release, bless the past year without making any judgements and let it go to pave the way for our new intentions.

♥♥Let Go and Let God♥♥

Every person was given a small piece of "flash" paper. We were instructed to write an aspect of our life that we wanted to release. We then each went up to bowls that had a flame and threw the papers into the bowls as a purging ceremony. While people were composing their papers, Rev. Ross conducted a guided meditation. He spoke affirming words and encouraged people to forgive in the New Year - not only others, but also themselves. 

After the ceremony, everyone wrote a letter to themselves. A letter about your intentions for 2014, what you wanted to draw to you, or whatever you would like really. The letters were collected, they will be prayed over throughout the year, and sometime after Thanksgiving the church will mail them back to the recipient. 

The musicians performed some more songs, people rose up singing and clapping, a few even danced. The service was concluded with a prayer and song while everyone held hands. Fellowship followed the service. What a wonderful way to bring in the New Year. 

The Unities are an eclectic and energetic group that are joyously striving to live a Christ conscious life. 

THANK YOU 

Unity Spiritual Center for letting me participate in your renewal service.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Sitting with the Quakers

The Religious Society of Friends, otherwise known as Quakers, are a Protestant Christian Denomination that grew from the Enlightenment era in England and today has it's largest population of followers in Africa. 

They are historically significant in the U.S. for their large part in the Abolitionist Movement. From 1755 to 1776, the Quaker Society became the first organization in history to ban slaveholding and openly promoted emancipation.

Quakers profess a dual commitment to spiritual awareness and social activism. They believe that the, "responsibility for ministry rests on each of us in the community," therefore the services are facilitated by congregants and all church business is conducted through committees. 

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

                                                              ~ 1 Peter 2:9

Although there are many Quakers in the eastern part of the United States, I found out there is only one Quaker Church in Albuquerque. The Albuquerque Friends Meeting is every Sunday at 10:30 am.

They instruct people to arrive promptly and to gather in silence. They state, "the object of our style of worship is not silence, but the quiet waiting for an opening to the divine within ourselves. As we settle into worship, the quiet becomes vital and alive. Vocal messages come out of this animated stillness to enrich the group worship." 

I arrived early and people were congregating, catching up with each. I noticed a large library available for individual use. There were announcement boards for the ministerial and various committees.  

A "friend" greeted me, seeing that I was new and offered me this pamphlet explaining the Worship Meeting. In the meeting hall, all the chairs were arranged in a circle. Friends filtered in throughout the service and filled in the circle. No one spoke we just sat with God. 

The room soon transformed into a powerful sanctuary, a place to leave all of the chaos and the weight of the World at the doorstep.

It is difficult, in this World filled with constant visual and mind stimulation, to sit quietly and calm the whirlwind of thoughts. 

Often even in prayer and meditation, we talk to ourselves internally; but if we never learn to listen how will we ever know what God is trying to say to us. 

Every little movement or noise seemed like a ripple in the serenity that was settling in, but It came to me that part of the practice was to not allow those little noises to become distractions or irritants, just let them wash over you. 

This is what came to me during my silence: 

In a world swimming in chaos, we [the believers] are the anchor that ties this World to God. 

After some time a few of the congregants, stood and said some things that surfaced or were imprinted on their heart during their sit with God. A scribe wrote down the words the people shared. After about an hour, the children and Sunday school teachers came into the meeting hall. We sat in silence with the children for a few minutes as well. 

We all joined hands to conclude the time of worship, they went around the circle and every person introduced themselves to the group, announcements were made, and then fellowship in the hall. 

✝♥✝ They were very lovely people ~ It was really quite an extraordinary experience ✝♥✝

Taking time to be one with God is difficult in this fast paced world, but it is something that we all should aspire to make more time to do. 

Thank You Albuquerque Friends for sharing with me how you sit with God. 

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 ♡♡♡