Bay Area Community Church

Have you looked at your calendar lately? Do you have 2 free nights in a row between now and Christmas? If you're like me, the start of the Christmas Season can feel like the start of the CRAZY season - parties, gatherings, gifts and traditions... does it feel like we're doing this wrong? Is there a chance we could feel actual peace from and anticipation of Christ this year? Join us this Sunday as we talk about a practice just might save Christmas.

In this series so far, we've been challenged to please God in everything we do, and live up to the responsibility of taking care of our siblings in the family of God. But can I be honest? That's a lot. That's pressure I don't need. What if I'm not up for the challenge? In this message, we'll see that our motivation to obey is something more powerful than the high calling of obedience, and WHY we do WHAT we do is the most important thing for us to remember. See you Sunday!

Sibling relationships are capable of powerful progress as well as heart-breaking destruction. Whether we are talking about families, churches, countries or companies, history is full of examples of family relationships that formed or deformed everything around them. This weekend, we'll be exploring what the house rules of the family of God are when it comes to how we treat each other - our brothers and sisters in God's house. I look forward to seeing you there!

What were your house rules growing up? For better or worse, most families have spoken (and unspoken) rules that shape the way life works in that household. Inevitably, some of those rules are a blessing and others are an unnecessary frustration. But what about the family of God? Does it have any house rules that shape our life together? In this series, we'll be going through 3 rules that should influence how we think about living as the family of God, and along the way, we'll catch a few of the Hixson family house rules - no judgement, please! I look forward to seeing you this weekend!

The last 6 weeks have been a great journey as we’ve recommitted ourselves to who “We are” as a church. God has shaped and called us to be a people of Great Faith who are Word Saturated, Better Together, committed to the Generation to Come, and Relentless in Mission. This Sunday we wrap up with our final value, Extravagant Generosity. All of us admire generosity. Yet many miss the joy and blessing of a generous life. Why is generosity such a challenge? Join us this week as we learn THE most practical step I know to experience the blessing of generous living.

This week we continue our series “We are” by looking at one of our distinctives: Relentless in Mission. When I think of a group that is relentless in mission, my mind goes first to our military. Our military is focused, committed and willing to make great sacrifices. Why? Because the men and women who serve realize the threat of war. Our military has a “war-time” mentality. The truth is that all of us are at war. It’s a spiritual war with our enemy: Satan. The stakes are great: the souls of men and women. Join us this Sunday as we are encouraged and challenged to live out our value of being relentless in mission.

Whether we realize it or not, we are in a race. It’s a relay race during which we pass the baton of faith onto the next generation. The book of Proverbs says, “A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children.” That’s not just referring to finances, it’s referring to a foundation of faith – understanding the Gospel, begin grounded in God’s Word, and sharing in the mission of the Church. This Sunday, as we continue in our series, We Are, we will discover that we all have a part to play in passing the baton of faith to the Generations to Come.

I recently got a text from an old friend who was previously part of our church. At the time, he was an atheist who had just come to faith in Jesus. I remember him showing up to our MC for the very first time - bringing a six pack! He had no idea how this community thing worked. But what he did see was people being real with one another, handling conflict in a healthy way, loving one another - even serving one another. And that impacted Jonny because he had never seen or been part of anything like this in his life before.

For many of us, it’s easy to take the importance and priority of community for granted. But watching my friend Jonny, I learned an importance lesson about being connected with others - no matter how ugly it got, we were always better together.

We invite you to join us this Sunday as we explore our value - Better Together - and why being in community is so foundational to our spiritual growth.

What is the one response that God always requires of us? The answer is “FAITH!” Faith in a great Savior and His Word. Last weekend we launched our values series entitled “We Are” by looking at Word Saturated. This Sunday we will dive deeper into another value: Great Faith. The greatest challenges to faith often occur in the midst of the dark valleys of life. I’ll be sharing what I believe is the key to faith. We’ll also hear from Warwick Fairfax, an elder here at Bay Area, who walked through an overwhelming crucible experience, only to find his faith strengthened in the grip of God’s faithfulness. Join us this Sunday at 9 and 10:45 a.m. as we take our next faith step.

It is a new ministry year at Bay Area! Last weekend we looked back at how God has been working in our church for over 34 years, and forward to how He wants to use us to help change the world. If you weren’t with us, watch last week’s message online and learn about “You – Neighbors – Nations.” This week we launch a new series that is so encouraging. Has anyone ever asked you, “What is Bay Area all about?” What they were really asking is, “What does Bay Area prioritize? What are their values?” Join us as we take a deeper dive into who “We Are.”