The Gift That Never Loses Its’ Power!
by dr. jjj
Christmas is NOT about Black Fridays, Small Business Saturdays, or Cyber Mondays. Rather, Christmas is about the birth of Jesus—God’s Ultimate Gift to us! At Christmastime, we give gifts to symbolically honor His birth and His ultimate blood sacrifice that reconciles us to God. Read more 
Discovering Your Personal Evangelism Style
by Chieko Arimura
The lights in the fellowship hall are dimmed, as a group of 45 or so focus their attention on one of the last scenes of the movie Schindler’s List. They watch as Oskar Schindler stammers in anguish “I could have got more out. I could have got more. I didn’t do enough…Ten people. Ten more people… At least one… I could have gotten one more person. And I didn’t.”
The scene is set at the end of World War II, and the businessman/humanitarian is saying goodbye to the 1,100 Jewish people he has saved from Hitler’s holocaust. However, he’s gripped with regret that he wasn’t able to save even more lives. Read more
Fighting AIDS in Africa
From Facts and Faces To Involvement
by Lisa Benton and Phyllis Carter
[Volume 1, Issue 3, Fall 2007]
Being responsive to the devastation that HIV/AIDS has caused in Africa and throughout the world with a heart of grace, mercy, and compassion doesn’t mean just knowing facts and figures. Simply putting a face on lives affected by the disease can bring us closer to those living and suffering with the condition. A panel discussion and Q&A session, hosted by the ALCF Global Ministry Team, did just that in May of this year. The panel examined how communities in Malawi and other African countries are grappling with the impact of the HIV/AIDS crisis, and what the church can do to reach out to our brothers and sisters.
Olipia's family and World Vision representative (photo courtesy of World Vision)
Replacing Condemnation with Compassion
The Church’s Response to HIV/AIDS
by Phyllis Carter
[Volume 1, Issue 2, Summer 2007]
This is the first in a three-part series on HIV/AIDS awareness.
“When a snake enters the house, you kill it first and then you look for how it came into the house,” states an African proverb. For Princess Kasune Zulu, Assistant Development Facilitator for World Vision in the Republic of Zambia (southern Africa) the snake is HIV/AIDS and the proverb is a metaphor for how the church should respond to people who suffer from the disease. She says that since the onset of the disease in the early 80s, the church focused too much attention on how the snake came into the house (looking at how people contracted the disease and judging them) instead of killing the snake (fighting the disease and advocating for the victims).
African hut: part of World Vision's "Step into Africa" exhibit (photo: Charls Fosterwhite)
In His Presence
ALCF’s Women’s Retreat
by Pamela Sneed
[Volume 1, Issue 2, Summer 2007]
For women seeking a chance to get away—and get closer to God—the Asilomar Conference Grounds in Pacific Grove were the perfect place to be.
Asilomar State Beach (photo: Pamela Sneed)
“I am here because I need time to get away so God will touch me in some way,” says Janny Choi, a member of the worship team. “My prayer is that whatever God has for me this weekend, I want to receive it.” Read more
Backstage Pass to “A Gift of Love”
by Tony Hayes and Monique Funnié
[Volume 1, Issue 2, Summer 2007]
For 13-year-old Krysten, serving as a cast company member in A Gift of Love resembled her own life in a profound way.
Like Ephraim, one of the main characters in A Gift of Love, Krysten is well acquainted with loss. By the tender age of 10, she experienced the loss of both parents. Her father died when she was just two years old while serving in the military. Then, when Krysten was 10, her mother died after a valiant fight with breast cancer.
Cast of Ages scene in "A Gift of Love" (photo: Charls Fosterwhite)
Keeping Love Alive
Our Experience at the ALCF Marriage Retreat
Ernest and Belinda Wallace (photo: Kurt Beiter)
by Ernest and Belinda Wallace (as told to Tony Hayes)
[Volume 1, Issue 1, Spring 2007]
As the weekend approached, our anticipation almost bubbled over. We could do almost nothing but think about the 4th Annual ALCF Marriage Retreat. As in past retreats, we looked forward to getting our “homework assignment” for the year. We also looked forward to the people we would meet, the speakers’ messages, the food and hospitality, and, of course, The Marriage Olympics! As we cleared our schedules and found sitters for our children, we kept asking ourselves whether the retreat was worth temporarily reorganizing our lives. The answer was always a clear “Yes!
On Friday afternoon, after everyone was hugged, kissed, thanked, packed, and warned, we were on our way. We arrived shortly after dinner, but just in time for the first session with the guest speakers, the Stoops. We learned about the many definitions of love and how to celebrate the differences in each other’s personality. Read more
