Thank you for
having an interest in the 'Raleigh
Congregation of the Body of Jesus Christ'. We refer
to it as Our Home Church. My name
is brother Al Ward, I am the pastor, and if I may, founder of this
church. The
'Raleigh Congregation of the Body of Jesus Christ' is a
brand new church, actually it is so new we have not yet decided upon a
permanent name, so you may see it change in the future. We
have a good time at our church, good up to date music, good preaching
with illustrations in simple and easy to understand terms and a
wonderful fellowship. Come visit with us and enjoy a good
fellowship in the Lord where the spirit does not grow old.
You may be wondering why would another brand new little church spring
into existence? I think it is a legitimate question, it is a
question that I had whenever I heard of a new church in the past.
I was called to preach and to pastor in 1987. I have been told
most of my adult life that I had been called to preach by one of my
uncles and by my father both of whom are now deceased and both of whom
were also pastors. But I
always rejected the thought. I was told this even before I
accepted the Lord as my Savior. When I received my calling it
was very clear to me, but I still rejected it, at least at that time.
Later in my life I started trying to rationalize it in such a way as
to say maybe He meant for me to do this through a song ministry.
Well, now I know it for what it really is, when He told me to feed His
sheep He did not mean for me to just sing a song, praise the Lord.
Our Home Church is a non-denominational church
which is just one of the
congregations in the body of our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus
taught us to love one another and in my opinion and from my experience
this needs a lot less talk and a lot more work. It is the
mission of this church while proclaiming and teaching the entire word
of God (the bible) to emphasize the need to Love one another.
After all it is the nature of God to love us and when His spirit
becomes deposited into us (born again / baptized by fire), we also begin to take on
his nature.
God is love.
1 Corinthians 13:1-13 (NIV)
1 If I speak in the tongues of men and of
angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a
clanging cymbal.
2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and
all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but
have not love, I am nothing.
3 If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the
flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not
boast, it is not proud.
5 It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily
angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always
perseveres.
8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will
cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there
is knowledge, it will pass away.
9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part,
10 but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears.
11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a
child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put
childish ways behind me.
12 Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall
see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully,
even as I am fully known.
13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the
greatest of these is love.
1 John 5
1Everyone who believes that Jesus is
the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his
child as well. 2This is how we know that we love the children of God:
by loving God and carrying out his commands. 3This is love for God: to
obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, 4for everyone
born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome
the world, even our faith. 5Who is it that overcomes the world? Only
he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.
Of course
I am not saying there is no love in the various churches I have
attended but in my opinion, and in the opinions of many others, it
usually seems rather weak. I am not saying our church has
mastered the loving grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and neither am I saying there was no one
in the other churches
who displayed a strong spirit of love, but rather, I am addressing the
general congregations as seen by my spirit. I have never really
felt that I was a valued and accepted member in the family of
God while attending those churches. Neither did I see an
abundance of love between other members of the congregations.
Sometimes there were excellent practices in place which seemed
designed to promote brotherly love and fellowship but somehow they
just did not appear to resonate within the hearts of the congregation. Of course I cannot read anyone's heart, I
do not have the gift of discernment of spirits, although upon occasion
I am able to discern some spirits, and I do have eyes that can see the
fruit. And as a further disclaimer, I do not claim that
Our Home Church is
the answer to everyone's problems but I do know who holds all the
answers to everyone's problems, it is the same one we serve, the one we call God. And since it is God who has
commissioned this church, it bears no further validation.
One may wonder what is really different about this church, so far
maybe you have not read or heard anything that really stands
out. Let us examine a few things. To see some of the goals
that Our Home Church strive to accomplish,
click the continue reading link:
Click here to continue reading about
'Our Home Church'
... OR ...
you may click the hear recordings link to hear some of the edited live
recordings of church services at the Our Home
Church: Click here to
hear recorded / edited church services
Click here to contact
'Raleigh Congregation of the Body of Jesus Christ'