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Advance Church is a nondenominational,
multi-cultural fellowship of Christians from varied nations and
backgrounds. We held our Launch Celebration on July 11,
2004.
In March of 2004, Elder Bruce Clark was formally released, with a
blessing by his pastors, to plant and pastor a new ministry.
After faithfully serving for 17 years as a member, minister, then
elder in good standing, Elder Clark sensed God calling him to build
a ministry of godly leaders who know God, strengthen their
families, and influence the marketplace.
A small group of ten began to meet from house to house to share
and receive the vision of God for Advance Church .
These were great times of spiritual growth, sharing, and
support for one another. But these days were not met
without major challenges. Within the first few months, two
persons had heart attacks, a mother of one person had a heart
attack, some were out of jobs, some were challenging the
faithfulness of God, and more. But through prayer, fasting,
communication, and sharing, the members of the Advance family
prevailed. God healed each person, people received new jobs,
and those who were disheartened were strengthened through the Word
of God. These early days helped to establish a culture of
care, love, and support within our church community.
After two months of meeting from house-to-house, the small group
agreed that God was saying it is time to "go public". In May
of 2004, Advance Church began meeting at the
American Film Institute (AFI) theatre in Downtown Silver Spring,
Maryland. This was nothing short of a miracle. How
can a startup church with ten members and not a lot of resources
secure a lease with one of the more state-of-the-art theatres in
the country? The favor of God was being manifested in
our lives.
We started conducting "preview services" to invite close
associates to experience what God was doing at Advance
Church . During these times we focused on building
infrastructure, while perfecting certain areas of the ministry.
Then on July 11, 2004 we held our "Launch Celebration" with
many friends, family, associates and guests in attendance.
It was an awesome time in the presence of God.
Since the launch, God has blessed Advance
Church with an awesome core of people who have achieved
"good success" in caring for each other , serving the homeless,
raising kids who are catching a vision of being godly leaders,
reaching out to local chambers of commerce, mentoring politicians,
conducting seminars on Jesus and politics, witnessing in
Downtown Silver Spring, interceding for the city with other
ministries, bringing business owners together in the local church,
mentoring men, and most recently, leading an effort to send 100
volunteers to help the survivors of Hurricane Katrina.
As we look forward to the days ahead, we are fully persuaded
that God will continue to empower us to bring hope and healing to
the lives of many, to strengthen families, and to advance His
Kingdom in the marketplace.
To God is the glory, for what He has enabled us to do for Him,
thus far! We have only just begun in knowing and
serving The Lord Jesus Christ. We are ADVANCING by His
grace.
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