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| Pastor Mathias | | Ms. Brunell - Executive Director | | Mr. Gaffney - Managing Director | | Ms. Helmers - Managing Director | | | |
| Mr. Flynn - Senior Director | | Mr. Bolton - Director | | Ms. Irwin - Director | | Mr. James - Director | | Mr. Levine - Director | | Ms. Radewicz - Director | | Mr. Rodgers - Director | | Mr. Shea - Director | | Mr. Widmyer - Director | | | |
| Ms. Avery | | Ms. Baird | | Ms. Baker | | Ms. Bray | | Ms. Burns | | Ms. Coffey | | Ms. Crane | | Mr. David | | Ms. Drew | | | |
| Mr. Dunlap | | Mr. Ewing | | Mr. Farley | | Ms. Finley | | Mr. Friedman | | Ms. Gay | | Ms. Hahn | | Ms. Hobbs | | Ms. Holder | | | |
| Mr. Horton | | Ms. Lee | | Mr. Maddox | | Ms. Perez | | Ms. Rollins | | Ms. Smith | | Ms. Smith | | Ms. Weslin | | Mr. Wilkerson | | | | | | M.R. Mathias - Ambassador |
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| | | | | | About Us | Christian Credit Union | Financial & Banking for Christians | our Money Building God's Kingdom
At Christian Community Credit Union, our focus is on people, not profits. We help build God?s Kingdom by partnering with individuals and ministries to help them manage their money in a God-honoring way. The money you deposit helps provide affordable loans to churches, ministries and their members. Whether it?s constructing or remodeling a new church building or funding a home loan, your money is working in the Christian community.
Plus, when you use our credit and debit cards for purchases, you are giving to missions. In 2014, the Credit Union surpassed $4 million donated to ministry and missions projects in the U.S. and around the globe. [More] | |  |
| | | | | About - House of Prayer | | House of Prayer started in July of 1976 with 4 couples meeting in a living room. God has done so much since then and today HOP has planted over 20 churches domestically and planted and partnered to raise up churches and schools all around the world. The church has impacted tens of thousands and our heart is to help those who are far from God find life through Jesus Christ. For us, it’s simple. We are passionate about… | | |
| | | | | International House of Prayer | International House of Prayer of Kansas City (IHOPKC) was founded by Mike Bickle and twenty full-time “intercessory missionaries,” who cried out to God in prayer with worship for thirteen hours each day. Four months later, on September 19, 1999, prayer and worship extended to the full 24/7 schedule.
The International House of Prayer is an evangelical missions organization that is committed to praying for the release of the fullness of God’s power and purpose, as we actively win the lost, heal the sick, feed the poor, make disciples, and impact every sphere of society—family, education, government, economy, arts, media, religion, etc. Our vision is to work in relationship with the wider Body of Christ to engage in the Great Commission, as we seek to walk out the two great commandments to love God and people. [More] | | |
| | | | | House of Prayer | A PRAYING CHURCH:
Matthew 21:13 "And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves."
The greatest reputation of the Lord's House should be the "house of prayer." Churches have reputations as a great singing church, a great preaching church or a great programs church. But how long has it been since someone referred to a church as a "praying church?"
THE FIRST CHURCH WAS A PRAYING CHURCH:
Acts 1:14 "These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication"
Prayer must be a continuing activity in the church.
Acts 1:24 "And they prayed, and said, Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, shew whether of these two thou hast chosen,"
Prayer seeks to know Gods choice.
Acts 2:42 "And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers."
Prayer must be an established, permanent, steadfast and unmovable function of the church.
Acts 3:1 "Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer"
Prayer must have a permanent place in the schedule of the church. Prayer must have a priority and not be pushed around or pushed out of the way to make room for something we want to do.
Acts 4:31 "And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost"
Prayer is necessary to maintain the fullness and power of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Many of these believers were in the upper room on the day of Pentecost
Acts 6:4 "But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word."
Prayer is the balance to the Word. The study of the Word prepares the message but through prayer the messenger is prepared.
Acts 6:6 "Whom they set before the apostles: and when they had prayed, they laid their hands on them."
Prayer before we lay hands on others makes sure that Gods hand is on us first.
Acts 7:60 "And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep."
Prayer is the way to live but it is also the way to die.
Acts 9:40 "But Peter put them all forth, and kneeled down, and prayed; and turning him to the body said, Tabitha, arise. And she opened her eyes: and when she saw Peter, she sat up."
Prayer is the means by which miracles take place.
Acts 10:9, 11 " Peter went up upon the housetop to pray and saw heaven opened"
Prayer is the place where we see heavenly visions.
Acts 10:30 "And Cornelius said, Four days ago I was fasting until this hour; and at the ninth hour I prayed in my house, and, behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing,"
Prayer and fasting takes us beyond seeing what is physically seen and we see into the unseen realm of the Spirit.
Acts 12:5 "Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him."
Prayer in the book of Acts church was more than a "name it and claim it" thing but it was a fervent and earnest spiritual warfare of intercession.
Acts 12:12 "he came to the house of Mary the mother of John where many were gathered together praying."
Prayer involves coming together to pray so that we can agree together.
Acts 13:3 "And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away."
Prayer and fasting should be done before we send missionaries, evangelist and anyone that goes out from the church to minister. This would make a difference when we send our youth on a mission trip. Rather than gather around the van and pray as they are driving off, we should have a time of prayer and fasting and then lay hands on them for ministry.
Acts 14:23 "And when they had ordained them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they believed."
Prayer and fasting should accompany the appointment of every leader in the church.
Acts 16:13,16 "And on the sabbath we went out of the city by a river side, where prayer was wont to be made; and we sat down, and spake unto the women which resorted thither." "as we went to prayer."
Prayer could be found by the river side or in a house because if believers are there, whatever else might be happening prayer would be a part of it.
Acts 16:25 "And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them."
Prayer and singing go together but singing must never become a substitute for prayer. Singing praises compliments our prayers with the expressions of faith.
Acts 20:36 "And when he had thus spoken, he kneeled down, and prayed with them all."
Prayer was practiced by Paul when he was leaving friends behind.
Acts 22:17-18 "And it came [More] | | |
| |  | | | Hope Valley, Rhode Island | Roger Williams | | Roger Williams was inspired by the Biblical passage "hope is the anchor of the soul" in Hebrews, Verse 6:19.[5] In 2008 a town historian told the Providence Journal that Gardner Nichols renamed the village from Carpenter’s Mills to Hope Valley “because all of his hopes were centered” in the village.[6] This version also appears in History of the State of Rhode Island. | | |
| |  | | | God Is Present in the Aftermath of Roseburg Shooting | God Is Present in the Aftermath of Roseburg Shooting Featured
Written by Jeanette Chaffee
Memorial at Roseburg Memorial at Roseburg
By Jeanette Chaffee, Special to ASSIST News Service, terrorist survivor, speaker, and author
Body of victim of Oregon StudentROSEBURG, OR (ANS - October 12, 2015) – On October first I was driving around Tualatin, Oregon, and I nonchalantly turned on the radio. I heard the horrific news that a gunman had gone on a shooting rampage in a writing class at Umpqua Community College, killing nine and shooting nine others.
Immediately I remembered my own experience surviving a terrorist bombing on TWA Flight 840 back in 1986, how helpless I felt, and how grateful I was that God allowed me to live though other people died.
I felt the Lord instructed me to go to Roseburg and help in whatever way I could. I have to admit that it was with some nervousness that I headed 180 miles south.
I am a ChristianI wanted to see what was going on when I arrived. The first thing I noticed was that signs giving gratitude to the responders and prayers appeared everywhere from McDonalds to The Lion’s Club.
Folks thought of ingenious ways to raise money for the victims’ families and funeral expenses. Elmer’s Restaurant displayed a poster about a garage sale and bake sale at the local paint store. A nearby school band got the idea to play four concerts and raised $2,000. A local tattoo parlor brought in $2,000 in one day offering a “Roseburg Strong” tattoo. In a home garage, people painted metal yard signs the shape of Oregon with a heart cut out for Roseburg’s location. $42,000 has been donated so far.
Then I drove up the hill within sight of the campus (at first off limits except for students and staff) to check things out. I noticed national media. CNN, Fox, ABC and CBS with their enormous moving van sized satellite trucks parked near the campus gate. Reporters were professionally dressed and “miked up” ready for action at any moment.
Roseburg BG Rapid Response coupleI was relieved to see the large Billy Graham Rapid Response Team trailer in the midst of the media vans. I stopped and paid a visit to Toni and Al New who are counselors with the team. They told me how people kept stopping by all day to thank them for being there.
At the bottom of the street leading up to the campus was a make-shift memorial along a metal fence. The sidewalk was lined with large hearts created from small stones with “Emilio” written on them. Stuffed animals, large and tiny cards, bundles of flowers, posters and an American flag were stuffed in the metal linked fence. In the middle was a huge banner with the shape of Oregon. It read: “Pray for Roseburg”. A five-foot wood cross stood at one end.
That’s when I saw them. The two posters. I was stunned. I will never forget them.
One read: “Stand up, stand up for Jesus, Ye soldiers of the cross. They stood up.” The other: “I’m Christian.”
Gift of the cross RoseburgI decided that hanging out at the memorial would be a good place to have the chance to talk and pray with folks who stopped by. I stood looking at the memorial. At times I walked by bunches of flowers, read the cards, and prayed.
Occasionally someone would park their car and come over. Shortly after they arrived, I’d quietly walk over and ask them if they knew someone who was being remembered. That’s when they would talk to me. Roseburg is a very tight-knit, small community of 22,000. I soon discovered that everyone either knew someone who died or knew of someone who knew of someone who died.
I met two teenagers, Sierra and Christina. Sierra’s boyfriend was best friends with Treven, one of the nine students shot dead. Treven’s father is a fire fighter in District #2 who were the first responders. Since her boyfriend now lives elsewhere and can’t come to the funeral, Sierra wanted to remember every detail to tell him daily by phone. We had a group hug just before they left. I was teary-eyed when they walked away thinking of how they were just kids and should never have had to experience this.
Then Jim drove up on a huge motorcycle. He was a rough-and-tough older man. He told me that his sister, Dodie, was good friends with Professor Levine who was the first one to be shot to death. Jim said he’d gone to a hilltop that morning and talked to his (dead) dad for several hours.
Roseburg prayers BG coupleI searched and found a little note about Mr. Levine tied on the wire fence. Jim stared at it. I thought about the person who wrote that sentence and how they’d most likely never know how much it touched this burly man. To Jim, it meant the world. It reminded me of how the smallest gesture of kindness can profoundly impact someone.
After a short visit, I asked him – as I did everyone – if it would be OK if I prayed for him. He said yes. So did everyone. I assured him that I would be praying for him and Dod [More] | | |
| |  | | | Raised by gay parents, he shocked them by coming out as a Christian – and then a pastor | By Mark Ellis, Special to ASSIST News Service
Caleb and his family Mark EllisSOUTHERN CALIFORNIA (ANS - October 14, 2015) -- When he was two-years-old his university-professor parents divorced and his father and mother entered the gay lifestyle. His lesbian mom and her partner took him to gay pride parades, LGBT clubs, parties and campouts, while his father remained “closeted” for several years.
“Mom was a political activist,” says Caleb Kaltenbach, author of Messy Grace (Waterbrook Press). At gay pride parades, Caleb witnessed Christian demonstrators spray homosexual marchers with water and urine.
When he asked his mom why they were doing this, she said: “Because Christians hate gay people.”
As a result, Caleb wanted nothing to do with Christianity or God.
Messy Grace cover Mark EllisIn high school, a friend invited him to a Bible study and he accepted with ulterior motives. “I thought I would pretend to be a Christian, learn about Christianity, and dismantle their arguments,” he recalls.
He had attended a mainline denominational church with his father sporadically, but was bored by it and didn’t understand the liturgy. “They never discussed God, only social issues,” he notes.
So when he grabbed a Bible off his dad’s shelf and went to the Bible study, he didn’t realize there was a difference between the Old and New Testaments. Confused when they asked him to read a verse from 1st Corinthians, he began reading from 1st Chronicles.
“I was so embarrassed, but I wouldn’t let these Christians get me down,” Caleb says. He had lumped this group of believers in with the angry demonstrators he saw in the street.
But something amazing happened when he began to read the Bible for himself.
Photo captions: 1) Caleb and his family. 2) Book cover
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About the writer: Mark Ellis is senior correspondent for the ASSIST News Service and also the founder of www.Godreports.com, a website that shares stories, testimonies and videos from the church around the world to build interest and involvement in world missions.
You may republish this or any of our ANS stories with attribution to the ASSIST News Service (www.assistnews.net). [More] | | |
| |  | | | The Indispensable Prayers of the Church | The importance of prayer The importance of prayer
Prayer Thoughts: A monthly memo to encourage us in our prayer life
By Colin Stott, Special to ASSIST News Service
MURRIETA, CA (ANS – October 14, 2015) -- True prayer, simply put, is praying what God desires. When He wants to do a work whether great or small, He puts the desire in the hearts of His people to pray for that work, and He is the One who answers those prayers.
Reaching out in prayer Colin StottTrue prayer always begins with God and involves all members of the Godhead. The Lord Jesus and the Holy Spirit are interceding continually in agreement with the Father’s will. But their prayers, dare I say it, (gasp) don’t seem to be enough! This is because God has brought His Church into the loop. He has made her prayers indispensable for carrying out His will.
God delights in His people and wants to involve us in all He is doing. Before moving ahead with His divine plans, He waits until He has the Amen of His people. This is much the same as a loving husband who wants his bride to share in the decisions of their life together. God too wants His Son’s Bride to participate fully in His work and He does this through her prayers. This is good preparation for when we reign with Him in eternity.
Another reason that our prayers are indispensable is that God has made us joint heirs with His Son, whom He appointed as heir of all things. Joint heirs of an estate cannot act independently. All must be in agreement before any action can be taken. In the same way God will not override our rights as joint heirs. He waits to act until He has our agreement in prayer.
What an awesome responsibility we have as intercessors. Our prayers restrain the enemy and soften hearts of those opposed to the gospel. They release workers and resources for God’s work. They change the hearts of kings and governments. God rules the nations through the prayers of the Church!
If our prayers are indispensable, then we must make time to pray. Intercession must be the primary work of the Church. God implores us to pray at all times and for all things. The courts of Heaven wait for us to pray. As we fulfill our high calling as God’s royal priesthood, we can expect that God’s will, which is being done in Heaven, will soon become a reality here on earth.
Photo captions: 1) Reaching out in prayer. 2) Colin Stott.
Colin StottAbout the writer: Colin Stott is International Prayer Coordinator for Global Recordings Network (GRN), a mission that provides audio Bible stories in over six thousand languages and dialects. Colin was born in England. He and his wife Patti make their home in Murrieta in southern California. For more information about GRN and using its materials visit www.globalrecordings.net . For more information about reprinting this article and others in this series on prayer, contact Colin at colinstott@globalrecordings.net
You may republish this or any of our ANS stories with attribution to the ASSIST News Service (www.assistnews.net) [More] | | |
| | | | | There Is Only One | There?s Only One ?Senior Pastor? and It?s Not Us!
David Alan Black
If anyone could have assumed the title ?Senior Pastor,? it was the apostle Peter. From the Gospels we learn that he occupied a privileged position among Jesus? disciples. Along with the sons of Zebedee and his brother Andrew he belonged to the intimate circle of those who gathered about our Lord. According to Mark 1:16, he was one of the very first disciples Jesus called. Mark 5:37 explicitly notes that Jesus permitted no one else to enter the house of the ruler of the synagogue except Peter and the sons of Zebedee. [More] | | |
| | | | | Scott Aaronson | Closer to Truth | COMPLEXITY ZOO WIKI | Scott Joel Aaronson is a theoretical computer scientist and faculty member in the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science department at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. After postdoctorates at the Institute for Advanced Study and the University of Waterloo, he took a faculty position at MIT in 2007. His primary area of research is quantum computing and computational complexity theory more generally.
Aaronson is one of two winners of the 2012 Alan T. Waterman Award.
He is a founder of the Complexity Zoo wiki, which catalogs all classes of computational complexity.He is the author of the much-read blog as well as the essay "Who Can Name The Bigger Number?" The latter work, widely distributed in academic computer science, uses the concept of Busy Beaver Numbers as described by Tibor Radó to illustrate the limits of computability in a pedagogic environment. He's also taught a graduate-level survey course called Quantum Computing Since Democritus, for which the notes are available online and which is expected to be published as a book by Cambridge University Press. It weaves together seemingly disparate topics into a cohesive whole, including quantum mechanics, complexity, free will, time travel, the anthropic principle and many others. Many of these interdisciplinary applications of computational complexity were later fleshed out in his article "Why Philosophers Should Care About Computational Complexity".
An article of Aaronson's, "The Limits of Quantum Computers", was published in Scientific American, and he was a guest speaker at the 2007 Foundational Questions in Science Institute conference. Aaronson is frequently cited in non-academic press, such as Science News, The Age, ZDNet, Slashdot, New Scientist, The New York Times, and Forbes Magazine. [More] | | |
| | | | | The Fine Tuning of our Universe by GOD | The essay below on the fine-tuning design argument for the existence of God has been published in Reason for the Hope Within, Michael Murray, ed., Eerdmans, 1999. This book is an excellent anthology of essays on Christian Apologetics written by a group of young philosophers. Among other things, it contains excellent essays on the Problem of Evil, The Incarnation and the Trinity, and Faith and Reason. If you like the following essay on the fine-tuning, I strongly urge you to consider buying the book.
J. P. Moreland of the Talbot School of Theology had this to say about the book: "During the last two decades there has been a renaissance of excellent activity in Christian philosophy. With notable exceptions, the fruits of this work have not permeated the seminaries or the lay community. . . . That is why the release of Reason for the Hope Within is more than just the publication of a new book. It symbolizes a hope for a new day. The book provides believers and unbelievers alike with a refreshing, stimulating, and powerful treatment of crucial issues relevant to spiritual and intellectual flourishing and the credibility of Christianity. This is a book that simply must be studied by pastors, lay leaders, and, indeed, all those who wish to be strengthened in their Christian faith or challenged to embrace it."
Similarly, William Alston, Professor of Philosophy at Syracuse University, wrote concerning the book: "A brilliantly executed distillation of recent philosophical explorations of basic themes in the Christian faith, put into a form that is accessible to general readers. This work can make an enormous difference in the thinking of Christian believers, and of those interested in Christianity, about the contents and status of Christian belief." [More] | | |
| | | | | Hilltown Baptist | Point Pleasant Baptist Church | East Baptist Church | | Rev. Joseph Mathias as pastor in 1806. The church paid him $149.95 a year to carry out his duties. He continued as pastor until 1851, and was a man of great stature in the community. He was a prolific preacher, a writer, and missionary traveler as well as a spokesperson for the Bible Society, temperance movement, education of children and the teaching of music. Under his direction, Hilltown started two additional churches: Point Pleasant Baptist Church and Easton Baptist Church. He died in 1851 at the age of 72, having preached 6,875 sermons and attended 700 funerals. [More] | | |
| |  | | | Roxbury, Boston - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia | Roxbury is a dissolved municipality and a currently officially recognized neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.[1] Roxbury is one of 21 official neighborhoods of Boston, used by the city for neighborhood services coordination. The city asserts that it "serves as the heart of Black culture in Boston."[2]
Roxbury was one of the first towns founded in the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1630, and became a city in 1846 until annexed to Boston on January 5, 1868.[3] The original town of Roxbury once included the current Boston neighborhoods of Jamaica Plain, Roslindale, West Roxbury, the South End and much of Back Bay. Roxbury now generally ends at Hammond Street, Davenport Street to the east, and East Lenox Street/Melnea Cass Boulevard to the south. [More] | | |
| |  | | | The Foundation of Faith | | View Pastor Mathias on about.me. About.me makes it easy for you to learn about Pastor Mathias’ background and interests. | | |
| |  | | | A Puritan's Mind ? Logic and First Principles – by Dr. C. Matthew McMahon | If you are interested in Ramist Logic and the Logical thought of the puritans, check this new eBook and hardback book out:
Peter Ramus and the Educational Reformation of the 16th Century by Frank Graves
Apologetics
A basic article on the foundational laws of logic.
The Basics of First Principles
By Dr. C. Matthew McMahon
Do you understand this sentence? Good. Then you are thinking, and you are applying the basic objective laws that govern the universe. That does not mean your thought constitutes what is right, it just means you are thinking and applying the basic laws of logic. You are conforming to basic laws of logic even if you do not realize it. Without those basic laws in place we would not be able to communicate. Already, at this point, you would have given up because these few sentences would have been utterly meaningless to you. Each word could have meant something totally different if you were not applying the laws of logic. They could have meant anything if those laws were not in place and you were not following them. But you press on. You continue to read in understanding what is being said with each word used. If there were a more difficult word to deal with, say the word “solipsist,” you may have to grab a dictionary and look it up. But even when you look that word up, you are still adhering to the basic laws of the universe, the basic laws of logic. You are attempting to put into practice that which is logical. Without these basic laws it is utterly impossible to communicate, understand, or know anything. John Brown said, “As the law of nature must necessarily correspond with the nature of God, who imposes it, and of men, who are subjected to it, and with their relations to each other; these must be carefully considered, in order to our obtaining a proper knowledge of it.”[1] Hopefully this will be carefully considered in this article. [More] | | |
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M.R. Mathias 
