Welcome.
Welcome to the grace inside this sacred space.
Come on in.
Did you see it?
When you walked up to the door
It was on the matte, the frame
Painted and splattered and written up above you
It said you are welcome here
Did you feel it?
As you came inside the room?
It felt like a river, it felt like a flood
It felt like an ever-pouring rain
It was His grace
It was His peace
It was His hope
And His lovingkindness, and His mercy
It was His faith for you
It was His love
And it was His freedom
Did you feel it?
As it flowed over you?
As it washed and it cleaned
And it pulled away.
All the junk, the stuff, the dirt and the grime
Not so you could be white and clean and proper
Not so you could be worthy
But so you could be Free
And in that place and by that grace
You could call Him worthy
So you could be His praise
Look to the back of the room
See the pile of stuff there on the ground
It's not hidden- not in doubt
Not in shame, not in hate
It's right where it belongs
At the feet of One who earned it
Who took it
Who paid the holy and unqualified price
So be here, be now
Be safe, be free
And here is my invitation to you
That you would dance with me
In this sacred, safe and holy ground
That you would know
Not that you could be free
But that you were made free
The moment you walked in.
by
Joanna Doyle
OUR LEADERSHIP TEAM:
Jonathan and Danielle (Danie) Hanson:
Jonathan, Danie and their two fabulous little girls, Aubrey and London, were given the helm of Abundant Life in 2010 by Pastor Ted Hanson. His ceiling is now their floor, built on a foundation of hearing God, understanding His language and releasing grace to the earth. They are honoring the call to lead ALife by empowering people to see, feel, and walk in an increasing measure of the Abundant Life Jesus gives in their down-to-earth, vulnerable, whole-hearted lives.
Ben and Romay Nichols:
Ben, Romay and their three kids Eligh, Eadon and Anna May have been part of ALife for 12+ years. They feel a deep connection to the heart of the family and love connecting people.
Ben, originally from Austin, TX, and Romay from Kelowna BC, Canada met at Abundant Life in 2002 and the rest is history!
Jeremy and Rachael James:
Jeremy, Rachael and their 4 children, Skyleigh, Landon, Canyon & Sierra came to ALife in 2012 after spending 3 years traveling around in an RV (that’s right folks, 6 people in an RV for a long time!! Can you tell they are super-adventurers?!). They are an absolute dynamite duo and we LOVE them!!!
A little More...
Jonathan Hanson
Lead Pastor
Truly Jonathan has the heart of a father, always seeing and pulling out the best of people (even when there is very little ‘best’ to be found!). He is an excellent listener and intuitive friend and would never ask of anyone that which he’s isn’t willing to do himself. Jonathan has a high value for deep conversations – which is the tone of the awesome messages he brings Sunday mornings. He inspires us to think and ask questions and search for answers instead of assuming he has them all!
Jonathan loves really getting to know people and empowering them to see and move beyond what’s standing in their way. Plus, his laugh is absolutely infectious and memorable, and he does it a lot!!
Something you might not know about Jonathan: He loves drumming (and is seriously good at it), mountain biking, and movies (with a big bowl of m&ms)
Danielle Hanson
Fun Pastor
Danie is a dynamite combination of fearless freedom, unfiltered honesty, and deep compassion. She has a high value for FUN and loves to keep the atmosphere light, especially if things get too serious!
Danie has a huge heart to help people by showing them that they have what it takes to change their situation, especially relating to body image, healthy lifestyle and eating.
Her confidence is contagious – you will be challenged to believe in yourself after spending time with her!
Something you might not know about Danie: She LOVES Zumba and Belly Dancing – and boy has she got the moves! Nachos and chocolate are her vices and ‘sarcastic teasing’ is her true love-language.
Ben Nichols
Pastor
ben@alifefamily.com
Ben is a visionary leader and passionate connector of people. He has a unique gift to bring people together for a common purpose and inspire them to live fully alive. If there is a job to be done, Ben can be trusted to ‘get ‘erdone!’ with the force of a hurricane! He can rally people to a cause that he believes in and bring that dream to reality.
He’s also a dynamic speaker, who consistently brings God’s heart with clarity and humor.
Something you might not know about Ben: He’s a farmer! Ben discovered his love for growing things in the last few years and can be found as often as possible out in the garden or on his beloved John Deere.
Ben oversees the "Spiritual Gifts" room. To learn more about getting involved with prayer, prophetic training & activations or intercession-talk to this guy!
Romay Nichols
Connection Pastor
romay@alifefamily.com
Romay is a lover of people, the more the merrier! She is driven by compassion and truth and she leads by embracing the processes of life with resilience and vulnerability. She lets God take her to deep and expanding truths about His love and invites others on that journey by being vulnerable and open with her life and process. She is passionate about exploding the boxes we’ve used to define both God and people.
Something you might not know about Romay: She is passionate about pregnancy and childbirth! One of her favorite things is empowering mama’s in their birth experiences.
Sunday Morning Hosting is one of the areas Romay oversees. To be a part of the team that helps people feel welcome and connected on Sundays, talk to Romay!
Jeremy James
ALife Kids Director
kids@alifefamily.com
Jeremy is our resident conflict manager and peacemaker with a true gift to communicate clearly with compassionate understanding. He has a unique ability to bring people beyond their natural means/limitations into a higher way of living – it’s like he hands out new perspecticles to people struggling to truly see. He lives brave and is a risk taker, which challenges us all to adventure and courage. Currently, Jeremy leads ALife Kids and runs AChild’s Life Learning Center.
Something you might not know about Jeremy: He has a deep love for the outdoors – lightweight backpacking is his specialty and sleeping under a tarp with the critters is paradise. Also noteable: he has a Master’s degree in Resource Development and was a professor of bowling for a season
Rachael James
Worship Arts Director
Rachael heads up our creative arts department with vulnerability and courage. She is a prophetic dreamer and free spirit who lives her life to help others experience God the way she does – in every moment from earth-shaking music sessions to driving one of her kids to basketball, to tea time on her patio! Her dedication to hearing God specifically for every moment makes her a conduit for heaven - she hears the sounds and brings them to earth, and then invites all to join her. She loves to challenge the status quo and change things up so we don’t get too comfortable doing the same thing over and over and over…
Something you might not know about Rachael: She met Jeremy when she was 13 years old – he saw her pray on stage and knew she was ‘the one’ (ask him about it, he get weepy…)