http://www.lightcf.org 

 

Karl Harkey's page

 

 

Fall 2009

Dear Family and Friends,

I want to take a few moments and share with you the wonderful things that the Lord has been doing in Denise and I the last three years. As many of you know I’ve had health problems and several surgeries during this season. Through the hardships God has been bringing us closer together and deepening our walk with Him. We have seen Him answer many prayers and have been blessed by His love and care for us during these hard times. In January 2008 we began attending a small fellowship (a church plant called “The Light”) that is meeting in an elementary school on Signal Hill in the Long Beach area. From the first time we attended we were blessed by the Lord’s presence, the warm and caring people that are seeking God with all their hearts. We knew this is where God wanted us to be.

How we came to find the church is a story in itself. After my first emergency surgery in 2007, I was spending time on the computer following the Space Shuttle mission. They were checking out Sun Spots, so I was looking deeper into that doing a “Google” search. The words, “The Light” came up not just once but many times and I at first thought it was “some new age church.” I investigated and learned that it was a church plant affiliated with the “Free Methodist” Churches (we’ve known these to be strong Evangelical Churches and decided to check it out). The facility they meet in holds a special interest to me and drew me in even more to wondering what the Lord had in store.. I attended elementary school at that location when it was Southern California Military Academy. It is now a rebuilt public elementary school and the services are held in the cafeteria. My grandparents lived right up the street where my brother and I spent a lot of time growing up so the area has many memories for me. After much prayer I know I am called to the area by the burden He has place on my heart and am excited about what the Lord is doing.

And what is that? We are living out being the body of Christ. The hands and arms of Jesus to one another. In the church bulletin one of the key questions is, “What would happen if we allowed God to work as He did in the Bible?” That takes place with this fellowship. Every Sunday is different. Corporate worship is a joy where many times there are testimonies about what God has done in the lives of the church family during the week. The prayer time we experience together and for one another is refreshing. Then looking into His Word on how to live out our faith in a very real way is exciting. Our time together has a flavor where people feel like family. The Light is a church where the body of believers are real and you know th LORD’s presence is there.

Last month Pastor David Hino asked me to come on as an “assistant to the pastor” part time which is all I am able to physically do at this point. Some of my responsibilities will be helping with following up with visitors, being available for counseling and prayer, administration, writing, speaking and teaching. As a church plant I will not be on salary so I will need to raise financial support. We are asking you to prayerfully consider being a part of our prayer support team as well as helping us financially. All funds will be handled by the church and are tax deductible. Your prayers are vital. We continue to learn that God’s hand is moved by prayer. Prayerfully consider being a part of our team. We look forward to hearing from you.

Warmly in Christ,

Karl and Denise Harkey

Meeting at: Alvarado Elementary School, 1900 E. 21st St., Signal Hill, CA  90755