With Joe Toomey

     Rev. Joe Toomey will be visiting Clarion Alliance on Sunday July 5th.  Joe is the Director of Church Planing and Redevelopment for the Western Pennsylvania District of the C&MA. 

     Joe is my overseer as well as my friend.  He has taught and encouraged me since my call to the pastorate.  He is playing a major role in my development as a pastor.

     Plan to worship at Clarion Alliance on July 5th as Joe brings us the Sunday message.

     Following Jesus + Bringing Others,

     Pastor Keith

     The new central air system has been installed at the church!  Check out the pics during the installation…

     Heat will no longer be an obstacle getting in the way of worship.  Until this time temperatures inside the sanctuary would get so uncomfortable in the summer months that is was miserable.  The temperature can now be regulated making the sanctuary comfortable at any time of the day or night at any time of the year.  Now all the areas of the building can be used for so much more.

     I’ve received many positive comments about this project.  As a matter of fact, some people have been giving money to help offset the cost of the project.  This special giving has been done without any request to do so.  Amazing!  God is so good to us!

     Come out for worship this Sunday and check it out.  This is so cool!

     Following Jesus + Bringing Others,

     Pastor Keith

     God is doing a work with His people in the Clarion area.  It’s been exciting to have so many visitors at Clarion Alliance over the past two weeks.  If you are one of the folks who visited I hope you were warmly welcomed and drawn closer to the Lord.  If you have been at Clarion Alliance for a period of time I hope you get a chance to develop new relationships with people and that together we can spur one another on in our walk with the Lord.

     If you are seeking the Lord’s direction for where He would have you to worship Him, I offer the Scripture that my wife and I have as our theme verse for our marriage, Proverbs 3:5-6.  Please worship the Lord in the place where He would have you.

     God is at work at Clarion Alliance Church!  I am excited about what He has been, is doing, and will do here.  We are privileged to be part of His plan not just for Clarion County but for the nations.

     If you are new to the Christian and Missionary Alliance, you can learn more about Clarion Alliance Church and the C&MA through previous posts on this web page and the links found in the right in the margin.  

     Following Jesus + Bringing Others

     Pastor Keith

     The following article was written for the June 11th edition of  The Clarion News.  Comments are welcome below.

A Special Kind of Person?

            In the early part of 2009 I had a conversation with a person who said, “It takes a special kind of person to talk about Jesus.  Churches need to teach people how to talk about Him.”  That statement caused me some concern.

            That conversation took place just prior to the Pittsburgh Steelers going to the Super Bowl.  A lot of people in our area are Steeler fans, myself included.  As game time approached it was not uncommon to see fans wearing Steeler jerseys with their favorite player’s name and number proudly displayed.  I began to think about these great fans.  If I were a betting man I would bet that very few of those wearing jerseys personally knew the player whom they identified with.  I would imagine that their knowledge of the player came from interviews on television, radio, in print or on the internet.  Maybe they had the opportunity to meet their favorite player at a social gathering.  Few probably were in such close relationship with the player that they even conversed.  Does it take a special kind of person to wear Steeler jerseys?  Do the Steelers conduct training sessions to teach people how to be a fan?

            Have you ever been around a person who is in love?  They talk about this wonderful guy or girl that they met and all the great things they can do.  Dating relationships sometimes lead to marriage.  Great plans come about and the new bride and groom celebrate their marriage in a very public way.  Before long kids come.  The new parents display signs proclaiming the birth of the child.  These are exiting times in life.  Does it take a special kind of person to talk about who it is they are dating or their marriage or about the birth of a child?  Where does a person get training on how to talk about their personal relationships with other people?

            Grandparents are some of my favorite people.  I don’t know how many times I have seen grandmas and grandpas in our communities with hats and shirts proclaiming ‘World’s Best Grandma” and “World’s Best Grandpa”.  Where does a grandparent even enter such a contest and who judges them?  When asked, have you ever heard a grandmother say, “It takes a special kind of grandma to talk about my grandchildren.  I need to be taught how to tell you about them.”  Actually, training should probably be offered to grandparents on how to stop talking about the grandchildren!

            I think you get the idea where this is going.  And I do think it’s great to cheer for the Steelers, to talk about the special people in our lives, and yes for grandma and grandpa tell us all about those wonderful grandchildren.  It’s all good.

            So why is it that many of us who are disciples of Jesus Christ have difficulty talking about Jesus?  Why is it that we think that we need to be trained to talk about Him?  Well, I don’t think it really does take all that.  Have you noticed what is common about all of the examples in the above paragraphs?  The common theme is relationship.  What it takes is a close personal relationship with Jesus.  When that relationship exists stories of Jesus just come naturally.

            Right after you read this meditation I encourage to open a Bible to John chapter 1.  Begin at verse 35 and read until you get to 42.  This is the story of Jesus calling His first disciples.  Pay particular attention to verses 41 and the first part of 42.  Andrew just met Jesus.  The next thing he did was to go find his brother Peter.  Guess what Andrew said to Peter?  “We have found the Messiah.”  Then Andrew brought Peter to Jesus.  Pretty simple.  Andrew was a regular person just like us.  So was Peter.  Andrew Just met Jesus and he went to his brother and told him about Jesus.  Andrew did not receive any training from any church.  Andrew met the Lord, he cared for his brother, and he brought his brother to Jesus.

            Yes, it can seem awkward to talk about Jesus.  It may be difficult to receive the comments from family, friends, and co-workers.  I wonder if it is awkward to cover your torso in body paint and stand beside your closest friends in subfreezing temperatures in Heinz Field and cheer so loudly that you can’t speak for days and it takes just as long to warm up.  Where do those special fans get their training?  I don’t know about you but I sure am glad that some folks talk about Jesus on their own and I sure am glad the Steelers have fans that are willing to risk all for the team. 

            Today would be a great day to tell someone about Jesus.

            Comments about this meditation can be shared at clarionalliance.com.

            Following Jesus + Bringing Others,

            Pastor Keith Allen

            Clarion Alliance Church

With Derwin Gray

     This is Derwin Gray.  I had the opportunity to meet Derwin at General Council.  Pastor Gray is at an Alliance church plant in Charlotte, NC.  He is also a former NFL player.  The name of his church is theGathering.  Derwin spoke at both a men’s luncheon and at the Saturday evening worship service at Council.  He is very passionate about making disciples of Jesus Christ.

      Check out this video featuring Pastor Gray…

     So, have you shared Jesus with anyone today?

     Following Jesus + Bringing Others,

     Pastor Keith