Compassion Fashion: Light of the Soul Christian Ministries

Created on Thursday, 30 August 2007 00:00

Written by D. Brian Burghart

I've been wanting to check out the Light of the Soul Christian Ministries for some time, so I was glad when one of their music pastor, Mike, invited me several weeks ago. It turned out Rev. Denise Cordova wasn't going to speak that week, so I put it off. But this was a good week for a Sunday evening service, and I headed over there at 6:45 p.m. This ministry has the reputation as the area's "gay" church, but that's not what I found. It's more like an "everybody's welcome" kind of ministry, although, yeah, there were gay people there.

The church is at the very end of Sunnyside Drive off Keystone Avenue. It's a First Congregational Church, but I believe the Light of the Soul Christian Ministries will soon be affiliated with the United Church of Christ. I'm not really sure of all the details, but it seemed somewhat irrelevant to the Ministry. It's its own thing.

People started introducing themselves before I got in the front door. I always enjoy that. Rev. Cordova greeted me in the foyer. She's a charismatic person of about medium height with dark hair and eyes. She passed me along to Michael, who showed me around the church and introduced me to everyone who was around. The church has a pretty simple layout: foyer, fellowship room to the left, sanctuary and chapel. While the church architecture is traditional, it's very interesting. The sanctuary is basically an isosceles triangle with depth. There are two rows of 16 pews, sort of antique-stained, greenish, with cushions. There's a large simple cross dominating the front of the church—the back of the altar. At its base, there's a more ornate metal cross.

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Coming Out... Christian

Created on Thursday, 13 January 2005 00:00

Written by Rory Dowd

The Light of the Soul Christian Ministry accepts anyone who puts Christ first.

It's Friday evening, and the rush-hour traffic is slowing down. Time for the weekend, time for fun and relaxation. A quick bite to eat and it's out to ... church? A new, contemporary Christian group has been holding a "happy hour" inside Reno First Congregational Church (RFCC).

Light of the Soul Christian Ministries (LSCM) was incorporated as a registered, non-denominational Christian church in Nevada on Aug. 23, 2004. Eight local residents, dissatisfied with their worship options, came together to start their own church. Frustrated with the separatism and elitism of many mainstream Christian groups, LSCM founders have set upon a new path that welcomes anyone.

RFCC is dominated by an immense but simple wooden cross above the altar. The high, sloping, plaster ceiling gives a sense of expansiveness and openness. People entering singly, in pairs or families are warmly greeted at the front door by the Rev. Denise Cordova and minister Mike Stombaugh. This night, the weather has kept some people away, and most of the 15 people in the room are regular LSCM congregation members. Smiling and enthusiastic, the dark-haired Cordova is encouraged by the steadily increasing membership of LSCM.

She says, "There are a lot of people in our community who come from Christian backgrounds and really miss having a comfortable church to go to worship Jesus."

Read more: Coming Out... Christian