Coastside Community Church —
Local Church and Partner in Ministry
Local Church and Partner in Ministry
We are a dual ministry, a church and a school, with collaborative leadership, complimentary functions, and shared facilities. Our vision is for harmonious growth of church and school, with each ministry strengthening and helping the other.
Our church meets Sunday morning in Stetson Worship Center on the Linda Mar campus. We offer a variety of classes for all ages. We also provide a separate children’s worship - Kids Klub - in the gym for kids ages 2 ½ through 5th grade. Parents may choose to have their children join them for worship and may take them to Kids Klub later in the service, or keep them in the service. For children under 3, we provide nursery care.
There are various small group ministries and meetings during the week. Visit their website at www.coastsidechurch.org to learn more.
Chapel
Alma Heights students attend chapel once per week, and they have Bible class the other four days of the week. Chapel contents range from biblical instruction to practical seminars. Guest speakers often visit from local churches, ministries, and missions around the world.
Community Service
High school students are required to participate in community service every year they attend. On-campus opportunities may include library volunteers, lost-and-found clerks, lunch program assistants, tech-team assistants, chapel program assistants, teacher and office assistants, Renew-the-School Days, and special afternoon or weekend projects under the direct supervision of an adviser. Contact the principle or counselor if you are interested in serving. Students are required to fulfill their hours of community service each semester of enrollment to be eligible for graduation as stated in the graduation requirements. A citizenship grade will be issued informing students of how many community service hours they have fulfilled. Community service forms are available in the high school office, or you may download a Community Service Form.
Missions Trips
During the past two years Pastor Peter Burch coordinated our annual spring mission trip to Rancho de sus Niños near Tijana, Mexico. Thirty high school students and six chaperones had a great time again this year! Ministry teams were organized for drama, music, teaching/crafts, and sports/games. Each student was part of a team and was expected to participate as needed in a wide variety of settings, including a youth center, the orphanage, a Sunday school, and some neighborhood churches. Students also helped with constructing concrete sidewalks and an amphitheater that will allow for outdoor services seating 1,000 people at Rancho.
Pillar of Fire
Our school partners with a local church, Coastside Community Church. We are a dual ministry -- a church and a school -- with collaborative leadership, complimentary functions, and shared facilities. Our vision is for harmonious growth of church and school with each ministry strengthening and helping the other.
Our school and church belong to a group of national and international ministries founded and directed by the Pillar of Fire, International. The Pillar of Fire provides us with oversight, advice, and material support, and gives us opportunities to participate in congregational, educational, media, and missions ministries around the world.
The Pillar of Fire is an evangelical Christian organization that emphasizes personal faith in Jesus Christ and the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit that results in lives devoted to Christian purity and service. The name for the organization is based in the biblical account of God leading his people with a pillar of cloud during the day and a pillar of fire by night (Exodus 13:21-22). We believe that God continues to lead His people through all life's circumstances.
The Pillar of Fire is headquartered in Zarephath, New Jersey. It has six congregations in the United States, five Christian schools, an accredited Christian college, three radio stations, various publications, and missions/partner ministries overseas in England, India, Malawi, Liberia, Nigeria, and Costa Rica.
Visit the Pillar of Fire website.
West Africa Theological Seminary (WATS)
Alma Heights Ministries enjoy a growing relationship with West Africa Theological Seminary in Lagos, Nigeria. We sponsor WATS students in training for ministry, and we are seeking ways to become a point of contact between WATS and Christians in the greater Bay Area who seek to promote the spread of the gospel in Africa.
West Africa Theological Seminary (formerly Wesley International Theological Seminary) opened its doors in 1989. After eleven years of growth it is now poised for even more dynamic national and international training for the Church in Africa… one of the fastest-growing segments of the body of Christ worldwide. WATS is uniquely equipped and located to train Christian leaders of Africa's next generation.
To learn more about WATS, visit the WATS website.
Haruna Sabo, Student at WATS
| Name: | Haruna Sabo |
| Nationality: | Nigerian |
| Date of Graduation: | September 2006 |
| Major: | B.A. Theology |
| Enrollment Status | Full Time |
| Marital Status | Married |
Personal Testimony:
I give God the praise for who He has been to me! I was born and reared in a pagan family where idol worshipping was the order of the day. In 1973, the Lord had mercy on me by sending a friend to invite me to church each Sunday. My parents were not in full support of my going to church. On Sundays I would leave home very early to go to my friend's house, so that from there we could go to church. My parents were often busy looking for me, but I was nowhere to be found. When church was over, I would not go home until evening, to avoid them. That was how I continued until I was born again. I was born again at the time I joined the Nigerian Army in 1982. I was privileged to be sent to a Christian Teacher College in Adamawa State. It was there, that I was saved by giving my life to Christ.
My call to the ministry was very unique. Formerly I was ashamed to tell people how I was called into the ministry. I thought before one could be called, he or she must hear the voice of God from heaven. During a pastoral theological class, I began to understand that God could use someone to call you into ministry like in the case of Moses. God called him and he (Moses) called his brother Aaron. So I was first called through Rev. Major Odunfa (Rtd.), but I refused. I told him that I stuttered and could not express myself in the public. Today, this is something I do without any problem. Again Rev. Captain Alama requested my service at his church. I accepted. That is how I was called to the ministry.
I came to WATS through Rev. Akinsanmi Sunday who visited with me at Ibadan. He was already a student at Wesley International Theological Seminary, Owerri. He told me about the seminary. I was already admitted at Immanuel College of Theology, Ibadan, but went for an interview, to take an examination and was accepted at WATS. That was how I started with the seminary.
What I intend to do after my graduation is to be a full time pastor, by the grace of God.