Made for Fellowship Podcast: Recent Episodes
Felllowship Church
We are a Gospel centered, multi-ethnic, intergenerational church. The Gospel, the good news of Jesus, is at the heart of everything we do and everything we say. May these sermons and messages encourage you, inspire you, and draw you closer to the love of God.
From our November 19 Town Hall, hosted by our Senior Pastor, Albert Tate, and Fellowship Board members, Obed Martinez and Christian Washington.
In place of this week's message, we have a few announcements from our Board and Founding Pastors.
On September 24, the Chairman of the Board, George Saleh, issued a statement regarding our Senior Pastor, Albert Tate, and his leave of absence. You can read that statement here.
This past Sunday, November 5, the Board and Pastor Albert addressed the congregation in service to update them about his leave and their most recent update, which you can read here.
You can find all this information and more at madeforfellowship.com/church-updates
If you want to contact our board to send questions, prayers, or encouragements, you can do so by emailing community@madeforfellowship.com
Sabbath is a holy day of worship.
A type of worship that goes beyond singing songs and focuses on what it means to orient our entire life back to God. It’s a day we remember who God’s been, what He’s done, and how far where we’ve come so that we may trust in Him and live a life of worship.
Join us for the final part of our Sabbath series, “Part 4: Worship.”
Sabbath is not some religious observance where we disengage from all of creation. It’s the day we get to spend time with God while we read, share a meal with friends, spend time outside, play with our kids, and simply enjoy being in His presence.
When we do it right, it’s the best day of our week. And the craziest thing about it is that it’s available to us weekly, no matter what season we find ourselves in.
To rest on the Sabbath is a form of resistance. It’s saying no to our current culture of hustle and hurriedness. It’s trading in our routines for a deeper, soul-level rest. Sabbath-rest is more than a nap. It’s a life of Godliness, and a rhythm of grace.
We are at our best when we are in rhythm with the pace God has designed for our lives. A rhythm that doesn’t always make sense in a culture that is telling us to do more, work harder, and keep grinding.
It’s an ancient and holy rhythm that invites us to join God in His work, not because He can’t do it alone, but so we can live fully into all He’s created us to be. But we’ll never receive the invitation if we don’t slow down long enough to even see it. We were designed to sabbath. We were designed to stop.
oy is a gift that doesn’t come in the package we always expect. It’s not predicated on what’s going around us, but it’s an invitation to experience life with our creator. To experience His love, peace, comfort, and joy in every season of life because it’s from Him, we draw the hope to believe and to sing that a weary world indeed rejoices.
Join us for the final part of our Advent Series, “Joy.”
How do you find peace when everything around you isn’t peaceful?
Join us as we continue in our advent series, A Weary World Rejoices, with Part 3: Peace.
"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."
John 13:24-25
True love is not found in our human capacity to give and receive it but through the one who first loved us. Yes, it's a feeling, but it's also a calling. To love not only when it's easy, but also when it's really hard.
Join us as we sit in the tension of love through the story of how Jesus' birth came about.
If we’re honest, Christmas can be a time of deep weariness. The absence of a loved one, financial anxiety, or situations around us may have us wondering, “Where is God?” We may find ourselves not only searching for answers but also trying to keep up with the pace of the world, leaving us tired or burnt out.
It’s amid this weariness where Advent invites us to remember, to wait, to anticipate. We remember Hope was born thousands of years ago. We remember Hope is here. We remember Hope is coming.
“For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given.” It is from Him we draw the hope to believe and to sing that a weary world truly rejoices.
Join us as we begin our Advent Series, “A Weary World Rejoices,” with Part 1: Hope.
In the final message of our Ruth series, we find ourselves at the end of a famine. The lives of these two powerful women have been restored, and we get a glimpse into a beautiful scene of community as people begin to pray blessings over Ruth and Naomi, thanking God for his provision and faithfulness.
These prayers tell us a story of who God was to them amid a season of grief and sorrow, and it also shows us who God is to us as we navigate seasons of our own. Because this may be the end of Ruth and Naomi's story, but for some of us, we're still in the middle of ours.
Join us for Part 4 of our Ruth series, "Prophetic Prayers."
Go Deeper
God has made way for us to experience real restoration in our lives, but it requires something of us. We all have a role to play in the greater story He's writing, but how we respond is up to us.
As we continue to look at the faith of Ruth and Naomi, we see the question we're faced with is not, will God show up? It's, will we?
Join us for Part 3 of our Ruth Series, "Our Role in Redemption."
Go Deeper
Last week we heard a powerful word about enduring the famines in our lives, but trusting God can be extremely hard when we don't know all the plans he has for us. The lack of control can feel scary, and we can find ourselves asking, Where is God right now?
But it's through our endurance we begin to see the beautiful tapestry God's been weaving in our lives this whole time. Join us for Part 2 of our Ruth series, "From Famine to Fullness."
Go Deeper
We're starting our new series on the book of Ruth. Over the next 4 weeks, we'll journey through her entire story examining God's provision, restoration, and faithfulness to the people who put their trust in Him.
Pastor Becky will be kicking us off this Sunday by setting the scene of where this story is taking place and exploring the areas of our lives where famines exist. Areas where there's a clear gap between what we were created to need, the lack of it in our lives, and the amazing way God meets us right there in the middle.
Go Deeper
There is a stark contrast between who we are called to be and the world we live in, but that doesn't mean separating ourselves away from the world entirely. Sometimes we think our role in culture is to reject or hide from it, but what if that's the exact opposite of what God intended us to do? Because if all the light is in one place, what would happen to the places that are dark?
We're wrapping up our Church in Culture series by getting really practical. Because to be a "Practical Church" is to be light in dark places.
Go Deeper
From the series, "Church in Culture.
Pass the baton. This is our responsibility in partnering with the Spirit to continue His movement beyond us, to ensure the church doesn't become a museum.
Today, we're looking at "church" through the eyes of our young people. Are they engaging the church, why or why not? Are we focused on maintaining what was and not engaging them where they are? Are we an active body or stagnant figure of the past?
Go Deeper
From the series, "Church in Culture."
If the Church is made up of people, it's bound to be messy. We'll get it wrong and make mistakes. And yet, even amidst failure, what if there is an invitation to faithfulness that yields fruitfulness? Join us as we look at Paul and what most normal people would consider a failed journey to Lystra.
Go Deeper
We're continuing our Church in Culture series by highlighting the intergenerationality of the people of God— leaning into both the beautiful responsibility, and the tension. A tension built from the misunderstanding of one generation to the next. A tension, if ignored, will have us miss out on all God has called us to be in a time and place He has called us to.
How you view yourself matters. Join us for Part 1 of our new series, "Church in Culture."
What if this whole idea of coming home and coming back was much bigger than we imagined? What if this story we've journeyed through isn't so much about the prodigal son as it is about a father's love and grace and religious people's inability to receive it?
Join us for Part 2 of our Vision Sunday Series, "Sweet Home."
Every year around this time, we pause to listen to who God is calling our Fellowship family to be. This year, He’s reminding us of the front-porch movement of His love.
Join us for Vision Sunday Part 1: Sweet Home.
Pastor Hannah Helwege has the 🎤 this weekend! Join us as we journey through John 17 for a timely message, "A Unified Church"
Finishing up in Chapter 6, Paul is getting practical and peeling back the layers on how we love one another, the importance of our smallest decisions, and reminding us it will always be about the cross and Jesus.
Pickleball pro and our very own Pastor of Outreach and Missions, Storm Moore, is bringing a word for us this Sunday.
Long time friend, Pastor Susie Gamez from Midtown Church will be bringing a word for us this weekend. Continuing in our Galatians series, Paul is getting to the nitty gritty of what it means to have faith in Jesus and its effect on how we live in relationship with God and one another.
Pastor Bob Balian from our sister church Midtown Sacramento is bringing a word and breaking down the known and powerful verse, "There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus."
This week we're talking about identity and you're not going to want to miss this.
Leading us through the second half of Galatians 3, our very own Pastor Samantha Aguirre broke down the difference between the law and the promise of God. In this part of his letter, Paul reminds the Galatians that God's word is a bond, and before the law was established, a promise was spoken. A promise that liberates us, adopts us, and gives us a new identity through faith in Jesus.
Pastor Efrem Smith is in the building yall 🙌 He comes from our sister church, Midtown, who we've been partnering with this series and he's bringing us a word for Part 4 of our Galatians series.
HOW WE THINK MATTERS. This Sunday, Pastor Tiana is breaking down Galatians Chapter 2 as Paul continues in his defense of the Gospel to the churches of Galatia. Unfazed by his social status or the opinions of others, Paul reminds us of the importance of walking in our calling from God, a call that leads us into community. A call, if unanswered, directly affects those around us.
We're picking it up right where we left off as Paul shifts the focus to his personal encounter with God and how he went from Persecutor ➡️ Preacher.
He doesn't sugarcoat his past. Instead, he airs out all his dirty laundry to show the true redeeming power of the Gospel and what can happen when we're willing to embrace it.
This Sunday, Pastor Rachel led us in our live services as we continued our new sermon series, Galatians: A People Reconciled. In her message "Part 2: In Me," Pastor Rachel looks at Paul's letter to the Galatians as he shares his testimony and how the Gospel transformed his life from Persecutor to Preacher. Paul's life story reminds us that God is always working in us, and his story serves as an example of the Gospel's power to liberate us from a life of sin and how our own life stories can also free those around us.
Pastor Michael Field is kicking off our summer series with the message, "Part 1: A Perverted Gospel." We'll start at the very beginning of Galatians as Paul comes in hot, addressing the churches of Galatia by calling out all the cultural influences that have formed their understanding of the Good News of Jesus. Something was clearly wrong, and in this letter, Paul is simply telling his friends, "You've changed." And as we look at the cultural moment we live in, it begs the question, have we?
Join us as we start this powerful series, "Galatians: A People Reconciled."
From our first service in 2012 to the days when our church was entirely online, your faithful giving has made it possible to gather together and worship Jesus with people who don’t live, vote, or think alike.
Listen along as Pastor Albert sits down with some of our staff who create a space for us to gather on Sundays so that we may indeed be, A People Reconciled.
Have you ever wondered why it's easier to extend grace to others but not to ourselves? Or why we can believe there's no condemnation in Christ Jesus and yet live in shame and doubt on a daily basis?
Listen to the last part of our seven-part series to learn about the freedom we have in the Spirit.
From the series, "The Holy Spirit."
"But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you." –Jesus in John 16:7
Why did Jesus say it was for "your good" that He'd go away? Why is our need for the Advocate so deep that Jesus leaves in order to send Him?
What does it mean to be fully seen and truly known? How do we create multiethnic spaces where everyone belong? Listen to a virtual panel featuring AAPI pastors and activists reflecting on “Visibility in Multiethnic Spaces.” From their unique experiences and expertise, each panelist reflects on Asian identity and the power of visibility. The panel features Michelle Reyes, Anh Johnson, Michael Lee, and Jason Chu. This is a powerful conversation that you don’t want to miss!
From the series, "The Holy Spirit."
"There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them." —1 Cor 12:4
We're diving into the Paul's letter to the church at Corinth where pluralistic deism was the order of the day. The church had converted, started following Jesus, and had said yes to One God. But there was a problem. They were not getting along, they were not serving one another, they were not loving one another. But yet were "spiritual.”
Diversity was becoming division under the disguise of spirituality. They had gifts of the Spirit but lacked fruit of the Spirit.
Grab your Bibles and join us as Pastor Albert leads us through 1 Corinthians 12 in Part 5 of our Holy Spirit series, "Gifts that Unify."
Hearts are heavy as tragedy has become a constant theme in recent weeks. We invite you to join Pastor Albert Tate and Pastor Carlos Whittaker as they talk, pray, and grieve. Let's get before God as a community and present our broken hearts before the King.
Pastor Storm sits down with Rachel Bechler, Fellowships Foster Care Ministry Lead to discuss current status of the child welfare system in Los Angeles County and share multiple ways on how we can all join in and help.
From the series, "The Holy Spirit."
It wasn't because of how smart they were. It wasn't because of how strong they were. It wasn't because of how good or perfect they were.
In 1 Corinthians 2, Paul tells the church in Corinth, that all they did, heard, shared, and said was because and through the Holy Spirit.
Join us this Sunday for Part 3 of our Holy Spirit series, "Secret Weapon." We'll learn how to discern the voice of the Holy Spirit, and talk about turning in to God and in to ourselves.
This is a day that can be full of celebration, joy, and delight. And it's equally a day that can be pretty complicated. It can cause a sort of identity crisis in us. For some, the day will tell them they are loved. For others, the day will tell them they are forgotten. For some, the day will tell them they are blessed. For others, it will tell them that they are cursed. It’s a day that can celebrate identity but can also hijack it.
It's important to call out these complexities because our identity, who we are and who we believe we are, shape not only how we navigate days like Mother's Day, but also how we show up in the earth as God's beloved.
Being secure in our identities, is what Paul is doing in this first chapter of Ephesians and it's what Pastor Tiana will shepherd us through in the message, "An Honest Mother's Day."
Today, we remember the eight people, including six Asian women, who were killed in deadly shootings in Atlanta one year ago. Over the past year, anti-Asian hate, violence, and racism continue to threaten and terrorize our Asian sisters and brothers.
We invite you to listen to an intimate conversation between a few AAPI women in our community as they express their anger, grief, and longing for solidarity. We invite you to create space today to listen closely and lament deeply.
From the series, "The Holy Spirit."
As followers of Jesus, we all are called to be a witness, but examining all God has called us to be can feel like an impossible feat. Impossible to be set apart like He calls us to be. Impossible to be loving and kind like He calls us to be. Impossible to have standards that go against cultures like He calls us to have. We feel like it is impossible to do these things. Why? Because everything in our flesh wants to do the opposite.
And yes, it is impossible to live this way on our own. But that's why Jesus didn't leave us on our own. He gave us the power of the Holy Spirit, to live, love, and become more like Him every day.
From the series, "The Holy Spirit."
Jesus had just resurrected, and now it was time for him to return to His Father. And as He was preparing to leave, He gave them a command “don't leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised.” It was the Holy Spirit of the living God.
Can you imagine the scene? The guards gone. The stone rolled away. And an Angel of the Lord telling the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; He has risen, just as He said."
Just as He said. He is risen! He is risen indeed!
"Nevertheless, not My will, but Yours, be done."
Join us for our Good Friday service as we remember Jesus' death and the sacrifice He willingly paid for us.
From the series, "Unexpected King."
It's a story of Jesus choosing the person nobody wanted Him to choose. It's a story of the grace of God coming for people we hate. It's a story that reveals an unexpected king who comes to save the oppressed and the oppressor. It's a story of a man who everyone despised, sitting in a tree, and in front of everybody, Jesus calls him by name and says, "Zaccheus, come down. I'm going to your house today."
It's a story that reminds us to be careful who you cancel.
From the series, "Unexpected King."
"As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. "Good teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?" -Mark 10:17
Just like this man, we too have questions regarding our eternal reality, but Jesus answers with an unexpected invitation - to come in close and follow Him. His invitation not only invites us into a greater life where we can learn, listen, and walk with Jesus, but it also makes us question what life devoted to Him is all about. Is this life about eternal security, or is it the ability to be in close proximity to Him?
From the series, "Unexpected King."
Jesus comes to have dinner with a Pharisee, Simon, and an unexpected guest shows up uninvited. A woman looked down upon by society due to her sin falls at Jesus' feet and cleans them with her tears and expensive perfume. Shocked by her actions and Jesus' acceptance of them, Simon replies, "If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner." Luke 3:39
Just like Simon, we like to call out others' sins to feel better about the sin in our own lives. But the grace of God is not reserved for those who sin less because none of us are sinless. Our focus should shift from our sin to Jesus's unexpected acceptance of us no matter where we are and our posture towards Him when His grace covers us.
From the series, "Unexpected King."
Nicodemus, a Pharisee and one of Israel's greatest teachers of the time, sought out Jesus out of curiosity. He heard of a man performing miracles and admired his teachings, but when they finally came face to face, he was surprised by the unexpected authority and approach of Jesus.
During their encounter, Jesus tells Nicodemus, "Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again." Translation: Jesus, the carpenter-turned-Rabbi tells this prominent leader, that he must start over at the beginning.
Nicodemus was invited into an unexpected authority, unexpected approach, and an unexpected assignment. And now the invitation is ours.
From the series, "How We Love Matters."
Then Peter asked Jesus, "How many times should I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? 7 Times?"
Just like Peter, we want to know where the line of grace is or if there's a limit? But as followers of Jesus, we're called to live differently. We're called to love one another even when the other person may not have earned or deserve our love. Why? Because of the grace we have received through Him. It's grace, grace.
From the series, "How We Love Matters."
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor, He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Luke 4:18-19
Love pursues justice. The good news Jesus came to proclaim is good news to our eternal and present reality. What does this mean for us as followers of Jesus? What is justice? Is there a difference between social justice and biblical justice? How do we love mercy, act justly, and walk humbly with our God?
From the series, "How We Love Matters."
What happens when our religion goes to bed with our politics?
It creates a form of counterfeit christianity that is both deceptive and destructive. Being distracted by worldly agendas, we miss God's agenda for our world. Instead of coming to God's table with empathy and fruits of the Spirit, we end up coming with commitments to ideologies, political views, and tribalism. Once we get uncomfortable or offended, we leave.
But this family table was never about us. It was, it is, and it will always be about Jesus. His blood shed for us. His body broken for us. His invitation to be a part of His family. It took His sacrifice to invite us to His table. It'll take our sacrifice to stay at it.
From the series, "How We Love Matters."
"For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin." Hebrews 4:15
Empathy is often described as walking in someone else’s shoes. When we look at how Jesus modeled empathy, He didn’t just put on our shoes - He put on our flesh. Jesus came from Heaven not to condemn but to save. Not to dismiss our sins but to forgive them. Not to stand far off but to sit close.
As cancel culture, pain, and social media echo chambers push us further and further apart, empathy is the beginning of closing the divide. How do you love your neighbor or your enemy? We begin like Jesus, we begin with empathy. It's what allows our eyes to see, our ears to hear, and our hearts to feel. It pushes away our preconceived notions towards each other and enables us to sit with each other instead. It creates the space in our hearts to see someone created in the image of God even when we don’t see eye to eye.
From the series, "How We Love Matters."
How we love matters.
If there is ever a time in recent history where we need to be reminded of that, it's now. Why? Because our cities, and more specifically the church within them, seems more divided than ever. Some believe in vaccines, others despise them. Some wear masks and judge those that don't. And others refuse masks and judge those that don't. Some believe in systemic racism and fight to the death against it. Others refuse to acknowledge it exists and fight to the death to prove it. At this point it seems as if a lot of us are existing only to prove our worldview to the detriment of our relationships, our sanity, and our witness.
But what about love? Are we thriving in that area? Are we pursuing it at all anymore? You see, because it really is the only thing that matters in the end.
How do we exist, live, and be faithful under the layers of complexity, grief, uncertainty of the in-between? Collectively, we are not where we were. But we are also not where we hope to be. In our first of two Vision Sundays we gathered to lean into the invitation God has for us here, in the middle, in the in-between.