LIFEsync

Celebrate Easter @ ALC with your friends, family, and neighbors!

The Gospel we "live" is more effective than the Gospel we "preach!"  We are very passionate about lifestyle evangelism at ALC.  If you’ve been investing in someone's life for the sake of the Gospel and they are ready to experience the presence of God with your church family in a powerful way, there is no better opportunity than Easter.  If you aren't investing in a soul, there is still time to make it happen before April 4, 2010! 

After consuming large amounts of chocolate eggs, dressing up in a bunny outfit for their kids, or spent hours searching for the special "$100" hidden egg, who wouldn’t ask themselves “What’s the big deal about Easter anyway?”

On Easter Sunday, we will present the Gospel in an unforgettable way. We’ll have two identical services at 9:00 and 11:00 AM CST.  Jump Student Ministries also be launching a new series in their Worship Experience that will be impact their life forever!  Also, our LifeKids Team will creatively present the Gospel in their ministry environments for our kids.  This will be a day to remember! 

Here are four ways you can start a conversation or invite someone to share Easter @ ALC with you:

1) Pick up an ALC Easter Promotional mailer from the Information Kiosk and mail to a friend, family member, and neighbor.  Follow up with a phone call and make the invitation. Make a commitment that you are bringing a guest with you to a Easter Worship Experience!  Pray for direction and then...make it happen! 

2) If someone is interested, but unable to come with you as a guest, share the link to the LIVE WEBCAST using your favorite social networks like Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace. You could include a message like this: "Celebrate Easter with me on our LIVE WEBCAST. Check out the ALC Website and Webcast!"

3) Post a link to the ALC website on your social network profile, make it your status or blog about it ... That will give folks something to talk about...

4) Send a video email or regular email or make link to the ALC Website your email signature. Not everyone’s a social networker. This will be a special way for your family and friends to get a personal invitation from you!  

Easter is the most effective time of the year for you to share your "Gospel testimony" with your circle of influence.  If you were planning to simply observe Easter 2010 as a "personal religious Holiday", I would challenge you to think about the people God has put in your life for the purpose of impacting their soul! 

Please pray for God to use you in the next few weeks to reach the un-churched, de-churched, disconnected, and those far from God!  Just think about the possibilities of what Jesus will do in their life this Easter!  That...will be something to celebrate for eternity!

10 Reasons why churches stall

Here is an article I recently read that provoked my heart to repentance.  It is my prayer that the church community I am blessed to lead would "blow up every paradigm" of Gospel mission and harvest!  Please read with a prayerful heart.  

Here are the highlights...

1. The church forgets who we are and what we are for … When we forget that we are the community of disciples for declaring God’s greatness and making disciples, mission quickly becomes just one among many activities rather than the defining vision of who we are as a community.

2. The majority of believers are no longer thrilled with the Lord and what he is doing in their lives. When questions like ‘What is God doing with you at the moment?’ cease to be common currency, it is a sure sign of creeping spiritual mediocrity.

3. … In my view, the single biggest cause of stalled churches in the UK is the belief that material comfort can be normative for Christians. It is the opposite of radical commitment to Christ.

4. When [Christians]  see church as one among many leisure activities, usually low down the priority list. They are unlikely to see the Christian community as God’s great hope for the world and unlikely to put commitment above self-interest.

5. … Where people take no personal responsibility for their own spiritual growth a stalled church becomes more likely.

6. … When preaching, teaching and Bible study become ends in themselves rather than means to an end, something is badly wrong.

7. A church becomes afraid to ask radical questions … The danger is that people start to equate serving the church with living out the gospel. Few churches regularly evaluate every aspect of church life against their core vision.

8. Confusing Christian activities with discipleship …

9. Not understanding how to release and encourage everyone in the church to use their spiritual gifts for the building up of the church … There are two types of DNA in churches. One type of church says ‘we exist to have our personal spiritual needs met’, the other ‘we exist to impact our locality and the world with the gospel of the grace of God in Christ’. The first type is a stalled church.

10. … No church was stalled at the point that it was founded. At the beginning all churches were adventures in faith and daring risk for God. No one actively decided for comfort over risk, but at some point the mindset shifted from uncomfortable faith and daring passion for the Lord to comfortable mediocrity … The mantra of the maintenance mindset is ‘if it ain’t broke don’t fix it’. But just like buying shoes for growing children, if structures don’t take account of future growth then fellowships end up stunted and deformed.

Marcus leads Living Leadership and the author Finding Joy   and Meltdown  .

The Pastoral Team working hard to to minister more effectively @ ALC!

ALC Investors and Lifers,

The Pastoral Team is always looking for better ways to minister to the wonderful Investors and Lifers at ALC. We are excited to launch a "Pastor On-Call" initiative that will provide you efficient emergency and after-hours access to our Pastoral Staff. The "On Call" Pastor will be ready to respond to your need in the best way possible.

If you have an emergency, please call (214) 663-1979. For your convenience, we have also provided the number on the Voice Messaging System when you dial the main church line at (972) 424-4846. Please add these numbers to your address book.

As our church family continues to grow, it is our desire to explore creative ways to show the compassion and care in our hearts. We love you and your family!

Have a wonderful Holiday season!

Jeff Hennigan
Senior Pastor

Do you need a good laugh this weekend?

You will not want to miss this event!  This is the perfect "first ALC exposure" event for your friends to experience! 

re: think church

Only a few days until we launch this new series!  Be here this Sunday, September 6!

Did you know that most people have 2-3,000 "thoughts" every day? Here is something to "think" about...

The 2008 Religious Landscape Survey conducted and published by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life discovered that the fastest-growing segment of religious affiliation in the country is the non-affiliated (16.1 percent of adults age eighteen and older).

Furthermore, those moving into the unaffiliated category outnumber those moving out by greater than a three to one margin. Throughout the previous two decades, this percentage of unaffiliated Americans had held between five and eight percent, meaning that the unaffiliated group has more than doubled in the past ten years. This is a disturbing trend!  Some researchers are predicting that if current trends continue, sixty percent of existing churches in America will disappear before the year 2050.

We must "BE" a church that the unattached, unaffiliated, unchurched, dechurched, can find JESUS. It is an ambitious quest and calling! I believe that God desires us to be a powerful, life-giving, grace-giving church where people can “inquire and then experience” the power of His Spirit working in their lives!

In this series, I will issue the challenge for us to rethink where the "church" fits into our daily lives. 

I will also challenge our city to once again “rethink church”! It is our goal to guarantee that they experience unparalleled passion, grand grace, and find that missing morsel of mercy they have been looking for!

re: think church. Sundays in September @ ALC! Be there!

Saviour City launches this Sunday!

Saviour City............the light shines in dark places. It finds one simple man named Jim Goodworth as he struggles to survive in the sin riddled city of Paradox.

A power unknown to most everyone, but seeking them all, Saviour finds Jim and opens his eyes.



I am absolutely thrilled about this new series!  The Creative Team has knocked it out of the park with this concept!  You will have to experience it to believe it!  Each week will feature an original sermon opening cartoon creation that presents a modern version of Old Testament characters. This will be five weeks that will minister to every age! 

This is the perfect series for your friends and family to experience "ALC" for the first time!  I'll see you...and your guest Sunday at 9 AM or 11 AM!

Jeff

Easter Series 2009 @ ALC

Here is the graphic for the new series I am starting April 5!  I can't tell you how excited I am about sharing this series of messages with our church!  God wants to release us from the destructive issues that capture our soul! 

Pastor Scott Jones @ ALC this Sunday!

My friend of many years, Pastor Scott Jones of Grace Church (Houston, TX), will help ALC launch 2009!  He is a Pastor and leader of thousands, including Grammy Award winning singer, Israel Houghton.  Scott and Melanie Jones are among the most influential Christian leaders in America.  ALC...we will be blessed this weekend!  Let's gather together and allow God to raise our corporate vision to another level!

Pastor Scott and Melanie started in youth ministry and advanced to various administrative and executive positions ministry.  His responsibilities have ranged from public relations with the tourism bureau and media to serving as liaison between national and state-wide politicians and the Christian community.  He has been privileged to interact with state governors and state and U.S. Senators.  Additionally, Pastor Scott holds a degree in theology and is a Certified Christian Counselor.  His ministry has taken him to several countries, speaking to audiences ranging from eight to eight thousand.  He and his wife, Melanie, are the proud of two beautiful children, Spencer and Savannah.

If you live in the Dallas area, we'd love you to come check out ALC this weekend.  We have Worship Experiences on Sunday at 9:00 AM and 11:15 AM.

ALC Lifer's...bring a friend, make it a priority for your weekend plans, and be in church!  Remember, you hold the key to your destiny in 2009!

ALC to host Jason Crabb this Sunday @ 7 PM!

ALC Concert Promoter, Bruce Minchey, has arranged for a special evening of music with Gospel Singer, Jason Crabb.  The event will be FREE.  However, a love offering will be taken during the performance.  You will not want to miss this powerful evening of worship.

For more information on Jason Crabb, please click the picture to see Jason's website. 

For directions to the ALC Campus, click here.  Abundant Life Church

New ALC Family Month Series: Generations

I am stoked about our the new message series for Family Month.  This new series launches October 5, 2008.  I really believe this will be a series of messages that will impact the families of ALC for eternity. 

There is a really great "October Surprise" in Week #2 that I can't wait to share.  This exciting month will include Baby Dedications on October 5th, the Community Water Baptism Experience on October 19th, and Friend's Day on October 26th.  If you are an ALC Lifer, make plans to be in a Worship Experience every weekend! 

We will wrap this series up on November 2nd at our "Mosaic" Worship Experience.  At Mosaic, we celebrate the numerous cultures that worship at ALC every week.  Jared Howell, our dear friend, will be the Guest Speaker on that Sunday.  Trust me, the next five weeks are going to be amazing!

You are invited to join us and experience the "God" story that this generation is declaring together.  We are believing God for his "mighty acts" to be manifest in our Worship Experiences!