A Bensalem Congregation Built Around the Calendar
Christian Life Church, often called CLC, sits on the corner of Richlieu and Galloway Roads in Bensalem, Pennsylvania, where a 1,500-seat sanctuary, an adjacent preschool, and a student center called The Edge share a single campus. The church has served the northeastern suburbs of Philadelphia since 1990, growing from twenty-four founding members into a congregation that supports more than fifty missionaries around the world. Three Sunday services, a Wednesday prayer and teaching night, a children's wing that runs from nursery through fifth grade, and a busy calendar of life groups shape the rhythm of the week for the people who call CLC home.
From Twenty-Four People to a Bensalem Mainstay
CLC began in June 1990 when Mr. and Mrs. Michael Cardone Sr. gathered twenty-four people who covenanted together in prayer and finances to birth a new church. Pastor Greg and Bonnie Cox moved from out of state to pioneer the work, and the first regular Sunday services were held that August at the Justa Farm Shopping Center in Huntingdon Valley.
In September 1992, Pastor David and Nancy Cawston arrived from California to take over as senior pastor. Under their leadership the congregation grew past four hundred, prompting a move in March 1993 to a remodeled church building in Bensalem. By August 1995, three Sunday services were needed each week, and the church relocated to Bensalem High School while planning a permanent home.
In the spring of 1998, the church purchased property at Richlieu and Galloway Roads, and in September 2000 moved into the current facility, with a 1,500-seat sanctuary, church offices, and a preschool under one roof. The Edge, a dedicated student ministry center, was added in May 2005 to host weekly worship, teaching, and fellowship for teenagers and young adults. Pastor Del and Marvina Smith led the church from 2008 to 2016, and in February 2019 Mark and Christy English were elected as lead pastors.
Three Sunday Mornings, One Worshiping Family
CLC holds three Sunday services at 8:30 a.m., 10:00 a.m., and 11:30 a.m., with the 11:30 a.m. gathering livestreamed on YouTube. Each service opens with music led by a full band with vocalists, supported by a full lighting design, and continues with a biblically based message intended to encourage and challenge listeners in their daily lives.
A coffee shop serves specialty coffee, breakfast sandwiches, baked goods, and snacks before and after the services, and a Welcome Center hands out gift bags to first-time guests. The dress is casual, and people arrive in everything from jeans to dress clothes. American Sign Language interpretation is offered at the 11:30 a.m. service in the first section on the right side of the sanctuary for those who are hearing impaired.
Children are welcomed from the nursery through young adults. Life Kids programs meet at 10:00 a.m. and 11:30 a.m., and families with students in sixth through eighth grade are invited to a separate youth gathering at 10:00 a.m. in the Student Building.
Wednesday Nights: Prayer, Classes, and the Next Generation
Wednesday evenings at CLC begin at 7:00 p.m. and bring adults, children, and students onto the campus at the same time. Adults gather for a Prayer and Worship Service while Life Kids programs run for children from nursery through fifth grade, including a children's choir that rehearses and performs two musicals each year. Students in grades seven through twelve meet for the Fearless service in the Student Center, with doors opening at 6:30 p.m. for early connection.
Two classes are folded into the Wednesday night schedule. Explore CLC, the church's four-session orientation, is offered every month at 6:00 p.m., in person and online, and covers the church, salvation, discipleship, the Holy Spirit, healing, water baptism, spiritual gifts, serving, and evangelism. Water Baptism Class meets on the second Wednesday of each month, and baptisms are generally held on the fourth Sunday. Grow: Faith Essentials, a six-week introduction for new believers, also meets on Wednesday nights at 7:00 p.m. in the church office area through Door B.
Life Kids, From Nursery Through Fifth Grade
The Life Kids wing of CLC is open during the 10:00 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. Sunday services and again at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesdays. Classrooms are divided by age, with separate spaces for nursery and preschool children and for elementary-aged students, and a check-in system pairs each child with a parent through matching stickers. Families enter through the Christian Life Academy entrance, Door E.
Sunday mornings include age-appropriate worship, games, crafts, and Bible stories. Junior Bible Quiz, a team-based program for second through fifth graders that teaches Bible verses and stories in a quiz format, meets on Sunday mornings at 10:00 a.m. from July through January. On Wednesday nights, students in kindergarten through fifth grade participate in the Kids Choir, learning songs and drama pieces and presenting two musicals each year, with performances in May and December.
Parents who are followers of Jesus and active attendees or members of CLC may dedicate infants and young children, and water baptism is available for children eight and older who have recently accepted Christ.
Fearless Students and Valiant Young Adults
Fearless is the student ministry for grades six through twelve. The middle school gathering, called Brave, meets Sunday mornings at 10:00 a.m. for fellowship, discussion, and shared activities led by mentors. The high school group, called Dynamic, gathers Wednesday evenings for the main Fearless service, with doors opening at 6:30 p.m. in the Student Building. Both groups emphasize three rhythms: connection with peers, worship that meets students where they are, and teaching that walks through Scripture together.
Valiant is the young adults ministry for ages eighteen through twenty-nine, from recent high school graduates to young professionals. The group meets on Thursday nights at 7:00 p.m. in the Student Center and is led by Angelica Santiago. Members pursue 1 Timothy 4:12 together, seeking to set an example in speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity, and to live out the church's mission of celebrating faith, demonstrating love, and sharing the hope of Jesus.
Life Groups Across the Region
Life Groups are the small-group network of CLC. Three kinds of groups meet across the area. Home Groups gather in person or online in someone's living room to study the Bible, pray, and spend time together. Life Group Classes focus on specific topics, often with curriculum, and provide support and care. Interest-Based Groups share a common hobby or activity, from sports and crafts to exercise.
The semester rhythm runs from February through June and from September through November, with most new groups launching at the start of each term. Some groups continue year-round, and the church supports leaders with an online orientation and a support team. Anyone interested in starting a group must first complete the Explore CLC class and have been involved at CLC for at least six months.
Sisterhood, Brotherhood, and Creative Arts
CLC Sisterhood gathers women of all ages for Bible studies, conferences, mission trips, and seasonal events. The women connect through Life Groups, larger gatherings with worship and workshops, and local and foreign mission opportunities. CLC Brotherhood, the men's ministry, focuses on helping men become men of prayer, men of the Word, and men of the Spirit, and gathers throughout the year for Bible studies, mentoring, service projects, and connect groups. GROW XY, the annual men's conference held in October, is a centerpiece of the brotherhood calendar.
The Creative Arts Ministry combines the worship and media teams. Vocalists, instrumentalists, camera operators, photographers, videographers, sound and lighting technicians, and lyrics operators serve together to support services and the livestream. Training is provided for those without prior experience.
Other volunteer teams include Life Group leaders, facilities and housekeeping crews, children's ministry volunteers, concert load-in and merch teams, ushers and greeters, the coffee shop, food service, event decorating, and a Safety Team. Most LifeTeam opportunities are open to anyone eighteen and older and begin with the Explore CLC class as the path to membership.
Local Outreach and Global Missions
Local Missions is the church's arm for serving the surrounding community, citing 1 Timothy 1:8 and Isaiah 1:17 as guiding texts. Partner organizations include Feast of Justice, which runs a free food market pantry, along with Family Service, Cast Your Cares Outreach, True Light Ministry, the Magnolia Center, Kensington Outreach, and Small Things. Volunteers serve as individuals, families, Life Groups, and groups of friends.
CLC also supports more than fifty missionaries around the world through its Foreign Missions program, including forty-three international and twenty-three domestic partners. The church walks with two named missionary associates, Dodi Price with the INSPIRE Project, a global women's ministry, and Tamika Wilson, who is raising support to serve with a church plant in Liverpool, England. Members can support individual missionaries through dedicated giving accounts, and the church also partners with the Assemblies of God World Missions network.
Christian Life Academy
Christian Life Academy is the preschool housed inside the CLC campus and operated by the church. The academy is open Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and serves children with an emphasis on exploration, creativity, and learning. The academy's entrance, Door E, also serves as the check-in point for Life Kids on Sundays and Wednesdays.
What CLC Believes
The teaching of CLC centers on the historic Christian confession of one God, eternally existing in three co-equal persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ is described as the virgin-born Son of God, who lived a sinless life, performed miracles, died on the cross as the sacrifice for sin, rose again on the third day, ascended to the Father, and will return as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. The Holy Spirit indwells every believer, empowers witness, and distributes spiritual gifts for the building up of the church and the seeking of the lost.
Salvation is presented as a free gift received by faith in Jesus Christ, not earned by self-improvement or good works. The Bible is taught as the inspired Word of God, the supreme source of truth for Christian belief and living. The mission of the church, in its own words, is to create a community that celebrates faith, demonstrates love, and shares the hope of Jesus.