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The Midwest Region of the Churches of God General Conference (MRC) conducted their annual meeting at the New Beginnings Church of God in Decatur, Illinois on June 16th through the 18th. The Alice Church of God in Conrad sent four delegates: Lydia Skinner (Deaconess), Don Ralston (Elder), Rhonda Harvey (Pastor's Wife) and Steve Harvey (Pastor).
Among the church business performed at the event, Pastor Steve was elected to serve a four-year term as a member of the MRC Administrative Council. The delegates enjoyed wonderful worship, fantastic speakers (Reggie McNeal and John DeVries were two of the presenters), interesting "Breakout Sessions" on relevant topics of the faith and leadership, and heart warming fellowship with other Church of God members representing churches across the entire MRC.
The Crusaders performed at the Alice Church of God on Saturday, May 30th. Watch part of their performance in the video below.
On Thursday, May 28th, Chad Skinner was selected to serve as the Webmaster for the Alice Church of God. If you have any questions regarding our website, send Chad an email by clicking HERE.
As of Wednesday, May 27th, we now have an online chat forum. Join in by CLICKING HERE.
On Sunday, May 17, 2009, one adult and one child gave their lives to Christ during an alter call at the service. Additionally, three more recommitted themselves to serving the Lord. One more came forward to support the others. Praise God!!
The folks of Inner Circle Promise hosted their first big event on Saturday, April 4, 2009, at
the BCLUW High School gymnasium, in
Conrad, Iowa.
The evening began at 7:00 PM and featured two Christian music acts; True Emotion
and Broken Point of View.
Below is a video snapshot of the event. Sound and lighting provided by V & V Sound and Lighting of Iowa. Thank you to all the volunteers and givers that made the concerts possible. God bless each of you!
On Sunday, March 15, 2009, Missions Advancement Volunteers, Ken & Betty Mclntyre, came from Farmington, MO, to speak at Alice about missions efforts of the Churches of God General Conference at home in the USA and abroad. They chose to focus on how we can cultivate a "missions-active" church that includes going beyond financial support of missionaries and their ministries.
Ken and Betty McIntyre
Click on the picture above or HERE to listen to their presentation.
March 8, 2009, was the date of our annual Congregational Meeting. We elected new Board Members for 2009 and voted to keep Stephen E. Harvey as our Pastor.
The video below is a slide show of pictures taken during the event.
On Sunday, February 15, 2009, two more people were added to the kingdom through our ministry at the Oakview Estates Nursing Home. That makes for a total of nine people that have come to the Lord through the ministry of the Alice Church of God at Oakview since September of 2008.
We recently built a new garage addition onto the existing parsonage. Below is a slide show of what it looks like now.
Our first Modern Worship Service was held on Saturday evening of February 7, 2009. We had 21 people attend. Tristen Switzer led the worship portion of the service, and Pastor Steve gave a message entitled, "Moving God."
Inner Circle Promise
conducted a Can Drive on Saturday, February 7, 2009, to raise money for the
Christian concert
they are planning for April 4th, 2009. Below are a couple of pictures taken during their efforts.
Click on one of the two pictures above to learn more about the concert.
We thought you might like to see the inside of one of our bulletins we hand out on Sundays.
On Sunday, January 11, 2009, a woman came forward during service and gave her life to christ. The Lord is GOOD and worthy to be praised!
Our traditional "Hanging of the Greens" fellowship dinner and tree decorating service was held Sunday, November 30, 2008, after regular services. The slide show below documents some of the fellowship.
Below is an internet posting from our denomination (the CGGC). More on Advent at Alice "Advent, from the Latin word "adventus, meaning arrival, sparks a host of activities in Christian churches throughout the world in preparation, anticipation, and expectation of the arrival and coming birth of Jesus the Messiah! Not only do Christians celebrate Advent by thanking God for Christ's first coming and for his presence among us today, but we also celebrate this spiritual season in preparation and anticipation of his eventual second coming. Pastor Steve Harvey and the congregation at the Alice Church (Iowa) held their traditional "Hanging of the Greens" fellowship dinner and tree decorating service on Sunday, November 30th following regular services. Pastor Steve submitted the following article as they prepare for God's leading in the new year! "The cold white glittering blanket of winter has been pulled up over the fields of northen Iowa and covered all the memories of summer in an icy sleep. Shoveling snow has replaced raking leaves, and the time in between the two activities seems to have been so fleeting." "It is pretty though. Frost covered branches, fluffy roof tops and white lawns that shimmer in the rare moments of unrestrained sunlight. Looking out my window at the frigid scene, I'm reminded of the Gospel. I too was once dirty, you see. The memories of how I used to live have been washed white in the redemptive covering of God's grace. The tracks I left before have been replaced by a clean new finish that glitters in the Light of the World. The old has passed away. Look how everything has been made new!" "The sound of a passing snow plow brings me back to the natural, and I'm reminded once again how snow and ice slow down progress. Roads become slippery and treacherous. Even sidewalks that only a short time ago were barely given a thought are now paid close attention to. Every movement outside the safety and warmth of heated buildings requires careful consideration. Hand rails, for example, are used more during winters in Iowa." "Given the cold, hard facts . . . all pun intended . . . one would think that this is not the time of year to press forward with new activity. However, the people of Alice Church of God are accustomed to winters here, and we are busily planning new ways in which to be fruitful in our community." In addition to Hanging the Greens, the Alice Church plans to share the Message of the Season to the Conrad Community! They also have plans for a church wide time of renewal! Some of the activities include: Caroling around the city and visiting the local nursing home Adopting two families and buying Christmas gifts for them Christmas coffee fellowship followed by the play "The Messenger" Building a two-car garage for the parsonage A church-wide nine day time of fasting & prayer to start 2009 A can drive to raise funds for a Christian Concert Participating in a Christian Concert at the High School Movie night at the Church "We are determined to give the Lord the firstfruits of our next year's days. So, we have set aside the first nine days for a Daniel's fast (only fruits and vegetables)." Fasting can also be done by giving up something that you love to do. "Whatever we choose to fast, we believe the Lord will open us up in a new way in 2009. We are seeking new ground in our walks with Jesus!" By January 10th, at the end of the fast, we are expecting new outlooks on life. Fasting unlocks things in the spiritual realm and prepares God's people for the next level." Alice Church invites you to join them in prayer and fasting during the first nine days of 2009. Adapting the content of prayer to your church and community, here is what the Alice Church has agreed to pray about each day: Day 1 - Increased willingness to love Day 2 - Our Church Body Day 3 - Our Country Day 4 - The USA and our new leaders Day 5 - The lost Day 6 - The work and ministry of the Church Day 7 - New members and growth Day 8 - Facility enhancements Day 9 - The strengthening of our relationships with Christ With the many traditions shared during the Advent season, the worship and prayer services, hanging greens, tree decorating, the special candled wreath representing love, hope, peace and joy, let's rejoice and celebrate the Word becoming flesh and coming to dwell among us. Looking forward to the Christ ordained excitement of a fresh new year!"
On Sunday, November 2, 2008, a woman came forward during service and submitted to Jesus. He is merciful and good and full of grace!
We celebrated Harvest Home Sunday lunch and Pastor Appreciation Sunday all on one day, October 26, 2008. Everyone had a great time, and the food was wonderful!
On Sunday, September 28, 2008, seven people were added to the kingdom through our ministry at the Oakview Estates Nursing Home. How Awesome!! It was indeed wonderful to see these children of God realize their need for Christ and make a decision to accept Jesus.
We participated with the Presbyterian and the United Methodist churches to conduct a Kid’s Fest on Saturday, 9/21/2008, at
the Four Seasons Park in Conrad, Iowa. A big thank you to the members of Inner Circle Promise for letting us help out.
As seen in the picture below, there was plenty of fun to go around, and everything was absolutely free to any families that wanted to join in and enjoy the day with us.
Pastor Julian Toriz from Metro Kids of the Los Angeles Dream Center came all the way from LA to share about Jesus with our local kids. WOW! It was a lot of fun, but the best part is that fourteen kids asked Jesus to come into their hearts for the first time and eight more recommitted themselves to Christ. Praise God! Thank you Jesus!
On Sunday, August 17, 2008, a man came forward and gave his life to Christ during our service. Praise Jesus!
On August 10, 2008, three people were baptized. Halleluiah! They were Barb, Chad, & Lydia.
(From left to right) Barb, Pastor Steve, Chad, & Lydia
On July 13th, we had our annual July BBQ. New Hope out of Leon, IA led us in worship.
They did a wonderful job! Click play on player to listen. Everyone had pleanty to eat.
Best of all... two people came forward and gave their lives to Christ that Sunday!!! One member of the church said he'd been going to the Alice Church of God for thirty years, and he had never seen anyone go forward there to accept Christ until today. The long dry spell is over... Lord let the Spirit rain down.
Conrad, Iowa hosted Black Dirt Days June 6th and 7th. There were many activities and something for every member of the family.
It was a great time, as you can see in the picture below. To read a story about the festival, click on the picture.
On Sunday, May 25, 2008, around 5:00 p.m., a tornado, that some reports state was a mile across and rated an EF5, struck the rural town of Parkersburg, Iowa leveling the southern half of the city. Six people died and more were injured.
The tornado also hit the town of New Hartford, Iowa killing two more people. Please pray for all the people affected by this horrific storm. If you'd like to make a donation on behalf of the Parkersburg residents, please contact one of the BCLUW Ministerial Association members. Also the association is willing to assist you in joining forces with other
volunteers to make arrangements for car pooling, etc...
Click on the TV below to see a news video about the tornado.
CLICK HERE for more donation locations. CLICK HERE for more news video.
The Pentecost Sunday Service for the BCLUW community of
churches was Sunday, at 11:00 am, on June 1, 2008. We didn't hold services at Alice that day, and everyone was invited and
encouraged to attend the meeting that was held at the Middle School in Union instead.
We will hold our summer picnic on Sunday, July 13th, this year.
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