Alfred Street Baptist Church Virtual Worship Service

[Music] alpha street baptist church would like to thank all of our online viewers for worshiping with us we hope that you've enjoyed our virtual worship experience beloved grace and peace be unto you from god our mother and our father and jesus christ who alone is our resurrected our risen our reigning and our returning redeemer before we get into worship over this weekend i want to update you on some things that are happening in the life of the church as the seasons begin to change and we make our way into fall and continue to navigate ourselves to this pandemic there's some information you need to know that you can be prayerful and yet still be connected to the work of alpha tree baptist church today we want to continue to lift up in prayer so many issues and so many concerns that are happening in our world we continue to pray for those who are wrestling with kovid those who are on the front lines we continue to navigate our way through all of these variants ask that you pray for the leadership of this church family i want to pray for our brothers and sisters that are escaping taliban rule in afghanistan as well as our brothers and sisters who are still serving and fighting and on the front lines we pray for our brothers and sisters down in louisiana who are yet battling with the hurricane winds of ida we all know what happened in katrina many of us have family there my own family is there without power and i want to let you know that in the few days that are upcoming we're going to be partnering with organizations like lot carey to be able to sow financial support into the rebuilding of that area and i want to thank you for your generosity and giving that allows us to do that and we continue to pray for haiti as they rebuild and rebound from political and natural disasters we'll let you know that we've already sent fifty thousand dollars through lock carry to send food and water down to haiti and we're preparing for another fifty thousand dollar donation that we might continue to aid and assist our brothers in that land so today as we worship i pray that you know that as you give you are helping touch the lives of those with coved touch the lives of those coming out of afghanistan touch the lives of those in louisiana touching the lives of those in haiti you're also helping us rebuild as you can tell i'm in the middle of an empty sanctuary right now all the pews the carpeting and the flooring has been taken up and when we're able to come back in this space you're going to walk on some new floors you're going to see some new carpet and you're going to sit on some new pews thank you for helping make that a reality when you come back it's going to look the same but it's going to feel a little bit different as we talk about coming back into the sanctuary i know one of the questions that all of us had pastor when are we going to be back in church well you know that safety is our primary concern and we don't want to enter this space and risk not one person contracting covet but to give you a little bit more information about our reopening plan i want to introduce to you sister tammy lloyd she's a director on our church council and i've charged her with being the chairperson of our reopening task force tammy's going to come now and share with you a little information about when where and how we envision getting back into this space greetings alfred street family i hope you and your families are well staying safe and healthy my name is tammy lloyd and as a representative of our reopening task force i'd like to share an update with you the task force was formed in june by pastor wesley and it is made up of four teams which include our ministry programs and events team led by our very own dr sylvia dayton jones our worship experience team led by reverend mark lavron our human resources team led by a yoko jack and finally our core advisory team which i have the pleasure of leading our charge is to partner with the leadership of alfred street in understanding this current environment we're conducting research and seeking guidance from both science and policy and using that to provide recommendations to guide how we safely proceed as a church body in july of this year immediately after the task force was formed we created and conducted a survey which was sent to all of our members we had over 2700 responses and over 1500 comments from interested and participative members of alfred street the survey covered many topics including how our members feel and their level of comfort about returning to in-person service we also talked about and got feedback about things like what are the expectations and how will we continue to ensure the safety and health of our members in september the task force will share their first update with the church council and provide our initial set of recommendations on how we should proceed we will then share an update with our full church body and thank you in advance for your continued support and input as we continue to navigate we know this current environment is constantly changing and our plan is to continuously keep the health and safety of our members as our front and first priority we will make updates regularly and we'll continue to ask for your input and your prayer as we go through this process please continue to pray with us and keep us in your thoughts as we navigate through these difficult times may god continue to bless each of you and thank you thank you tammy i know that each and every one of us has a deep desire to be back in worship to be back in fellowship with one another but we have to continue to do it in a safe way we were able to do it safely out at fedex field a little while ago and now i want to invite you to another outdoor gathering of worship before the weather changes it might be our last opportunity this year on sunday september 26 11 a.m merriweather post pavilion join in with all of alfred street baptist church we're gathering there to worship at 11 the doors will open at 9 30 and parking is free because safety is our number one concern we've tried to choose a venue where we know we can come worship fellowship and still be safe if you've never been to meriwether post pavilion when you come you're going to be amazed there are 5 000 seats in a covered pavilion giving a shelter from the sun and there are another 5 000 seats in the grassy knoll area so when you come you can sit wherever you feel comfortable you can your family can sit in the grassy areas and your lawn chairs and your blankets and still see and hear worship or you can have one of the seats under the pavilion if you're in the grassy area masks are requested if you're going to sit under the pavilion masks are mandatory and if you're in one of the seated areas do us a favor respect people's requirement and request for social distancing if you and your family are gathered together leave a couple seats before you sit next to the other family so that we can remain socially distant and safe when we worship in that space we're going to do a few things we're going to give thanks to god for the life that we live we're going to be blessed by our music and worship arts we're going to celebrate 13 years of anniversary as pastor and people we're going to hear a word from the lord as i am excited to preach what god has laid on my heart and we're going to break bread and share in communion before we get to merryweather our deacons will have a distribution of communion that you can pick up before we get there and community elements will also be available on site listen i know merry weather is a little bit far of a drive but i promise you it's gonna be worth it the worship is gonna bless you the music is gonna touch you the fellowship will aid and assist you in getting over this isolation we've been living in and we're not just worshiping we're also going to have a family reunion kind of style i'm inviting you to bring your own food but also know that there will be some food trucks on site so that when we're done worshiping we can break bread together almost like having a large picnic and be able to fellowship and see stay around i want to come by and see you and your family and how everyone's doing so once again sunday september 26th 11 a.m doors open at 9 30. parking is free merryweather post pavilion we're going to have a great time listen you can also grab one of our t-shirts if you so desire go online we've got a t-shirt that we're asking people to wear that we can have a sea of our colors of burgundy and gold we're not burgundy gold that's the that's that football team how about crimson and cream let's wear some crimson cream we're gonna have a great day come on out and join with me as it'll be my pleasure to worship with you [Music] [Music] hey everybody this is pastor wesley let me tell you i am excited to be out here early this saturday morning with all these volunteers as we merge together two of the greatest events of our church feed the 5000 and brothers keeper those events as you know seek to put food on the homes and the tables of some 5 000 individuals in our community and make certain that parents have the resources to get all the school supplies children need to make it back in this fall season i'm grateful that we believe the greatest expression of our faith is not found in our shouting our singing but rather in our giving jesus said if you've seen the hungry and you ignore them you've ignored me if you see someone in need and you walk on by you walk by me so today we're really living out our faith and our giving and i thank you for your giving which helps us give back to others to help combat the covet 19 coronavirus outbreak alfred street baptist church has suspended all in-person worship services activities and events until further notice we know that these are difficult and challenging times we invite you to stay connected by participating in our online worship services and remain faithful in your giving online via our alfred street website asbc app and on our text messaging system if you have any questions about giving please feel free to email our finance department at finance alphastreet.org if you're interested in becoming a member of the historic alpha street baptist church please email deakins with an s at alphastreet.org or complete the membership form on our website or on our asbc app alfred street members have you been blessed with a skill set in law policy writing human resources record keeping fundraising finance property management or executive board leadership and a heart to serve others the nominating committee wants you nominations are now open and will close on thursday september 30th at 11 59 pm open positions descriptions of qualifications and responsibilities as well as the online application are available at www.alfredstreet.org paper applications will also be available upon request at the church office during regular business hours all paper applications must be returned to the church office by 5 pm on thursday september 30th tuesday night bible study is back that's right our online tuesday night bible study returns september 7th at 7 pm eastern time with our very own reverend dr latarcha l morgan join dr morgan from our office of christian care and counseling throughout the month of september as she facilitates a conversation about anxiety and mental health we look forward to seeing everyone virtually our office of christian care and counseling would like to share that september is national suicide prevention month for more information on how you or someone you know can get help please visit our website or app for additional information and resources our september pastors pick for book of the month is against christianity how right-wing evangelicals are destroying our nation and our faith by obri m hendrix jr be sure to purchase and or download a copy from your favorite retailer attention all asbc members online registration is now open for our wednesday september 8th virtual church council meeting which will commence at 7 pm eastern time you must have received the right hand of fellowship to participate virtually however the deadline to register is tuesday september 7th at 12 pm noon eastern time have you ordered your 13th annual my pastor t-shirt they're going fast join us as we celebrate and honor pastor wesley's 13th pastoral anniversary with his one of a kind my pastor t-shirt deadline to order is monday september 6 at 11 59 pm eastern time so be sure to visit our website or our asbc app today everyone is invited to join us virtually as we kick off our brand new exciting fall season of online sunday school classes starting saturday september 11th 4 45 p.m eastern and sunday september 12th at 9 00 a.m eastern visit our website and asbc app for more information calling all asbc undergraduate college students alfred street's college ministry also known as the college link is now accepting online registrations for the 2021 2022 academic year registration ends sunday september 19th so be sure to register online today so that we can stay in touch and support you throughout your college year are you the parents of boys ages 5 to 11 years old if so we invite you to join and connect with our cub scouts ministry as they kick off their fall recruitment event on friday september 10th email cub scouts at alphastreet.org to register and or for more information about this rewarding and career building ministry asbc is upgrading its church management software system to realm r-e-a-l-m what is realm you ask realm is a brand new church management record-keeping software system designed to provide you with a new way to connect to our events contributions and giving statements just to name a few stay tuned to our website and or asbc app for the latest information intercessory prayer ministry presents 12 hours of prayer a call-in experience saturday september 11th 2021 5am to 5pm eastern time join us on the prayer call and connection line five five 605-472-5575 five access code one four four four nine six pound sign that's access code one four four four nine six pound sign our social justice ministry presents unmasked inequities in schools reimagining education justice post pandemic we invite everyone to attend this free zoom webinar event on saturday september 18th from 9 a.m to 11 30 a.m eastern daylight time online registration is required our christian life institute presents a virtual experience via zoom entitled spiritual gifts the fivefold ministry with reverend rosalind brooks join us thursday september 23rd from 7 to 8 30 pm eastern time this event is open to everyone however you must register online to participate our social justice and legal resources ministry presents an expungement restoration of rights pardon and sealing of records virtual law webinar experience saturday september 25th from 10 a.m to 12 p.m noon eastern daylight time online registration is required however this webinar is open to everyone [Music] our sunday school deep roots bearing fruit curriculum team is seeking volunteer writers editors copy editors proofreaders and recruiters if you're interested in learning more about all of the volunteer opportunities available with our sunday school curriculum team please email drbf alfredstreet.org for more information have there been music dance or drama presentations from alfred street baptist church that's touched your soul or been a blessing to you if so we invite you to check out our new music and worship arts playlist on our asbc youtube channel the most recent music and worship arts drama and dance offerings experienced during our weekly aspc worship services will be featured here we invite everyone to continue to join us at 7 a.m eastern time for our daily prayer call which takes place monday through friday this will allow you to stay connected to your asvc family through prayer you can dial 1-530-881-1212 and enter the id number 788-999-203 pound sign also we invite you to tune into our faith forward weekly radio broadcast featuring pastor howard john wesley every sunday morning at 7 30 a.m eastern daylight time on magic 102.3 fm and 92.7 fm for a powerful sermon that will move you forward in your faith we invite you to join us and alfred street baptist church on sunday evenings from 7 p.m to 7 30 p.m for our faith forward show on praise 104.1 fm dc's inspiration station please email deakins with an s at alphastreet.org or complete the membership form on our website or on our asbc app alfred street members have you been blessed with a skill set in law policy writing human resources record keeping fundraising finance property management or executive board leadership and a heart to serve others the nominating committee wants you nominations are now open and will close on thursday september 30th at 11 59 pm open positions descriptions of qualifications and responsibilities as well as the online application are available at www.alfredstreet.org paper applications will also be available upon request at the church office during regular business hours all paper applications must be returned to the church office by 5 pm on thursday september 30th tuesday night bible study is back that's right our online tuesday night bible study returns september 7th at 7 pm eastern time with our very own reverend dr latasha l morgan join dr morgan from our office of christian care and counseling throughout the month of september as she facilitates a conversation about anxiety and mental health we look forward to seeing everyone virtually our office of christian care and counseling would like to share that september is national suicide prevention month for more information on how you or someone you know can get help please visit our website or app for additional information and resources our september pastor's pick for book of the month is against christianity how right-wing evangelicals are destroying our nation and our faith by obri m hendrix jr be sure to purchase and or download a copy from your favorite retailer attention all asbc members online registration is now open for our wednesday september 8th virtual church council meeting which will commence at 7 pm eastern time you must have received the right hand of fellowship to participate virtually however the deadline to register is tuesday september 7th at 12 p.m noon eastern time have you ordered your 13th annual my pastor t-shirt they're going fast join us as we celebrate and honor pastor wesley's 13th pastoral anniversary with his one of a kind my pastor t-shirt deadline to order is monday september 6 at 11 59 pm eastern time so be sure to visit our website or our asbc app today everyone is invited to join us virtually as we kick off our brand new exciting fall season of online sunday school classes starting saturday september 11th 4 45 pm eastern and sunday september 12 at 9 00 a.m eastern visit our website and asbc app for more information calling all asbc undergraduate college students alfred street's college ministry also known as the college link is now accepting online registrations for the 2021-2022 academic year registration ends sunday september 19th so be sure to register online today so that we can stay in touch and support you throughout your college year are you the parents of boys ages 5 to 11 years old if so we invite you to join and connect with our cub scouts ministry as they kick off their fall recruitment event on friday september 10th email cub scouts at alphastreet.org to register and or for more information about this rewarding and career-building ministry asbc is upgrading its church management software system to realm r-e-a-l-m what is realm you ask realm is a brand new church management record-keeping software system designed to provide you with a new way to connect to our events contributions and giving statements just to name a few stay tuned to our website and or asbc app for the latest information intercessory prayer ministry presents 12 hours of prayer a call-in experience saturday september 11 2021 5 am to 5 pm eastern time join us on the prayer call and connection line 605-472-5575 code 144496 pound sign that's access code 14496 pound sign our social justice ministry presents unmasked inequities in schools reimagining education justice post pandemic we invite everyone to attend this free zoom webinar event on saturday september 18th from 9 a.m to 11 30 a.m eastern daylight time online registration is required our christian life institute presents a virtual experience via zoom entitled spiritual gifts the five-fold ministry with reverend rosalind brooks join us thursday september 23rd from 7 to 8 30 pm eastern time this event is open to everyone however you must register online to participate our social justice and legal resources ministry presents an expungement restoration of rights pardon and sealing of records virtual law webinar experience saturday september 25th from 10 a.m to 12 p.m noon eastern daylight time online registration is required however this webinar is open to everyone [Music] our sunday school deep roots bearing fruit curriculum team is seeking volunteer writers editors copy editors proofreaders and recruiters if you're interested in learning more about all of the volunteer opportunities available with our sunday school curriculum team please email drbf alfredstreet.org for more information have there been music dance or drama presentations from alfred street baptist church that's touched your soul or been a blessing to you if so we invite you to check out our new music and worship arts playlist on our asbc youtube channel the most recent music and worship arts drama and dance offerings experienced during our weekly asbc worship services will be featured here we invite everyone to continue to join us at 7 a.m eastern time for our daily prayer call which takes place monday through friday this will allow you to stay connected to your asvc family through prayer you can dial 1-530-881-1212 and enter the id number 788-999-203 sign also we invite you to tune in to our faith forward weekly radio broadcast featuring pastor howard john wesley every sunday morning at 7 30 a.m eastern daylight time on magic 102.3 fm and 92.7 fm for a powerful sermon that will move you forward in your faith we invite you to join us and alfred street baptist church on sunday evenings from 7 pm to 7 30 pm for our faith forward show on praise 104.1 fm dc's inspiration station [Music] be sure to visit our website or your asbc app for the latest asbc updates regarding covet 19 and to find out what to do if you think that you've been exposed to the coronavirus for more information on these and all the exciting events taking place here at alfred street please log on to alfredstreet.org [Music] the heavens are telling of god and his glory almighty god we serve they speak of his character also creator a mighty god we serve [Music] sir is [Music] him [Music] [Music] oh [Music] the heavens are telling of god [Music] oh [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] is [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] sir [Applause] is [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] yes [Applause] yes [Applause] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] is is [Music] [Applause] [Music] we're [Music] alfred street family and friends we're so grateful that you decided to join us this morning for this worship service there's so many other places that you could be but you wanted to be here with us at alfred street baptist church and for that we are grateful you know psalms the 71st chapter the eighth verse says let my mouth be filled with praise and with your glory all the day and i just believe that this is the day alfred street is the place and we are god's people who ought to give him praise will you join me in a word of prayer as we continue in our worship experience let us pray creator god we thank you for this moment that we could pause and pray but most importantly that we can give you praise for all that you have done for us father we thank you for the labors that you have given us strength to endure we thank you for each day's journey father we are just so grateful for your healing and for your anointing and we invite you at this moment to inhabit this place and have it the spirits of your people father we will be so grateful to give you all the praise all the glory and all the adoration that is due to you you're worthy lord of all the praise that we can give and we just want to say thank you lord as we give you praise this day this is the servant's prayer amen anybody come in to praise the lord if you got breath within your body you ought to say thank you because he's been a good good good guy come on put your hands together right where you are move your feet in your living room move in your chair shake those shoulders of happiness and gladness right here i don't know what you come to do everybody [Music] i know what i've come to do know what i've got to do say [Music] [Music] [Music] everybody where are the praises of god right now right there in your space give god a good good good good prayers i know somebody can think about how good [Music] i know we got the happy people with us on today come on let's take it back to the top one more time say yeah [Music] say don't know what you come to do [Music] [Music] i [Music] [Music] celebrate them [Music] right here i don't know what you come to do if you know he's been good you ought to say thank you right where you are because god is so faithful god is so merciful somebody ought to give that glory i'm so thankful we serve a faithful god we call him faithful we call him awesome we call him magnificent he is alpha and omega the one who has never left your side yet he's carried you through we're still worshiping virtually but guess what you're still breathing you still have breath somebody say thank [Music] call you holy your name is holy you are so holy to me come on and say i call you holy your name is holy [Music] oh [Music] oh [Music] i call you right [Music] is [Music] [Music] [Music] we can testify where are you [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] to me to me [Music] [Music] [Music] we honor you today [Music] [Music] and hallelujah is our god that's what he is [Music] [Music] is nobody like the lord no he's a mighty [Music] is he's bless your name god we give you glory [Music] [Music] all praises to his name there's nobody greater than god he's called by many names some call him holies some call him righteous some call him savior but he's that in and so much more and we're grateful this morning as we continue in worship please get your bibles and turn to isaiah the 25th chapter and the first verse thus saith the lord o lord you are my god i will exalt you i will praise your name for you have done wonderful things your counsels of old are faithfulness and true this is the word of god and it has already been blessed please join us for our hymn of rejoicing the solid rock so [Applause] [Music] i dare not trust the sweetest [Music] is [Music] his lovely face i rest on [Music] [Music] is [Music] dressed in his righteousness [Music] is alpha street it's giving time it's time in that in our worship experience what each of us are called to think about how good god has been to us you know alfred street has a national and an international reputation for its giving but that cannot be possible without you giving of your time your talents and your treasures but we ask that you give as god has placed it on your heart not as i would give but what god has placed on your heart to give just a small portion of that which he has blessed you with and so in this giving experience we ask you to take a moment and reflect on the goodness of god and all that he has done for you in this moment will you pray with me creator god who is the benefactor of the universe we thank you lord for this special moment in worship will you allow us the opportunity to give to you to with a tangible expression of offerings to say thank you for the abundance that you have provided father we know that you own a cattle on a thousand hills and we know that you don't need our money but lord we want to seed it unto you to say thank you to allow this branch of zion to continue to bless men and women boys and girls so they may have the fullness of life through you father you have called us to be our brother and our sister's keeper help us lord now in this moment of discernment to have an open mind a grateful heart and a willing hand to give back that which you have given to us we thank you lord and we praise you because we know as we give out you will fill us up again this is our prayer as we continue to minister to the world through our gifts through our tithes and through our offerings amen [Music] if i can help as i pass [Music] all long if i can cheer song he is traveling wrong [Music] then my living shall not be in [Music] if i can do more if i can bring has [Music] then my living shall not be in [Music] me [Music] shall not be [Music] if i can help somebody [Music] then my living shall in vain [Music] in there be [Applause] i [Music] can't know is [Music] then my living shall not be [Music] [Applause] [Music] living shall not be [Applause] [Music] family as we get ready to get into the word of god on today once you bow and be in prayer with me that we prepare our hearts our minds and our lives to be fertile soil for the word of god to be planted in lord we thank you for the life you've called and created us to live and we accept our assignment now to bear witness of your grace in your glory throughout the entire earth i pray lord that as we pursue abundant life it allows the world to see the joy of jesus within us that your word will be a lamp unto our feet and the light unto our path lord our hearts and our minds are open now for you to speak to sow and to reap the fruit in due season in the name of christ our savior we do pray amen let's get ready to get into the word of god there's a new series that the lord has placed in my heart that will carry us through most of september i want to begin anchoring it today in what is prayerfully a familiar passage of scripture for many of us it's found in one of paul's letters in the new testament in the book of philippians if you will turn to philippians chapter 4 verse 6 and 7 will probably sound a little familiar to you it's so critical for me in my life that i've put them in memory i've hid them in my heart philippians chapter 4 verse 6 and 7 goes a little something like this be anxious for nothing but in all things with prayer and supplication and thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto god and the peace of god which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds through christ jesus be anxious for nothing be anxious for nothing you know every day we awaken to a new effect and impact of this pandemic in covet 19 upon our world and our lives and i think it's safe to say without fear of contradiction the world will never be the same again daily we awaken to the new devastating debilitating and damaging impact that covet has had upon our world and just as previous generations are defined and remembered by how they navigated and maneuvered through the covet of their day the depression the world wars civil rights our generation will be remembered for how we navigated and maneuvered through covet 19 and all of its variations one of the impacts of covet that i found surprising but not necessarily shocking was the rise and the increase in the prescribing of medication for anxiety if you do some research you'll find out that medications for anxiety like diazepam and many others have been increased almost 31 in their prescriptions since covet began i will let that sink in for a moment that prescription medication for anxiety has been increased 31 since this pandemic began one of the implications of that is that more and more people are being diagnosed and treated for anxiety than ever before and if you think about it that may be surprising but it's not real shocking because this pandemic has given us ample reasons and causes and concerns that trigger anxiety online schooling and children being at home sending kids back to school being with your family 24 7. not being able to have family gatherings has triggered anxiety working from home return to work plans being around co-workers who may or may not be vaccinated financial concerns and stability cause anxiety concerns about cdc regulations the new variants and the delta and the mood that's now out concerns and debates around vaccination being around people who don't wear masks getting tested waiting for the results of those tests all the time cause anxiety as a matter of fact you can't even be around someone and they sneeze and you not wonder if they have something that they just passed on to you i was in the grocery store the other day i made the mistake of coughing and you should have seen the way this sister turned and looked at me and i had to tell her i'm vaccinated these are just my allergies because the slightest thing now causes anxiety and even outside of covid anyone groan listening to this message today you can raise your hand and testify you know what it's like to feel anxious about health about children about finances about opportunities about relationships about our future anything can trigger and cause some anxiety and in this world filled with anxiety with medication being prescribed 31 more than it ever has in the midst of the anxiety in which we live we yet hear the words of god through the apostle paul be anxious for nothing hear the commandment of god through paul be anxious for nothing that word that anxious that anxious that paul uses in greek is this word merino m-e-r-i-n say it with me marim nao and depending on what version of the bible you have what translation merino is translated differently anxious stressed worried fearful overly concerned all of those are words that the bible uses to describe being anxious paul is writing to these christians in philippi somewhere around 52 a.d and in 52 a.d paul tells christians in philippi don't be anxious there are a couple things that come out of that that i think are worthy of our attention number one is that paul writes this in 52 a.d which means almost 2 000 years ago paul was able to discern and diagnose that anxiety was a real problem in the world back then beloved i come by to tell you that anxiety has been around for as long as humans have anxiety is prevalent and predominant in all societies it's not something new it didn't just show up with covid19 anxiety has existed as long as humanity has what else i find interesting is that paul writes it in 52 a.d but he's addressing it to christians he's telling the people of faith in the body of christ and the kingdom of god not to be anxious because paul recognizes that discipleship does not grant you immunity from anxiety you can walk by faith and still be anxious you can confess jesus christ as your lord and savior and still feel some anxiety every now and then you can memorize your bible from genesis 1 1 to revelations 22 21 that's the entire bible and still be anxious you can put whatever title you want in front of your name reverend dr bishop deacon elder superintendent chairperson president soloist and you can still have anxiety you can whisper jesus wept over every bite of food you have and still have anxiety you can anoint yourself with oil until you're as greasy as a thigh from church's chicken and you can still have some anxiety in your life being a christian does not grant you immunity from being anxious what is paul talking about i think the context of the letter to philippi is critical for us understanding what paul means when he says be anxious for nothing that context helps us get into a definition of anxiety paul is writing to the church in philippi these early christians around 52 a.d and at that time paul is in prison and while paul the pastor of this church is in prison the early christians in philippi begin to experience persecution from non-christian religious sources teach the bible pastor wesley paul is in jail and these christians in philippi in his absence are now dealing with some persecution many early christians communities in that day dealt with persecution from five different sources can we have a seminary second let's teach for a moment five sources of persecution for the early christians number one the jews this was the religious group that rejected the lordship and the claim to be messiah of jesus and believed that the only right relationship with the lord was through the mosaic covenant and so these jews attacked early christians the second opposition was from a group called judaizers said with me judaizers judaizers were jews who believed in jesus and became christian but believed that in order to become a christian you first had to be a jew and so they they were adherence to the mosaic laws particularly of sabbath and circumcision paul argued with these these were the christians who believed that if you weren't circumcised and you didn't obey the sabbath and you didn't commit to the laws of moses that you are not really in right relationship with the lord and so not only did the jews persecute the christians but the judaizers did as well the third source were called the libertines say it with me libertines these were folk who believed that they were free from any moral law and that their civil liberties and their freedoms gave them the right to live life however they wanted they could live and do whatever they wanted to do there was no law that could restrain them they believed that life at its best was when you just pursued whatever you wanted to do libertines believed that they could live however they wanted to live that they didn't have to wear masks that they didn't have to get vaccinated that they had the right to just go out and infect anybody they wanted to because their civil liberties were at stake libertines the fourth group is harder to define they were called the gnostics and the gnostics were those who believe in a nutshell that they were spiritually and morally superior to anyone else and that you had to believe like they did so we've got the jews the judaizers the libertines the gnostics and then the last group was in a category that we call pneumatics pneumatics from where we get the word pneuma and uh pneumonia spirited pneumatics were those who believed that they were spiritually free that they had already been set free and were saved without jesus christ and so this early church is being persecuted by jews judaizers libertines gnostics pneumatics all while paul was in jail and paul realizes that this early group of christians had begun to worry and become anxious they're worried about what's going to happen to him and what's going to happen to them what's going to happen to paul in the future will paul be killed what's going to happen to our church will we be persecuted will we be killed and in the midst of that worry in the midst of that stress in the midst of that fear in the midst of that anxiety listen to what paul says be anxious for nothing i know you don't know how it's going to turn out i know you're worried about your health and well-being i know you don't know what the future will hold but this is what i want you to do make certain that you are anxious for nothing beloved paul is working from a definition of anxiety that's still relevant for today listen i'm not a psychotherapist i'm not a psychiatrist i'm not a mental health expert i want to share with you from my own experience and conversation with mental health experts a definition of anxiety write this down anxiety is a present stress that is caused by the fear of an unrealized future let me say it again anxiety is a present stress that is caused or created by the fear of an unrealized future let's see a third time's a charm anxiety is a present stress caused by the fear of an unrealized future let's break that down a little bit three big movement moments that that cause anxiety let's walk through it for a moment anxiety begins when something happens in your life that causes you to wonder and worry about the future outcome anxiety begins when something happens that causes you to look into the future and wonder how things are going to turn out anxiety is literally when you're sitting in now but you're worrying about then it's when you're in today but you're wondering about later it's when you're in the present moment but something has happened that's made you wonder what the next moment will be whether that be later today whether that be tomorrow whether that be a week from now whether it be a month from now whether that be years from now something happens that makes you wonder and worry about the future for many people that only happens in some special moments moments of crisis moments of new opportunity moments of bad decisions moment of threat moment of a new diagnosis but for some of us what triggers it can be anything and everything every single day for some of us it could simply be waking up in the morning opening our eyes and we begin to wonder and worry about what the day is going to be like for some of us it keeps us from going to sleep at night because we lay down and we begin to imagine and wonder and worry what the next few days will be like for some people it only happens in a moment but for some of us it happens all the time so the first step of anxiety is when you are triggered to wonder and worry about the future here's the second step and this gets a little technical the second step is when you begin to imagine all the possible outcomes and your mind begins to focus on the worst case most negative most damaging possibility anxiety is not just when you wonder and worry about the future it's when you begin to focus on the worst case scenario when you begin to think about what the most damaging thing that could happen when you begin to worry about the most negative thing that can go down in your life imagine if you will a bell curve you all know a bell curve where your axes are what's possible and how probable it is imagine a bell curve and on one axis is how probable and on the other axis is what's possible and what anxiety does is anxiety ignores what's most probable and focuses on the extreme of what's possible and so anxiety says we're going to ignore what's really most probable and we're going to look at the extreme possibility that's really not that probable so anxiety begins to focus on an extreme case that really is not that probable and here's where anxiety kicks in you ready anxiety takes what's extreme in possibility and the least probable and says that's the only possible outcome anxiety is when you take the least probable and say it's the most and only possible don't miss this it's when you look at an extreme case of what could happen and your mind begins to convince you that's the only thing that can happen anxiety causes you to ignore what's most probable exact anxiety blinds you to the possibility that god may be working this for your good anxiety denies that god may be in this and god's going to go exceedingly and abundantly above all that you could ask or think exact anxiety looks at all the things that could happen and denies the best case scenario and focuses on the worst case even though that's the least probable and convinces you that it's the only thing that can possibly happen anxiety blinds you to the other possibilities of what god could be doing in this situation to make you better and to make you stronger and to make you wiser and working it for your good and using it to elevate you anxiety says none of that's possible the only thing that's possible is the worst case scenario step one you begin to focus on the future step two you focus on the most worst case scenario step three you tell yourself it's the only possible outcome and then step four watch this you then begin to respond and react as if it's happening right now even though you know it isn't the don't miss this anxiety makes you believe that it's happening to you right now even though you know it isn't you feel the threat as if it's right now you begin to respond as if you're in imminent danger you begin to worry as if it's happening to you right now even though it's still in an unrealized imagined future an unrealized imagined future you begin to have what we call psychosomatic experiences what is that when what's in your mind causes your body to start to react your heart rate goes up your blood pressure rises start to get the chills you have a cold sweat your stomach begins to get upset because your body is responding to a threat that isn't even real so anxiety focuses on the future picks out the negative worst case scenario convinces you it's the only thing that can happen and causes you to begin to respond as if it's happening even when it isn't now now given that understanding of anxiety there's a broad spectrum it can be mild and momentary that can be dismissed easily or it can be severe intense excessive inescapable persistent and most therapists diagnose that as severe anxiety and if this is safe space to share testimony that's part of what drove me into sabbatical i was diagnosed with severe anxiety you all i was at the point where anything caused me to be anxious everything made me focus on a worst case scenario and believing that's the only outcome everything made me chill and shake and upset my stomach and rob me of my sleep at night it was so severe i could call my mother and if she didn't answer the phone i automatically began to believe maybe she died maybe she fell and hurt herself not not knowing and believing that she's probably just sleep she's 90 years old she likes to sleep she didn't answer the phone because she was asleep no i would leave the office and run home to make sure she was okay because in my mind i was always envisioning the worst case scenario and my heart would race and my blood pressure would go up and my stomach would be all upset because i chose to focus on the worst possible outcome and began to respond like it was happening right then and there my anxiety was severe i went to a therapist my therapist helped me understand anxiety what triggered my anxiety she gave me meditation techniques to help calm it i'm grateful that i wasn't prescribed medication but for some of us that may be necessary and all while i'm in therapy understanding anxiety and learning meditation and hearing about medication i kept hearing the words of god through paul be anxious for nothing be anxious for nothing those words don't just come from paul they're also in red in matthew and in luke words of jesus and if you go to jesus sermon on the mount in matthew 5 through 7 or luke's version the sermon on the plane in luke chapter 12 you'll find that repeatedly jesus says at the center of his sermon don't be worried don't be concerned don't be fearful don't be anxious christ commands us to fight the anxiety in our lives don't worry about tomorrow he says god will handle that don't worry about what you eat god will take care of you don't be fearful of your enemies the lord is on your side jesus tells us don't be anxious when he gets ready to send his disciples out in matthew 10 he tells them don't be anxious about what you're going to say the holy spirit will speak to you when he shows up at mary and martha's house in luke chapter 10 and martha's running all around jesus says to her you're troubled you're anxious about too many things anxiety is not what god wants in our lives and listen i've read the scriptures and i'm going to tell you that i've come to two biblical conclusions about anxiety i've come to two biblical conclusions about worrying i've come to two conclusions about focusing on the future taking the most extreme negative possibility telling yourself it's the only possible outcome and living as if it's happening right now two biblical conclusions about anxiety number one anxiety is not necessarily a sin feeling anxious does not mean something's wrong with your faith being anxious does not mean you don't trust god someone you need to hear that because the same enemy that attacks you with anxiety then attacks you with guilt to make you feel as if somehow something is wrong with your faith because you are anxious or worried or stressed or concerned anxiety is not necessarily a sin a matter of fact it's a natural human response we're made to feel imminent threat and respond your heart is supposed to increase its rate your blood pressure is supposed to go up you're supposed to get in fight or flight mode that's how god has made us to preserve our lives so anxiety in and of itself is not a sin that's conclusion number one conclusion number two is that living in anxiety is not god's will for our lives it's one thing to feel it it's another thing to live in it and believe it or not my brothers and sisters i don't believe that god desires us to live in anxiety i believe god wants us to be victorious over it i believe god wants us to fight it and overcome it i believe god wants us to be able to push and press through it that it's all right to feel it but god doesn't want us to be dominated by it come on let me give you a side order scripture come to the garden of gethsemane with me when jesus has just finished the lord's supper the last supper with his disciples and he goes into the garden and he takes peter james and john you remember that and he begins to pray and the bible says in both matthew and luke that when jesus gets to the garden he's grieved and agitated when jesus gets to the garden of gethsemane before he gets to calvary he's wrestling with anxiety he's human and he feels the anxiety of worrying about what's going to happen the next day when he makes his way to calvary that's human if that were me i would be anxious i would be worried i would be fearful i'm about to die of course i'm anxious and if jesus in his humanity feels anxiety it cannot be a sin it's human he feels it he's worried he's anxious he's fearful he's stressed he knows he's about to die a horrible painful death any human including jesus would be anxious and in luke's version in chapter 22 the bible says that he began to pray and he prayed until drops of sweat fell off his forehead like blood for all of my life i thought that that was how passionately jesus was praying he was praying till he was sweating but what if jesus was having a psychosomatic response to the anxiety what if it was a cold sweat what if jesus body is responding to the anxiety of his humanity and it's responding with a cold sweat because he's afraid of what's going to happen which is why he prays and asks god don't let this go down this way lord take it from me jesus is fighting the anxiety but here's what i love at the end of his prayer he wakes up peter james and john and this is what he says in the howard john wesley version let's go do it let's go fulfill the will of god let's go see what it's going to be yes i was anxious but i've conquered it and now i'm going to move on into the future and trust that god is going to make a beloved i just believe that that's god's will for us that we not beat ourselves up when we feel anxiety but we press through it we push through it we fight over it we become victorious we conquer it that we learn to move through the anxiety and into the future trusting that the god that has called us is the god that will stand by us beloved i believe that anxiety is not god's will for our lives and let me let me close this little sermon by giving you four reasons why i think anxiety is not god's will number one the first reason i believe that anxiety is not god's will for our life is that anxiety is a spirit that can become a demon god god anxiety is a spirit that can easily become a demon well someone the very question you ought to be asking is well pastor what do you see as the difference between a spirit and a demon here it is and how john wesley's understanding yours may be different spirits try to influence you demons want to possess you go and teach that pastor evil spirits try to influence your thinking demons want to occupy your life spirits want to affect how you see things demons want to occupy every ounce of your being every moment of your day demons are not something you just wrestle with demons are things you try to learn to live with spirits you fight demons you try to function with demons seek to occupy your life and anxiety can be a spirit that quickly becomes a demon something that occupies your every thought your every day your every movement your every moment you can't enjoy anything because of anxiety anxiety becomes a demon and one of the things we see in the life of jesus is that demonic possession is never the will of god the lord jesus whenever he met someone who was demon possessed what did jesus do he delivered them because the lord says i can't leave you possessed by a demon i can't let that spirit occupy you i can't let that demon control you i can't let that demon live in your life that the will of the lord is that we be delivered from those demons and that's why god wants to deliver us from that anxiety it's not god's will can i push it here are the things about demons wherever one takes he invites another here's the danger of demons that once they begin to occupy our lives they begin to invite their cousins you you remember in mark when jesus ran up on that man who was demon-possessed and jesus said what's your name and the demon answered what was the demon's answer my name is legion for we are many the word legion was was an allusion to a roman legion of soldiers which is between three and six thousand so here's what the demon says jesus it ain't just one of us it's three thousand of us it's six thousand of us in here and beloved i don't believe that 6 000 demons occupied that man all at once you know what happened one got in and he invited another and that had opened the door for another and that opened the door for another and before he knew it he was legion possessed and here's why anxiety is not god's will not only because it becomes a demon but because anxiety opens the door for other sin in our lives anxiety invites sinful behavior why because when you're anxious and you feel the stress your natural response is to try to find a way to alleviate it something to make it less burdensome and here's how slick the enemy is the same devil that put the anxiety on you then presents sinful coping mechanisms to deal with the anxiety so now not only do you have the demon of anxiety now you're committing sin trying to live with it how do you handle anxiety how do you alleviate the stress and the burdens in your life where do you run to what do you do when life has brought you anxiety here's what the devil says alcohol drugs sex pornography bad eating habits unhealthy and unwise spending the devil presents options and opportunities for you to deal with the anxiety in ways that do not honor god and that's why anxiety cannot be god's will for your life because it opens the door for other demons and addictions did you know my therapist shared with me that most drug addiction and alcoholism began in one of two places either trying to deal with pain or deal with anxiety most addictions to drugs most alcoholism began with someone who was trying to either deal with pain or deal with anxiety and i would suggest you that that addiction is not god's will for your life so lord says listen you've got to fight this anxiety because it can become a demon you got to fight this anxiety because it opens the door for other sinful behavior but can i give you number three reason why anxiety is not god's will for your life is that anxiety threatens the abundant life that christ died for you to live in anxiety is a direct threat to the abundant life that christ died for you to live in well i feel like preaching right here the bible says in john chapter 10 verse 10 jesus says i come that you might have life and have it more abundantly christ said i want you to have abundant life and beloved i just believe that that abundant life is not something that's reserved for us when we get to heaven i believe that that abundant life is what god wants me to live in my right here and my right now is there anybody watching today who just believes that god wants you to live abundantly and i'm not talking about just material possessions i'm not talking about wealth and fame and fortune i believe god wants me to live in joy i believe that the bible says in 3rd john chapter 1 verse 2 that god wants me to be in health and prosper as my soul prospers i just believe god wants me to live an enjoyable life a peaceful life a happy life a fulfilled life a purpose life a sowing life a receiving life god wants me to live abundantly right here and right now my best life is not simply reserved for the pearly gates on the other side of heaven but right here in the here and now let me tell you a funny story uh one of my mentors recently retired from pastoring and after retiring he bought his dream car he bought him a rolls royce and i'm telling you that thing is nice when i got in it and i was sitting with him i said man this is beautiful i said but why did you spend so much money on a rolls-royce and this is what he said to me you ready he said cause i don't think they sell these in heaven he said and if i'mma drive one i got to drive it here because i can't drive it up in heaven listen i'm not telling you to go out and buy a rolls royce but i do believe this that there's some abundant life that i'm supposed to live right here and right now there's some things god desires for me to walk in and to see while i'm in the land of the living i believe that abundant life is for the here and now so jesus said i come that you might have life and have it more abundantly but what is the rest of that verse said but the thief comes to steal kill and destroy and beloved let me tell you something nothing steals like anxiety nothing kills like anxiety nothing destroys like anxiety is this a safe space to testify a few years ago something happened in my life that triggered some severe anxiety within me i mean it was bad i couldn't sleep that night i was sweating all night long my stomach was so upset that i was getting up every few moments ago to the restroom i was shaking i was envisioning the worst case scenario and terry it got so bad that when i got up that morning i didn't even want to eat breakfast and the only thing that could call me was to start drinking i'm reaching for bourbon at seven o'clock in the morning and i knew something was wrong when the only thing that could call me was alcohol at seven o'clock in the morning later that day show you how god works i was scheduled to have my exam with my physician and i really wanted to cancel it because i didn't feel like going to the doctor but i knew if i cancelled it it may be quite some time before i got another appointment so i sobered up and went to the doctor after she took my vitals my blood pressure my heart rate my oxygen she looked me dead in the eye and that's what she said what's wrong with you i can tell by your heart rate and your blood pressure that something's wrong i began to share with her what was happening here at church and the anxiety i was feeling and the stress it was causing me as a pastor she said to me how long do you plan on pastoring i said well you know my goal is 25 years my doctor looked me in the eye and said you won't make it that long what's happening to your body you will not be able to sustain for 25 years she said at this rate you're gonna have to retire early and i knew right then this is not god's will for me god did not call me to alfred street to have to retire early god did not call me to alpha street to die in the pulpit god did not call me to alpha street to retire and die a year later that is not god's will for my life and i ain't going out like that that will not be my story so i went on sabbatical because i had to get my life together listen i love y'all but i ain't dying for you this church means everything to me but i ain't gonna die when this is over i'm leaving when the lord calls me when i retire and i'm gonna play golf down in florida and y'all gonna hear about me dying on the ninth hole after i birdied and i went home to be with jesus but i'll be good in if i will die in this pulpit that is not god's will for my life christ came and we might have life and have it more abundantly anxiety can become a demon anxiety opens the door for other sinful behavior anxiety threatens the abundant life christ died for us to have and finally anxiety is contrary to the peace of god listen to what paul writes he says don't be anxious because the peace of god which you may not be able to understand will guard your heart and mind that the purpose of the peace of god is to guard you against anxiety guard you against destroying your life guard you against the sinful behavior that the peace of god guards you against anxiety and if you ain't got it here's what paul says anxiety and the peace of god are mutually exclusive you can't walk in both you can't live in both you got to make a decision anxiety or the peace of god and beloved i've just come to the conclusion in my life at this stage that absolutely nothing is more valuable to me than walking in living in and sleeping in the peace of god i'm looking for some grown folk who are watching worship today who can chat amen right there because you're grown enough to declare ain't nothing like being at peace with god peace with yourself and peace with people around you ain't nothing like laying your head down at night and going to sleep and letting some drool come out the side of your mouth ain't nothing like walking into the doctor's office and not being worried about what you're going to hear nothing like knowing god's got it and god is protecting you there is nothing in the world like the peace of god and that's our inheritance as his sons and his daughters the peace of god is what i have right to claim the peace of god is what the lord wants to give me the peace of god is what god wants to deposit in my heart to guard against that anxiety it is not god's will and we've got to learn how to overcome it we've got to learn how to be victorious we've got to learn how to fight it and that's what these next few weekends of sermons are going to do we're going to look at some examples and teaching of scripture about how we overcome anxiety because we were called and created to be anxious for nothing listen not only i'm going to try to tackle it in weekend worship but our tuesday bible studies are going to be around anxiety i'm excited to be in conversation with reverend morgan and other healthcare professionals about how we overcome anxiety how we see it from a biblical perspective so don't just join us on the weekends join us on tuesdays as bible study starts back up this week and we continue on in this series of being anxious for nothing next weekend as the lord would call us back to this place i want to pick back up right here and look at paul's prescription for anxiety prayer supplication and thanksgiving that's what we'll pick up next weekend let's pray god i thank you for your word and for reminding us that we were called and created to be anxious for nothing i pray for my sister and my brother who may be walking in the shoes i know oh too well about being anxious and lord guide us and keep us now that when we come to the end of this series as we engage in bible study as we search for your holy spirit's guidance that we will live a life victorious over anxiety that bears witness to the world of the peace of god in jesus name we pray amen listen i pray that not only have you been blessed in service but then maybe you desire to make a deep change in your life to open up your heart to the lordship of jesus to become connected to this church family listen no matter where you are in the world wide web we would love to be called your home church i would love to be called your pastor we welcome you into covenant relationship with us you can go on our website and you'll find information that you can fill out about giving your life to jesus and one of our deacons will call you and share with you the amazing gift of the salvation of jesus christ we'll welcome you into this church family we want to receive you to be part of what god is doing in this new era we've learned church is bigger than these walls come on be part of the body of christ and be part of the family of alpha street baptist church my personal invitation to you until we meet again in jesus name [Music] i pray that you enjoy this time of worship as much as i do i love worshipping the lord i love worshiping with you it's amazing how we've adjusted and become comfortable to this online but prayerfully we'll be back in our building soon let's look to the lord as we get ready to leave this moment of worship with the god that is always with us and now to the almighty the all-wise the eternal the sovereign the omnipotent god who alone is creator of the heaven and the earth to god who's made himself and his love perfectly known to us in jesus who alone is our christ our loving lord our sacrificial savior our resurrected risen reigning returning redeemer to the god who chooses to dwell in these earthen vessels of clay through the sustaining power promise presence purpose and person of the holy spirit to that all wise god be both glory and majesty dominion and power from now until eternity and the redeemed of the lord who loved the lord and awaited his return said amen [Music] downwards [Music] [Music] is [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] wow [Music] [Music] [Music] alpha street baptist church would like to thank all of our online viewers for worshiping with us we hope that you've enjoyed our virtual worship experience beloved grace and peace be unto you from god our mother and our father and jesus christ who alone is our resurrected our risen our reigning and our returning redeemer before we get into worship over this weekend i want to update you on some things that are happening in the life of the church as the seasons begin to change and we make our way into fall and continue to navigate ourselves to this pandemic there's some information you need to know that you can be prayerful and yet still be connected to the work of alpha street baptist church today we want to continue to lift up in prayer so many issues and so many concerns that are happening in our world we continue to pray for those who are wrestling with kovid those who are on the front lines we continue to navigate our way through all of these variants ask that you pray for the leadership of this church family i want to pray for our brothers and sisters that are escaping taliban rule in afghanistan as well as our brothers and sisters who are still serving and fighting and on the front lines we pray for our brothers and sisters down in louisiana who are yet battling with the hurricane winds of ida we all know what happened in katrina many of us have family there my own family is there without power and i want to let you know that in the few days that are upcoming we're going to be partnering with organizations like lot carey to be able to sow financial support into the rebuilding of that area and i want to thank you for your generosity and giving that allows us to do that and we continue to pray for haiti as they rebuild and rebound from political and natural disasters we'll let you know that we've already sent fifty thousand dollars through lock carry to send food and water down to haiti and we're preparing for another fifty thousand dollar donation that we might continue to aid and assist our brothers in that land so today as we worship i pray that you know that as you give you are helping touch the lives of those with coved touch the lives of those coming out of afghanistan touch the lives of those in louisiana touching the lives of those in haiti you're also helping us rebuild as you can tell i'm in the middle of an empty sanctuary right now all the pews the carpeting and the flooring has been taken up and when we're able to come back in this space you're going to walk on some new floors you're going to see some new carpet and you're going to sit on some new pews thank you for helping make that a reality when you come back it's going to look the same but it's going to feel a little bit different as we talk about coming back into the sanctuary i know one of the questions that all of us had pastor when are we going to be back in church well you know that safety is our primary concern and we don't want to enter this space and risk not one person contracting coved but to give you a little bit more information about our reopening plan i want to introduce to you sister tammy lloyd she's a director on our church council and i've charged her with being the chairperson of our reopening task force tammy's going to come now and share with you a little information about when where and how we envision getting back into this space greetings alfred street family i hope you and your families are well staying safe and healthy my name is tammy lloyd and as a representative of our reopening task force i'd like to share an update with you the task force was formed in june by pastor wesley and it is made up of four teams which include our ministry programs and events team led by our very own dr sylvia dayton jones our worship experience team led by reverend mark lavren our human resources team led by a yokojac and finally our core advisory team which i have the pleasure of leading our charge is to partner with the leadership of alfred street in understanding this current environment we're conducting research and seeking guidance from both science and policy and using that to provide recommendations to guide how we safely proceed as a church body in july of this year immediately after the task force was formed we created and conducted a survey which was sent to all of our members we had over 2700 responses and over 1500 comments from interested and participative members of alfred street the survey covered many topics including how our members feel and their level of comfort about returning to in-person service we also talked about and got feedback about things like what are the expectations and how will we continue to ensure the safety and health of our members in september the task force will share their first update with the church council and provide our initial set of recommendations on how we should proceed we will then share an update with our full church body and thank you in advance for your continued support and input as we continue to navigate we know this current environment is constantly changing and our plan is to continuously keep the health and safety of our members as our front and first priority we will make updates regularly and we'll continue to ask for your input and your prayer as we go through this process please continue to pray with us and keep us in your thoughts as we navigate through these difficult times may god continue to bless each of you and thank you thank you tammy i know that each and every one of us has a deep desire to be back in worship to be back in fellowship with one another but we have to continue to do it in a safe way we were able to do it safely out at fedex field a little while ago and now i want to invite you to another outdoor gathering of worship before the weather changes it might be our last opportunity this year on sunday september 26th 11 a.m meriwether post pavilion join in with all of alfred street baptist church we're gathering there to worship at 11 the doors will open at 9 30 and parking is free because safety is our number one concern we've tried to choose a venue where we know we can come worship fellowship and still be safe if you've never been to meriwether post pavilion when you come you're going to be amazed there are 5 000 seats in a covered pavilion giving a shelter from the sun and then there are another 5 000 seats in the grassy knoll area so when you come you can sit wherever you feel comfortable you can your family can sit in the grassy areas and your lawn chairs and your blankets and still see and hear worship or you can have one of the seats under the pavilion if you're in the grassy area masks are requested if you're going to sit under the pavilion masks are mandatory and if you're in one of the seated areas do us a favor respect people's requirement and request for social distancing if you and your family are gathered together leave a couple seats before you sit next to the other family so that we can remain socially distant and safe when we worship in that space we're going to do a few things we're going to give thanks to god for the life that we live we're going to be blessed by our music and worship arts we're going to celebrate 13 years of anniversary as pastor and people we're going to hear a word from the lord as i am excited to preach what god has laid on my heart and we're going to break bread and share in communion before we get to merryweather our deacons will have a distribution of communion that you can pick up before we get there and communion elements will also be available on site listen i know merry weather is a little bit far of a drive but i promise you it's gonna be worth it the worship is going to bless you the music is going to touch you the fellowship will aid and assist you in getting over this isolation we've been living in and we're not just worshiping we're also going to have a family reunion kind of style i'm inviting you to bring your own food but also know that there will be some food trucks on site so that when we're done worshiping we can break bread together almost like having a large picnic and be able to fellowship and see stay around i want to come by and see you and your family and how everyone's doing so once again sunday september 26th 11 a.m doors open at 9 30. parking is free merryweather post pavilion we're going to have a great time listen you can also grab one of our t-shirts if you so desire go online we've got a t-shirt that we're asking people to wear that we can have a sea of our colors of burgundy and gold we're not burgundy gold that's the that's that football team how about crimson and cream let's wear some crimson cream we're gonna have a great day come on out and join with me as it'll be my pleasure to worship with you [Music] [Music] hey everybody this is pastor wesley let me tell you i am excited to be out here early this saturday morning with all these volunteers as we merge together two of the greatest events of our church feed the 5000 and brothers keeper those events as you know seek to put food in the homes and the tables of some five thousand individuals in our community and make certain that parents have the resources to get all the school supplies children need to make it back in this fall season i'm grateful that we believe the greatest expression of our faith is not found in our shouting our singing but rather in our giving jesus said if you've seen the hungry and you ignore them you've ignored me if you see someone in need and you walk on by you walk by me so today we're really living out our faith and our giving and i thank you for your giving which helps us give back to others [Music] to help combat the covet 19 coronavirus outbreak alfred street baptist church has suspended all in-person worship services activities and events until further notice we know that these are difficult and challenging times we invite you to stay connected by participating in our online worship services and remain faithful in your giving online via our alfred street website asbc app and on our text messaging system if you have any questions about giving please feel free to email our finance department at finance outfit street dot org if you're interested in becoming a member of the historic alpha street baptist church please email deacons with an s at alphastreet.org or complete the membership form on our website or on our asbc app alfred street members have you been blessed with a skill set in law policy writing human resources record keeping finance property management or executive board leadership and a heart to serve others the nominating committee wants you nominations are now open and will close on thursday september 30th at 11 59 pm open positions descriptions of qualifications and responsibilities as well as the online application are available at www.alfredstreet.org paper applications will also be available upon request at the church office during regular business hours all paper applications must be returned to the church office by 5 pm on thursday september 30th tuesday night bible study is back that's right our online tuesday night bible study returns september 7th at 7 pm eastern time with our very own reverend dr latarcha l morgan join dr morgan from our office of christian care and counseling throughout the month of september as she facilitates a conversation about anxiety and mental health we look forward to seeing everyone virtually our office of christian care and counseling would like to share that september is national suicide prevention month for more information on how you or someone you know can get help please visit our website or app for additional information and resources our september pastor's pick for book of the month is against christianity how right-wing evangelicals are destroying our nation and our faith by obri m hendricks jr be sure to purchase and or download a copy from your favorite retailer attention all asbc members online registration is now open for our wednesday september 8th virtual church council meeting which will commence at 7 pm eastern time you must have received the right hand of fellowship to participate virtually however the deadline to register is tuesday september 7th at 12 pm noon eastern time have you ordered your 13th annual my pastor t-shirt they're going fast join us as we celebrate and honor pastor wesley's 13th pastoral anniversary with his one-of-a-kind my pastor t-shirt deadline to order is monday september 6 at 11 59 pm eastern time so be sure to visit our website or our asbc app today everyone is invited to join us virtually as we kick off our brand new exciting fall season of online sunday school classes starting saturday september 11th 4 45 pm eastern and sunday september 12 at 9 00 a.m eastern visit our website and asbc app for more information calling all asbc undergraduate college students alfred street's college ministry also known as the college link is now accepting online registrations for the 2021-2022 academic year registration ends sunday september 19th so be sure to register online today so that we can stay in touch and support you throughout your college year are you the parents of boys ages 5 to 11 years old if so we invite you to join and connect with our cub scouts ministry as they kick off their fall recruitment event on friday september 10th email cub scouts at alphastreet.org to register and or for more information about this rewarding and career building ministry asbc is upgrading its church management software system to realm r-e-a-l-m what is realm you ask realm is a brand new church management record-keeping software system designed to provide you with a new way to connect to our events contributions and giving statements just to name a few stay tuned to our website and or asbc app for the latest information intercessory prayer ministry presents 12 hours of prayer a call-in experience saturday september 11 2021 5 am to 5 pm eastern time join us on the prayer call and connection line 96 605-472-5575 sign our social justice ministry presents unmasked inequities in schools reimagining education justice post pandemic we invite everyone to attend this free zoom webinar event on saturday september 18th from 9 a.m to 11 30 a.m eastern daylight time online registration is required our christian life institute presents a virtual experience via zoom entitled spiritual gifts the fivefold ministry with reverend roslyn brooks join us thursday september 23rd from 7 to 8 30 pm eastern time this event is open to everyone however you must register online to participate our social justice and legal resources ministry presents an expungement restoration of rights pardon and sealing of records virtual law webinar experience saturday september 25th from 10 a.m to 12 p.m noon eastern daylight time online registration is required however this webinar is open to everyone [Music] our sunday school deep roots bearing fruit curriculum team is seeking volunteer writers editors copy editors proofreaders and recruiters if you're interested in learning more about all of the volunteer opportunities available with our sunday school curriculum team please email drbf alfredstreet.org for more information have there been music dance or drama presentations from alfred street baptist church that's touched your soul or been a blessing to you if so we invite you to check out our new music and worship arts playlist on our asbc youtube channel the most recent music and worship arts drama and dance offerings experienced during our weekly asbc worship services will be featured here we invite everyone to continue to join us at 7 a.m eastern time for our daily prayer call which takes place monday through friday this will allow you to stay connected to your asvc family through prayer you can dial 1-530-881-1212 and enter the id number 788 999 203 pound sign also we invite you to tune in to our faith forward weekly radio broadcast featuring pastor howard john wesley every sunday morning at 7 30 a.m eastern daylight time on magic 102.3 fm and 92.7 fm for a powerful sermon that will move you forward in your faith we invite you to join us and alfred street baptist church on sunday evenings from 7 pm to 7 30 p.m for our faith forward show on praise 104.1 fm dc's inspiration station [Music] be sure to visit our website or your asbc app for the latest asbc updates regarding covet 19 and to find out what to do if you think that you've been exposed to the coronavirus for more information on these and all the exciting events taking place here at alfred street please log on to alfredstreet.org

Channel: Alfred Street Baptist Church

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Length: 129min 8sec (7748 seconds)

Published: Sun Sep 05 2021