This past Walk to the Manger Sunday, a little boy, early elementary age, brought a dollar to the manger. It was his dollar, one that he had earned, that he wanted to give so that presents could be bought for school kids who otherwise might not have anything under the Christmas tree. It was a small gift that certainly won’t purchase a complete present. But it was a huge heart that filled the room with God’s presence. And a few of those dollars put together will put a toy under the tree.
Small gifts add up and they are crucial to the ministry of Aldersgate Church.
It’s not about the amount of the gift, it’s about the size of the heart. As we approach the end of this year, would you be willing to give from your heart?
Thank you for your generosity!
Lead Pastor, Ryan Smallwood
We exist to Connect people to God, Love others, and Impact the world.
We present the basic, enduring Biblical standards and principles that people of all backgrounds can base their lives upon, and use to grow in relationship with God.
We are committed to sharing life with others in deep, committed relationships. At Aldersgate, you belong and can become all that God wants you to be.
We are radically committed to an intense focus on local, national, and global outreach. We realize we are called to more than just going to church but to be the church.
In the summer of 1985, a passionate and compelling preacher began to knock on the doors of homes in South Lubbock inviting them to a new church experience – into a “heartwarming” encounter with Jesus. On August 4, 1985a hundred or so people gathered in the gymnasium of All Saints Episcopal school for that first “heartwarming” service and hundreds have been doing so as part of Aldersgate Church since.
The story of Aldersgate Church really all began on Aldersgate Street in London on May 24, 1738 when a young, fiery preacher name John Wesley had his heart “strangely warmed.” It was a moment for Wesley in which his intellectual conviction of Jesus was transformed into a personal relationship. In Wesley’s own words:
In the evening I went very unwillingly to a society in Aldersgate Street, where one was reading Luther's preface to the Epistle to the Romans. About a quarter before nine, while he was describing the change which God works in the heart through faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone, for salvation; and an assurance was given me that He had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death.
Our prayer is that through Aldersgate Church many will continue to experience an encounter with the Spirit of God that strangely warms their hearts. A place where intellectual convictions would be transformed into personal relationships. And that people would experience real life change and transformation through the power of the Holy Spirit.
In fact, we pray that for you!
Welcome to Aldersgate!