Church News
Welcome to this Winter Newsletter of Rushden Mission Church. In this edition you will find articles from different sections of our Church telling us their latest news. There are updates on other aspects of our Church life and letters from Maurice Glover and Joy Rao, missionaries to whom we as a Church give regular support. I hope that you will find this an interesting read, whether you are a regular at the church or a visitor. Thank you to everyone who has contributed to this newsletter, the next one will be published in time for Easter and I will be looking for items in late March. Oh and the word count for this edition is 10,749.
Pastor’s Words
Dear Friends
What a year! As we look back on the last twelve months I wonder what stands out for you? For some of you it will have been the time when you have found a home at the Mission, for others you have taken the step of membership, looking to serve God and the local community, for others the last twelve months have been coloured by tragedy and we pray that you have found comfort amongst God’s people here. One thing is for certain, we are not the same people we were last year. God has challenged us and charged us to grow in Him and to all His love, grace, forgiveness and mercy to flow from us to impact the world around us. Over the last few months we have been praying for God’s vision and heart for us as a fellowship. In this a number of scriptures have become significant for us.
The first is Isaiah 54:2-3 “Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back; lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes. For you will spread out to the right and to the left.” This speaks to us of looking beyond the four walls of our church to the streets around, to the people who live next door to us, to everyone we meet. It speaks of growth and of looking to God for all we need in order to work out the commission He has given us.
The second is Haggai 2:9 “The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,’ says the Lord Almighty. ‘And in this place I will grant peace,’ declares the Lord Almighty.” This speaks of the need for us to honour the past and to be thankful for the generations that have gone before us proclaiming God’s truth, but we look forward in anticipation and faith to the work that is yet to come, that we will be a place where healing, restoration and forgiveness is found. A place of peace.
Finally Psalm 119:105 “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.” All of what we are to do and to become has to be bathed in prayer and the word. We look to Jesus who is the author and perfecter of our faith. We are people of the word, people of grace, and people of hope. In the next year my heartfelt prayer is that we continue grow. Grow as disciples, grow in grace, grow numerically and that we will keep on pressing on into what God has for us both individually and corporately.
Thank you for the awesome privileged that it is to be your Pastor.
Dear Friends
What a year! As we look back on the last twelve months I wonder what stands out for you? For some of you it will have been the time when you have found a home at the Mission, for others you have taken the step of membership, looking to serve God and the local community, for others the last twelve months have been coloured by tragedy and we pray that you have found comfort amongst God’s people here. One thing is for certain, we are not the same people we were last year. God has challenged us and charged us to grow in Him and to all His love, grace, forgiveness and mercy to flow from us to impact the world around us. Over the last few months we have been praying for God’s vision and heart for us as a fellowship. In this a number of scriptures have become significant for us.
The first is Isaiah 54:2-3 “Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide, do not hold back; lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes. For you will spread out to the right and to the left.” This speaks to us of looking beyond the four walls of our church to the streets around, to the people who live next door to us, to everyone we meet. It speaks of growth and of looking to God for all we need in order to work out the commission He has given us.
The second is Haggai 2:9 “The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,’ says the Lord Almighty. ‘And in this place I will grant peace,’ declares the Lord Almighty.” This speaks of the need for us to honour the past and to be thankful for the generations that have gone before us proclaiming God’s truth, but we look forward in anticipation and faith to the work that is yet to come, that we will be a place where healing, restoration and forgiveness is found. A place of peace.
Finally Psalm 119:105 “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.” All of what we are to do and to become has to be bathed in prayer and the word. We look to Jesus who is the author and perfecter of our faith. We are people of the word, people of grace, and people of hope. In the next year my heartfelt prayer is that we continue grow. Grow as disciples, grow in grace, grow numerically and that we will keep on pressing on into what God has for us both individually and corporately.
Thank you for the awesome privileged that it is to be your Pastor.
God bless you all
Ian
Ian
let’s take a walk through a week in the life of our Church to find out what meetings take place, what they get up to and hopefully a few secrets too.
Beginning with Sunday
On the first day of the week we meet for Worship. On Sunday Mornings we will continue with our studies of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. In the Evening Services we will carry on working our way through the book of James.
The Morning Service begins at 10:45pm, under normal circumstances the first Sunday morning of each month includes communion, the third is Family service and the fifth Sunday (when there is one) is a Prayer & Praise Service.
The Evening Service is at 16:30pm during the winter months. The service times change to 17:30pm when we alter the clocks on 29th March. The second Sunday Evening of the month includes communion.
Sunday School meets during our Sunday Morning service. We meet with the main body of the church at 10:45am and after a time of worship leave for our classes.
At present Sunday School is our only children’s work. There are two groups, one for ages 3-7 and one for ages 7-12. We aim to teach the children about God in a way that they can understand and enjoy. At the moment there are a group of 12 teachers and helpers who teach the children on a rota basis. There are about the same number of children in total, but not usually more than 8 in any one week. One of our difficulties is in finding material that makes sense as ‘one off’ lessons since not all children are able to be there every week.
If you feel that you should be involved in this work see Linda. Even if you don’t feel able to help with Sunday School please commit to pray for the adults and children involved, that will make all the difference.
Mission Church
Invites 14 – 18 year olds to
Socialize with like minded young people for free
Harmonize with Dan – lots of worship songs
Meander through the Bible and explore what Jesus teaches us
Always talking and playing games.
Smile, laugh, loads of fun, trips out, residentials
Have a place for God in your heart
Sunday evenings, 2nd and 4th, 7.30pm to 9pm, Green Room
Leaders – Carol, Dan, Downs and Vince
Passion and Glory is a monthly youth worship event, led for young people: by young people. It takes place on the first Sunday of every month, usually at the Mission Church starting at 19:00pm. On average sixty young people attend each month.
Passion and Glory is an ecumenical event, set-up by Rushden Area Christian Youth, and has been running for about three years.
Passion and Glory is a community of young people passionate about God, eager to worship and keen to deepen their relationship with Him. The worship is both vibrant and reflective, and prayer and testimony is central to the event.
As a Church we are honoured to host the monthly meetings on Passion & Glory, please be in prayer for them and the wider work of RACY.
Monday
Pillow Talk meets in the Band Room at The Mission every Monday, except Bank Holidays and Christmas week from 14:15pm to 16:15 to make Bobbin Lace and chat. Knitters and Embroiderers are also very welcome; please drop in if you wish. The cost is 25p, which includes tea, coffee and cake. We also have occasional Saturday Workshops.
On the first day of the week we meet for Worship. On Sunday Mornings we will continue with our studies of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. In the Evening Services we will carry on working our way through the book of James.
The Morning Service begins at 10:45pm, under normal circumstances the first Sunday morning of each month includes communion, the third is Family service and the fifth Sunday (when there is one) is a Prayer & Praise Service.
The Evening Service is at 16:30pm during the winter months. The service times change to 17:30pm when we alter the clocks on 29th March. The second Sunday Evening of the month includes communion.
Sunday School meets during our Sunday Morning service. We meet with the main body of the church at 10:45am and after a time of worship leave for our classes.
At present Sunday School is our only children’s work. There are two groups, one for ages 3-7 and one for ages 7-12. We aim to teach the children about God in a way that they can understand and enjoy. At the moment there are a group of 12 teachers and helpers who teach the children on a rota basis. There are about the same number of children in total, but not usually more than 8 in any one week. One of our difficulties is in finding material that makes sense as ‘one off’ lessons since not all children are able to be there every week.
If you feel that you should be involved in this work see Linda. Even if you don’t feel able to help with Sunday School please commit to pray for the adults and children involved, that will make all the difference.
Mission Church
Invites 14 – 18 year olds to
Socialize with like minded young people for free
Harmonize with Dan – lots of worship songs
Meander through the Bible and explore what Jesus teaches us
Always talking and playing games.
Smile, laugh, loads of fun, trips out, residentials
Have a place for God in your heart
Sunday evenings, 2nd and 4th, 7.30pm to 9pm, Green Room
Leaders – Carol, Dan, Downs and Vince
Passion and Glory is a monthly youth worship event, led for young people: by young people. It takes place on the first Sunday of every month, usually at the Mission Church starting at 19:00pm. On average sixty young people attend each month.
Passion and Glory is an ecumenical event, set-up by Rushden Area Christian Youth, and has been running for about three years.
Passion and Glory is a community of young people passionate about God, eager to worship and keen to deepen their relationship with Him. The worship is both vibrant and reflective, and prayer and testimony is central to the event.
As a Church we are honoured to host the monthly meetings on Passion & Glory, please be in prayer for them and the wider work of RACY.
Monday
Pillow Talk meets in the Band Room at The Mission every Monday, except Bank Holidays and Christmas week from 14:15pm to 16:15 to make Bobbin Lace and chat. Knitters and Embroiderers are also very welcome; please drop in if you wish. The cost is 25p, which includes tea, coffee and cake. We also have occasional Saturday Workshops.
Plan ahead and don’t miss out on your ticket for the 2010 (yes 2010, 2009 has been sold out for ages) Mission Lace Day. The Lace Day is always held on the last Saturday in January, 31st January in 2009 and 30th January in 2010. At the Lace Day you can do your Lace, Cross-stitch or Knitting, eat you packed lunch and spend far too much money with the specialist suppliers.
For 2009 Lace Day Keith has said “Lots of friendly Mission Church help will be needed over the two days, on Friday night to get ready and on the Saturday to serve tea and coffee and wash up for 90 thirsty ladies. Help will also be needed to clear up and put everything in the Church back in its place, after the events of the day. Also needed are home made cakes – PLEASE. There will also be the opportunity to re-cycle unwanted Christmas presents (you know the kind) for more information or to volunteer please speak to Ann or Keith.” A weekend of hard work, but worth it.
Prayer Meetings are held on Monday from 19:30pm to 20:30pm contact Linda Crawley 01933 350491 and on Tuesday from 10:30am to 11:00am contact Cynthia Parkin on 01933 313256
Monday Night Prayer meeting
Do you believe prayer is important? Do you believe that God responds to his people’s prayers? If so we invite you to join us on a Monday evening at 19:30pm for an hour to bring to God the issues that concern us as a church. At the moment we are a select group but would love to grow. Even if you cannot commit to come every week please come when you can.
Tuesday Prayer Group meets at 10.30am in the Green Room for around half an hour of prayer and thanksgiving. We begin by bringing to the group any prayer requests we have received and any person or situation which we have knowledge of being in need of prayer. We often receive feedback and keep each other up to date on how things are progressing. During our prayer time we will bring to the Lord requests, situations and upcoming events and services, as well as the various groups which meet in our church and in people’s homes, together with our thanks. Anyone wishing to join us would be most welcome. Afterwards, most of us adjourn to Coffee Stop for a drink and chat.
On the third Monday of the month at 19:30pm is “Focus on Renewal”, this a special time of prayer, worship, ministry. It is difficult to describe the meeting as each meeting is different and open to the leading of the Holy Spirit. At most of the meetings in our church only the people at the front get the chance to contribute. “Focus on renewal” is a time and place to allow God to speak through anyone, to share with each other what we think God is saying. There is no sermon the only ‘word’ is that which we bring ourselves. It can be a Bible verse, prayer or prophetic word of some kind. There is also time to give and receive prayer ministry in response to what God is saying. During this meeting we aim to give space to practice those ‘gifts of the Spirit’ we’ve been hearing about on Sunday mornings, in a safe family environment. We want God to renew us so that we become more effective for him in the world outside.
Tuesday
“House Groups” meet on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings in various homes from 19:45pm until approximately 22:00pm.
Asked why House Groups were important Christina said. “I have had the privilege of being part of a home group since I left home at the age of eighteen. Whether you chose to call it homegroup/ fellowship group/ cell, it denotes one common thing – a group of friends who meet together to laugh, have fun, share , encourage, and seek what God has to teach us. I greatly value the friendship and love that is shared amongst my current group. We may vary in age and background but that does not matter. I would encourage anyone who doesn’t belong to such a group to seek one out. You will not regret it!”
House Groups are a vital part of our church life. If you want to attend a House Group, then speak to Pastor Ian Fall.
"Coffee Stop" is held on Tuesday between 10:00am to 12:30pm. Everyone is welcome to pop in for Coffee, Tea and the Toasted Teacakes are very popular. Find a warm welcome, meet old friends and make new ones.
The sound of happy chatter and laughter from the band room on a Tuesday morning is a sure sign that Coffee Stop is open. It is a great time to meet your friends and enjoy one of our famous toasted teacakes with your coffee or tea. Everyone is assured of a warm welcome from hosts Alan & Margaret. The number of visitors grows week by week creating a lovely atmosphere where you can find out what is happening at The Mission and also talk over any problems or concerns.
Soul Sister meet at the Mission Church on Tuesdays 18:15pm until 19:30pm for girls in school years 7-13 (aged 11 to 18).
About a dozen or so of us meet and we do all sorts of activities – chatting, laughing, singing, bible studies, discussions, pray together, creative activities, street dancing, eat chocolate, sweets, (all sorts of goodies!), make ice cream smoothies, sundaes, fruit dishes, watch DVD’s, go to cinema, have sleep overs and lots more…….
Due to a new job we have to say goodbye to Chloe, who started the group. We are very sad, but would like to say a very big thank you for all she has done and pray God’s blessings on her in her new role. We look forward to a new year, with lots more fun and laughter, and some new helpers.
Wednesday
The “Art Group” meet on Wednesday mornings from 10:00am to 12:00noon during term times.
The Art group have enjoyed once again each others company and consider ourselves privileged to be able to meet at the Mission. Age and artistic skills are not relevant, our eldest members are in their 80’s and youngest about 40. The group varies in numbers from about 10 to 20, sometimes more.
We all do our own thing and we help each other by passing on tips and skills learned on the way. Wednesday 17th December will be our Christmas lunch prepared and cooked at the Church by some of the members. With family commitments we will then not meet for art until the New Year. –.
Many Thanks from the members; we would like to wish all the friends at the Mission Church a Blessed Christmas and New Year. Elaine
The next group will commence Wednesday 7th Jan 2009; new members would be made very welcome Registration fee is £2 and 25p per week thereafter.
The Nene Valley Writers Group meets on the 1st, 3rd & 5th Wednesday of each month at 19:30pm at the Mission (in the Band Room).
Many people ask me about Nene Valley Writers, but never follow through. We would really make any new members welcome. Most of us are above the age of reason that is, retired, so we are mildly out of touch with modern thinking and text talk. It would be very nice to have a few more people of what I will call, “the middle years" and/or any younger people who enjoy writing. Personally I have discovered how little I knew about my mother tongue, before I joined. Now, I read books in a more informed way. I have learned some of the basics of speech, of which, before, I was unaware. Mostly, though, I get immense pleasure from meeting with a group, of fellow writers whom I can now honestly call friends. What ever your own preference, be it poetry, prose, journalism, or simply recording a joke for posterity, if you are interested, come along. We are not a church organization, as such, but we have at least three members who belong to the Mission, so you would know someone. Roy
Thursday
Curry Club (sorry ladies men only) meets on the first Thursday of each month and travel to a local restaurant or pub to enjoy a curry and fellowship. Sometimes we stay at the Mission and take advantage of the many takeaways that surround our Church.
During the past few months, the Men’s Curry Club have visited Yeldon, Thrapston, Higham Ferrers, Irthlingborough and of course Rushden. It has to be said that we rarely find a poor restaurant, with the quality of food always good to very good. Price varies and the general ambience changes, but that makes for interesting visits. It’s great to see different people coming along as well as the hard core of the club. Those that follow the blog at http://rushdenmissioncurryclub.blogspot.com/ will know the format – we meet at the Mission car park and convoy our way to the destination. Drinks and meals are ordered and we settle into conversation. We eat, score the experience, work out the bill, pay and then make our way home. We are a simple folk!
Of course conversation is the highlight of our outings and anyone familiar with Radio 2’s Steve Wright show would have come across the concept of a factoid. A factoid is a short piece of information that shall I say is not necessary 100% accurate. Anyway, here is a short montage of some of the more recent intellectual and stimulating factoids discussed at curry club - A Jack Russell dog can eat much bigger dogs and even a person if it wanted to; One curry club member’s mother used to have Sean Connery as here milkman (I assume the milk was shaken, not stirred!); Pastor Ian is a fan of the Crazy Frog song; Bill had an unfortunate experience with a brussel when he was younger; Colin Maddam’s dad scored a hat-trick against Peterborough in a football game; Britain would win more medals at the Olympics if there were events for conkers and queuing; Britain will one day be waking up to curry for breakfast – Honey Nut Madras, Weetadoms, Kellogg’s Pilau Rice Crispies ... can't wait!
The Men’s Curry Club meets on the first Thursday of every month, so if you are a man or know a man who might like to join us, get in contact. One last thing, you don’t have to like curry to be a member, we often eat at the church and order take-away’s from the surrounding establishments. So those fish and chippers or Chinese eaters have no excuse for not socialising with the gang! We’d love to hear your factoids …
The Curry Club is a great night out and all men are very welcome to join us, just call Bill to find out where the next venue is to be.
Rushden Mission Band meets at the Church on Thursday evenings from 19:30pm until approximately 21:30pm to practice for their wide range of concerts and other engagements.
The Training Band meets on Tuesday evenings in the band room.
The Rushden Mission Training Band (RMTB) is considered to be one of the most important parts of the overall activity of the band - we see it as the Mission Band of the future. With the guidance of Tony Boddington, the RMTB allows budding brass players to learn their craft in a safe and encouraging environment.
The RMTB is mostly comprised of young people who want to learn to play a brass instrument and gives them the opportunity to play in a band each week and also a number of concerts each year. We have a firm belief that people who are learning to play will develop their skills much quicker when playing in a group on a regular basis - and of course this is a great source of encouragement and motivation.
The band is constantly looking for new people to join this band to develop them and eventually progress them to the Rushden Mission Band - it is a great thrill to see young people who have worked hard to learn to play a brass instrument and then "graduating" to the full band.
We asked Tony to tell us a little of what is currently going on within the RMTB.
The Rushden Mission Training Band is going from strength to strength. Practices are very well attended, although we have lost two of our older teenagers recently. One of them is Annie, who is still playing with the senior Band on Soprano Cornet. Annie has recently changed schools and has extra travelling to do, we are also thrilled that she is now a member of the Northamptonshire Training Band, this is a great achievement and a motivation for our younger players.
To soften the blow of losing these two, we are pleased to welcome three new members, Keiron on Tenor Horn and Adam on Baritone. Also joining us is Kioh, a Korean student who was is very keen to learn to play a Cornet. Kioh came to us through Daniel and has done so well on the cornet, that he now plays with the full group. We do welcome Kioh and hope that he enjoys his time with us.
Thanks to the senior band members we are able to perform variable music, which we did at our concert on November 25th, which was very well attended, went very well and was an encouragement to our youngsters. During the concert our eight young members plus Kioh played two pieces on their own, a great tribute to Arthur Turner, who takes them on the third Tuesday of the month, they performed very well. Well done Arthur. Thanks to Julie, Beverley and Carolyn for their help at these practices. Our youngsters are doing so well, these are Tassie, Georgina, Kathryn, William, Daniel, Keiron, Alistair and Adam. Tassie, Georgina and William already play with the senior band. We hope that the others will soon be joining the senior band too.
Here’s to a promising for both the Training and Senior Band.
For more information about the Band visit the website at www.missionband.com
Friday
Lunch Club meets on Friday at 12:30pm. For those retired and living alone, where they can share a meal and good company.
For over seven years I have had the privilege of being involved in The Mission Church's Lunch Club. Our only criteria for membership is that those who attend must be retired, and living alone. We found that sitting down to a meal in company was one of the things that was really missed by those living by themselves, so we felt that if we concentrated on people who were living alone, it would give them the chance to enjoy a meal in the company of others at least once a week, and the noise of chatter when they get together is proof that they do enjoy the company!
We started with twelve on the first week, and that soon grew to twenty, then twenty-eight. At this point it seemed sensible to put a limit on how many we would cater for, and we decided that a maximum of 36, which was to include 4 places for volunteer staff who might wish to eat as well. However, we now cook on average 50 meals every Friday and have a waiting list for people who wish to join. If anyone has a job getting there, we arrange for someone to call and give them a lift, and then take them home after. Our most senior member is a very sprightly lady who celebrated her 102nd birthday recently. Each year on the anniversary of our first meeting we have a special meal, but the crowning glory is the Christmas lunch when we put on a very special meal with a choice of dishes, and the guests are entertained afterwards with seasonal music by pupils from a local school, and have a visit from Father Christmas, who hands out their Christmas gifts. We have just celebrated our eighth Christmas Lunch and it was great fun, both for the visitors and the volunteers.
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The positive results we have seen have passed our highest expectations. I know in my heart that it is Gods blessing on what we are trying to do. When we shop, we seem to find bargains fall into our lap, definitely a tremendous help when attempting to work within a budget.
One result of the lunches is that we have seen friendships develop. One group enjoy each others company to the extent that they take it in turns to have each other to their homes, to spend the rest of the afternoon together finishing up with tea and cake, to round off their time together. Groups have gone away on holiday together, and in still more cases we have seen special relationships develop, proof indeed that you're never too late for romance. These friendships have become one of the greatest delights for me. All we do is to provide a meal and company, and it is a thrill to see how the members have made Lunch Club their own. I have known hardly anyone when they started, but I feel they are a real part of my life.
A major blessing for me has been the friendships I've made which without Lunch Club would not have had a chance to happen. One couple in particular who were drafted in to help, I wondered how I would get on with, as we seemed to have little in common, have been a tower of strength, and I count them amongst my dearest friends. Working together is a great way to forge friendships, by getting to know people properly instead of superficially, as well as having a terrific time. Friday mornings is a constant time of teasing and laughter, as well as the business in hand, producing a meal. We have a super team of 'backroom boys' (and girls) who arrive to take on the washing up and clean up the kitchen, plus one lady who hardly ever comes to the lunches, but insists on having all the tablecloths and kitchen laundry every week to be returned all washed and ironed in time for the following weeks' lunch! Each one knows their job, and no one person is more valued than another.
I feel passionately about Lunch Club and could tell so many wonderful stories about it, but I hope that what told you here gives you a little insight into what it's about, and if you have the chance to get involved with running a project of some sort, go for it. The rewards are fantastic.
Love Joan.
In our last letter we announced that our Autumn Alpha Course was about to begin. Now it is over, time flies. Here is a review of what happened.
ALPHA - Fun, food and fellowship.
This year’s Alpha course has been a time of great blessing and discovery. Each evening began with supper and included a talk and an opportunity to meet in a group in a relaxed atmosphere to discuss that weeks topic. No question was off limits and we had some very interesting discussions. Many of those who were on the course have been able to learn new things, make new friends and to encounter God at a deeper level. We had a day away at Bozeat where we were touched by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Here are a few comments that were given about the course. “Excellent food and friendship”, “Found out more about my faith”, “Good to get back to basics”, “It has been a lovely time of getting together with everyone”, “Very interesting, making a person on the course think more deeply about the teachings, life and workings of Christ”, “It was good to get back into the church”, Had an amazing time .. I feel that I am more of a member of the church community.” The Alpha course is for anyone who wants to learn more about the Christian faith, who has questions they want to ask or just want to find out what it is all about. If you want to know more speak to Ian, or ask one of the people who were on the last course.
Thanks from the Cyclists of Griffydam
In the last Newsletter we mentioned that a team from Chapel in the Valley, Griffydam Wesleyan Reform Church were going to ride the Coast to Coast (C2C) cycle trail from Whitehaven to Sunderland, a distance of 140 miles, to raise funds for the Shalom Birthing Clinic in the Philippines.
The money was required to support the work being carried out by Mavis Orton. Mavis left her home in Staffordshire to travel to Manila in the Philippines in 1986, where she has served with Action International Ministries ever since. She lives in a two bedroom bungalow, which serves as her home, a clinic and training room for ante and post natal classes, a delivery room and anything else that is needed. Mavis is committed to providing a new birthing home for this poor, neglected area of Manila where, before she opened up her home, giving birth was "like having one foot in the grave". She needs something over £250,000 to complete the project, but trusts God to provide everything that is needed. When she first arrived in Manila, she delivered eight babies a month; now she is involved with around 124 deliveries a month. Her energy and enthusiasm for the work and for the people are infectious; her love for them is visible for all to see and her confidence in the faithfulness of God to provide is unwavering.
The ride has now been completed and Jan Shepherd of the Church has written to thank us.
I am writing on behalf of the "C2C bikers" to thank you and your Church for your gift of one hundred pounds for the Shalom Birthing Clinic.
The riders (the intrepid trio became the threesome four as another biker joined the team) completed the ride successfully on September 13th having set out from Whitehaven on Thursday morning 11th September. They rode along the official coast to coast cycle track the distance from one coast to the other being almost 140 miles. They dipped the wheels in the sea on both sides of the country (Irish Sea and North Sea) and some pictures have been sent to Contact for the November Issue.
Also we will let everyone know via Contact exactly how much was raised for the Shalom Birthing Clinic through the bike tide. We had already received almost £2000. It will be a fantastic sum when it is all totalled up!
Thank you again for your kindness and generosity.
With warmest Christian love and greetings
Jan Shepherd Church Secretary
Jan has also written in her role of Union Overseas Missions Secretary to say
“Thank you so much for the support that you give to the Overseas Missions Committee of the Union and in particular for the Warji Bible Translation Project.
As you know, this is the second year that we have supported this project and we understand that the fifth workshop for the translators was held in July and August and was very successful. The team had translated chapters 14 - 24 of Luke's Gospel into the Warji language between the workshops and these chapters were checked and verified during the workshop. All chapters of Luke's Gospel have now been drafted in Warji and the Consultant has five chapters to verify. Three more booklets have been produced in the written language for the teams to take back to their villages for testing by the people who are able to read in the villages. When this has been done to ensure that the meaning is "understandable" to the speakers of the language, they will go back to the next workshop for final amendments if necessary. The next workshop begins in November.
It is also expected that the Jesus film will be translated into Warji by the end of this year. This will mean that those people who do not read will be able to hear the Good News in their own language.
Please do continue to pray for the work of the Warji translators as they seek to bring the Good News of Jesus to the people who speak that language.
Yours, with warmest Christian love,
Jan Shepherd, Overseas Mission Secretary
Counselling Course Past and Counselling Service Future
Over four weekends from September to December a group of 11 people from Rushden and Wellingborough attended an “Introduction to Christian Counselling Course” run by the Manna House organisation based in Northampton. The course was subsidised by the East Northants Faith Group whose support was greatly appreciated. The course was intended for those who were “trying the door” to see if God was leading them into a ministry in counselling. I have to say that I found the course absolutely brilliant, I learnt an awful lot about myself let alone anything else. I would highly recommend the course to anyone, irrespective of whether they felt led to counsel or not, it has been a hugely valuable learning experience and one, that I hope and pray, will enable me to understand people and help them in ways that I would have missed before. If we got sufficient interest we would could organise another course, if you are at all interested please come and see me and we will see what we can do. There needs to be a minimum of 10 to host a course, but there are alternative venues if we do not make that number.
One of the reasons for hosting the course was to coincide with the Counselling Service that we feel God is leading us to set up for the town. Most of you will be aware that we have refurbished the room at the back of church, the Listening room (lately known as the Gold Room) for this purpose. We are close to becoming a satellite for the Manna House and early in the New Year hope to launch the service from the Mission. More details will be available closer to the time. In the meantime, if you feel you need counselling, or if you just want to chat to someone please come and see me. We are here to help and we see this as the beginning of another venture to be a Light for Christ in our community.
As a Church we have committed to regular support of two Missionary causes.
The first is Maurice Glover. Maurice worked with the people of Niger in translating the Bible and other classic Christian books such as “Pilgrim’s Progress” into the Tamajeq language. Serious ill health forced he and his wife Marthe’ to return to the UK. We took the decision to continue to support them into retirement (if you can call it that). Maurice writes to thank us for each gift received and here are excerpt from his recent correspondence.
Dear all at the Rushden Mission Church,
We greet you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, from Grove. We hope you are all well. Thank you so much for your kind generous support, we are most grateful.
On Tuesday we both put Gospel tracts in letter boxes in the village of Steventon and gave them to people whom we met. What a mixture that place is! There is a C. of E. Church, and a Methodist Chapel that closed recently and a Jehovah's Witnesses Hall. We had, on another visit met a young Mormon kicking a football around on the green with his friend. He had taken a tract. There is also a Bangladeshi restaurant which no doubt means Muslims too.
Last Saturday there were a number of us in the heart of Oxford sharing the gospel with the people. Each Saturday afternoon, we, together with folk from different churches in the area, have a table in Cornmarket with a display of Christian literature on it. We give out tracts and chat with people who are interested. Last Saturday was special because the Lord sent other groups along too.
The previous Sunday - Monday - Tuesday was the old St. Giles' Fair which attracts many people to the area between the Martyrs' memorial and St. Giles' Church. There are bumper cars, roller coaster and all the fun of the fair and of course lots of take away stalls and the St. Giles' church (think it was) had a stall selling cakes and things people made. They also had tea and snacks in the church building. Friends from the Open Air Mission held an open air and we stood with them and gave out tracts.
We also reach out in the villages of the Vale of the White Horse putting tracts in people's letter boxes. The need is great indeed. Last night we were at the Abbey Baptist Church in Abingdon to hear Dr. Patrick Sookhdeo the founder of the Barnabas fund. He was in the bed next to me in the Wycliffe Summer School at Merstham in 1967!
Then we were young and sprightly. Tempus fugit as they say!
We have been reaching out with the gospel into the villages. In recent days we have visited Lyford and Garford and yesterday we were in East Challow putting gospel tracts into letter boxes. On Saturday we hope to be with John Hawley of the Open Air Mission in Cornmarket in the heart of Oxford. Please pray for these outreaches.
May God bless you, our love in Christ, Maurice and Marthe
Thank you once again and God bless.
As I said these are excerpts from Maurice’s letters and he did not do all these things on one fortnight, but it does show that Maurice is tireless in his work for God.
The Second is Joy Rao; Joy is involved in working with children in Nagpur in India. I asked Joy for an item for this newsletter and what follows is her submission, I was going to edit this, but I could not find anything that I could cut out. So here is Joy’s message in full.
Dear beloved ones in the Mission Church. You are always in my thoughts and prayers and I pray that the Lord may bring an increase upon His Grace and Favour towards each one. His Word in Isaiah 30:18 say “He longs to be gracious unto us” …The Amplified version says “ The Lord earnestly waits expecting, looking and longing o be gracious to you; and therefore He lifts Himself up, that He may have mercy on you and show loving kindness to you. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed, happy, fortunate, to be envied are all those who earnestly wait for Him, who expect and look and long for Him, for His Victory, His favour, His love, His peace, His joy and His matchless unbroken companionship!” This is what all of us long for… MORE of Him, MORE of His Grace, MORE of His Mercy and MORE of His Love.
We can together praise Him for His grace mercy and love is new every morning. Lamentation 3:22 says” It is because of the Lord’s mercy and loving kindness that we are not consumed, because His tender compassions fail not, they are new every morning: great and abundant is Your stability and faithfulness” It’s wonderful to think that a year unfolds 365 NEW measures of compassion and love…How can we ever be consumed??
He IS a good God and His goodness endures for all time, all through this year we have been blessed by the goodness of God….His goodness in being present with us, in never leaving or forsaking us, in meeting us at the point of our needs, in being our protector and provider, in being our good shepherd – in leading, never misleading. We have experienced the goodness of God in the way He has been ministering to us, speaking to us with the presence and power of the Holy Spirit, in speaking to us through His Word and in having wonderful times of fellowship & communion through prayer. He has been an ever present help in times of trouble, He has answered our cries by giving us a deep sense of assurance that He has heard us. In living in a country such as this, I exalt the name of the Lord for being able to share the message of a God who is able to hear, see, sense, speak, feel & understand….A God who is alive, alive everyday in us and therefore proves Himself through us.
The last two months have been festive months in this country, so many festivals, one after another. People everywhere are tightly wrapped up in the powers of darkness unable to see the Light that could set them free from every tradition & superstition. We have not just a great Commission but a great Challenge, the more we are enlightened, the more is the burden to enlighten. The greatest thing that can change lives is the Light of the World- the Light of the World at work in the lives of people. When the Light comes in, people recognize their position, path & purpose. The Lord is Calling us more than ever to meet the Commission & the Challenge to set people free….we see the people around of us as His people…people He loves…people He died for…people He ants to save…People He does not want to perish…people He is waiting for. Do support us with your prayers for this desperate need in this land.
The Lord longs to be gracious to all those who do not know His grace……As you stand bye with us in prayer, I do believe the Lord will move with His mighty power and work in a way that is beyond all that we could ever ask, think or imagine even beyond our prayers and petitions. He is a great God and expects us to expect great things from Him. He is a great God, not to do tiny, tiny things but He is a great God to do great things for His children i.e. you and me!!!!! Praise His name!
We praise God for the wonderful doors He has opened this year to work in and through the lives of so many, many children in city slums. It all started with one girl who was so keenly taken up by the singing of choruses and the sharing of the life of Jesus. This girl has not stopped bringing in more and more children. It always is such a joy to see new faces and also the faces of the children who have become regular members of the club. A marked change is noticed in the lives of the children, they live in utter poverty but always have a big smile on their faces, they run & come to greet by a hand shake with a loud “Praise the Lord” - their faces are so full of the joy of the joy that is embedded in their hearts.
On the 14th of November is Children’s Day in this country and already great preparations are being made for this day. The children are preparing to take part in a Quiz competition and a competition of recitation of Bible Verses; they have been given the portion of St John’s Gospel Chapter 1 to 10. The child who will recite the most verses from within these ten chapters will be given a special prize; two other special prizes will be given to children reciting verses and then common prizes to all the participants. The children are very excited and are seen with their new testaments trying to memorize verses. The kids will be inviting their parents on the 14th of November, so it’s going to be a great way to enter into the hearts of Mothers and fathers who perhaps have been observing a definite change in the lives of the children since coming to our children’s club. Children have also now become familiar with a lot of praise and worship songs and enjoy singing to the glory of God with the beats of their loud claps.
It is so awesome to notice how the children make themselves look special when they come to the club, they live is such desperate conditions, many of the children do not even have a change of clothes, but when they come to the club, they have a nice wash & comb their hair the best they can and their clothes even though badly torn here and there, they try to keep themselves clean. Coming together gives them a sense of being presentable. Whatever…greater is their joy of knowing they can come as they are and they will always be loved and counted as Special….they long for love and attention, they come running into the club, each having some prayer request for someone in the family or in the slums; with great excitement many of them even go on to say ….”I prayed for him/her in the name of Jesus and know he/she will be well”; the utterance of these words from the little lips truly brings on a smile!
The Good thing that has come about within this year among the children is that a high percentage of them have been motivated to attend school, there is a great temptation for them to work in houses to clean floors, utensils, wash clothes, sell vegetables etc. Parents too want the little ones to work and supplement the income; fathers in most families take good advantage of this, by getting more and more into drinking and gambling, they themselves stay off work and expect their little boys and girls to go and earn a wage. Change has come in slowly. For the kids too it has been difficult to settle down to a full day of school, being in a habit of a free life, they would run away from school or stay off school for several days at a stretch but this year is a marked change and a difference in the children’s attitude and attendance at school as well as a marked change in the outlook of the parents. The Children now seem to enjoy not just attending school but are enjoying being part of the competition at school.
The Children are also getting ready for the month of December, there is an exciting programme made out for the children. On the 7th each child above 8 years will share a few sentence about Jesus. It will be a joy to hear them, I do know some of them will share of wonderful little experiences that they have had with Jesus. On the 14th December will be sports and games (fun time) for the children. A Christmas drama is planned for the 21st of December in the morning and a Carol singing evening the same day. On the 28th will be the love feast, children will invite their friends to join in the love feast, this will give the kids an opportunity to share about the reason for the season to their friends. For many children, this will be the first Christmas experience and we want it to be special. Gifts of clothes, blankets, toys, books, sweets etc will be given to the children as Christmas gift; this will give us a grand opportunity to share of the greatest gift of all.
The Lord is working in an awesome way in the lives of the believers; since the last several months, some of the ladies of the church are very burdened to gather regularly in the church, during week days, to seek the face of the Lord regarding needs in the church, families and in the lives of the believers and also to pray for the persecuted Christians in States surrounding our State. Since the last couple of months, persecution has been increasing in the States that surround our State of Maharastra. Many, many churches, Christian villages are burnt. The Pastors, Roman Catholic Priests and nuns are tortured and persecuted. It has become vital to seek the Lord for Wisdom and direction concerning every aspect of ministry. The enemy a roaring lion is always prowling seeking whom he may devour. Every opportunity the devil seeks to grab should be crushed and destroyed through much prayer and the wisdom of God.
We praise God for one baptism last month of Homi sixty five years of age. Homi has been a Parsi all the days of his life (Parsees are Zoroastrians, they come from Iran worship their prophet and fire). Homi has been deeply touched by the love of God and has realized how vital it is to repent of his sins and to establish a relationship with Jesus, once he sensed the truth of the Word of God; he wanted to be baptized without delay. In this country, it’s rare to see a Parsi accepting the Lord, they are a very small community and they do not mix with communities other than their own, they are also not people open to the Word of God but the Lord has had a very special way of entering into Homi’s life, he now is a changed man and we praise the Lord for transforming Homi’s life!
The church ministry is experiencing the blessing of God. Pressures are there, pressures such as never ever before but the Lord is on our side and He is fighting for us against all the attacks of the enemy, He is fighting all the powers of darkness that are trying to come against us. Truly, God IS fulfilling His promises in our life and ministry. He is a promise keeping God. We are experiencing if God is for us, no one can come against us also experiencing the mighty power of God’s protection, He says in His Word, In Jeremiah 61:19 “When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him and put him to flight for He will come like a rushing stream which the breath of the Lord drives.” His standard is our protection, it’s a mighty Hedge – a Hedge Satan cannot scale. The Lord has been our peace, He has blessed us with the peace the world cannot give us and His peace is our treasure. In the midst of the storm at sea, it was Jesus who was fast asleep in the boat. He expects this from us, an inner calm and confidence in the Lord will enable us to be at peace in the midst of deep trouble and turmoil.
Do prayer much for us, for the church and all the activities also for the children and all that has been planned for them in the days that are ahead. Your prayer support is appreciated very much, we also appreciate your love, concern and thoughtfulness and want to thank you and the church for standing-by with us and the work the Lord has entrusted to our care. May the Lord Bless and enrich your lives and may each one shine with the glory of God.
Lots and lots of love and appreciation to all the dearly beloved ones. Joy.
ALPHA - Fun, food and fellowship.
This year’s Alpha course has been a time of great blessing and discovery. Each evening began with supper and included a talk and an opportunity to meet in a group in a relaxed atmosphere to discuss that weeks topic. No question was off limits and we had some very interesting discussions. Many of those who were on the course have been able to learn new things, make new friends and to encounter God at a deeper level. We had a day away at Bozeat where we were touched by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Here are a few comments that were given about the course. “Excellent food and friendship”, “Found out more about my faith”, “Good to get back to basics”, “It has been a lovely time of getting together with everyone”, “Very interesting, making a person on the course think more deeply about the teachings, life and workings of Christ”, “It was good to get back into the church”, Had an amazing time .. I feel that I am more of a member of the church community.” The Alpha course is for anyone who wants to learn more about the Christian faith, who has questions they want to ask or just want to find out what it is all about. If you want to know more speak to Ian, or ask one of the people who were on the last course.
Thanks from the Cyclists of Griffydam
In the last Newsletter we mentioned that a team from Chapel in the Valley, Griffydam Wesleyan Reform Church were going to ride the Coast to Coast (C2C) cycle trail from Whitehaven to Sunderland, a distance of 140 miles, to raise funds for the Shalom Birthing Clinic in the Philippines.
The money was required to support the work being carried out by Mavis Orton. Mavis left her home in Staffordshire to travel to Manila in the Philippines in 1986, where she has served with Action International Ministries ever since. She lives in a two bedroom bungalow, which serves as her home, a clinic and training room for ante and post natal classes, a delivery room and anything else that is needed. Mavis is committed to providing a new birthing home for this poor, neglected area of Manila where, before she opened up her home, giving birth was "like having one foot in the grave". She needs something over £250,000 to complete the project, but trusts God to provide everything that is needed. When she first arrived in Manila, she delivered eight babies a month; now she is involved with around 124 deliveries a month. Her energy and enthusiasm for the work and for the people are infectious; her love for them is visible for all to see and her confidence in the faithfulness of God to provide is unwavering.
The ride has now been completed and Jan Shepherd of the Church has written to thank us.
I am writing on behalf of the "C2C bikers" to thank you and your Church for your gift of one hundred pounds for the Shalom Birthing Clinic.
The riders (the intrepid trio became the threesome four as another biker joined the team) completed the ride successfully on September 13th having set out from Whitehaven on Thursday morning 11th September. They rode along the official coast to coast cycle track the distance from one coast to the other being almost 140 miles. They dipped the wheels in the sea on both sides of the country (Irish Sea and North Sea) and some pictures have been sent to Contact for the November Issue.
Also we will let everyone know via Contact exactly how much was raised for the Shalom Birthing Clinic through the bike tide. We had already received almost £2000. It will be a fantastic sum when it is all totalled up!
Thank you again for your kindness and generosity.
With warmest Christian love and greetings
Jan Shepherd Church Secretary
Jan has also written in her role of Union Overseas Missions Secretary to say
“Thank you so much for the support that you give to the Overseas Missions Committee of the Union and in particular for the Warji Bible Translation Project.
As you know, this is the second year that we have supported this project and we understand that the fifth workshop for the translators was held in July and August and was very successful. The team had translated chapters 14 - 24 of Luke's Gospel into the Warji language between the workshops and these chapters were checked and verified during the workshop. All chapters of Luke's Gospel have now been drafted in Warji and the Consultant has five chapters to verify. Three more booklets have been produced in the written language for the teams to take back to their villages for testing by the people who are able to read in the villages. When this has been done to ensure that the meaning is "understandable" to the speakers of the language, they will go back to the next workshop for final amendments if necessary. The next workshop begins in November.
It is also expected that the Jesus film will be translated into Warji by the end of this year. This will mean that those people who do not read will be able to hear the Good News in their own language.
Please do continue to pray for the work of the Warji translators as they seek to bring the Good News of Jesus to the people who speak that language.
Yours, with warmest Christian love,
Jan Shepherd, Overseas Mission Secretary
Counselling Course Past and Counselling Service Future
Over four weekends from September to December a group of 11 people from Rushden and Wellingborough attended an “Introduction to Christian Counselling Course” run by the Manna House organisation based in Northampton. The course was subsidised by the East Northants Faith Group whose support was greatly appreciated. The course was intended for those who were “trying the door” to see if God was leading them into a ministry in counselling. I have to say that I found the course absolutely brilliant, I learnt an awful lot about myself let alone anything else. I would highly recommend the course to anyone, irrespective of whether they felt led to counsel or not, it has been a hugely valuable learning experience and one, that I hope and pray, will enable me to understand people and help them in ways that I would have missed before. If we got sufficient interest we would could organise another course, if you are at all interested please come and see me and we will see what we can do. There needs to be a minimum of 10 to host a course, but there are alternative venues if we do not make that number.
One of the reasons for hosting the course was to coincide with the Counselling Service that we feel God is leading us to set up for the town. Most of you will be aware that we have refurbished the room at the back of church, the Listening room (lately known as the Gold Room) for this purpose. We are close to becoming a satellite for the Manna House and early in the New Year hope to launch the service from the Mission. More details will be available closer to the time. In the meantime, if you feel you need counselling, or if you just want to chat to someone please come and see me. We are here to help and we see this as the beginning of another venture to be a Light for Christ in our community.
As a Church we have committed to regular support of two Missionary causes.
The first is Maurice Glover. Maurice worked with the people of Niger in translating the Bible and other classic Christian books such as “Pilgrim’s Progress” into the Tamajeq language. Serious ill health forced he and his wife Marthe’ to return to the UK. We took the decision to continue to support them into retirement (if you can call it that). Maurice writes to thank us for each gift received and here are excerpt from his recent correspondence.
Dear all at the Rushden Mission Church,
We greet you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, from Grove. We hope you are all well. Thank you so much for your kind generous support, we are most grateful.
On Tuesday we both put Gospel tracts in letter boxes in the village of Steventon and gave them to people whom we met. What a mixture that place is! There is a C. of E. Church, and a Methodist Chapel that closed recently and a Jehovah's Witnesses Hall. We had, on another visit met a young Mormon kicking a football around on the green with his friend. He had taken a tract. There is also a Bangladeshi restaurant which no doubt means Muslims too.
Last Saturday there were a number of us in the heart of Oxford sharing the gospel with the people. Each Saturday afternoon, we, together with folk from different churches in the area, have a table in Cornmarket with a display of Christian literature on it. We give out tracts and chat with people who are interested. Last Saturday was special because the Lord sent other groups along too.
The previous Sunday - Monday - Tuesday was the old St. Giles' Fair which attracts many people to the area between the Martyrs' memorial and St. Giles' Church. There are bumper cars, roller coaster and all the fun of the fair and of course lots of take away stalls and the St. Giles' church (think it was) had a stall selling cakes and things people made. They also had tea and snacks in the church building. Friends from the Open Air Mission held an open air and we stood with them and gave out tracts.
We also reach out in the villages of the Vale of the White Horse putting tracts in people's letter boxes. The need is great indeed. Last night we were at the Abbey Baptist Church in Abingdon to hear Dr. Patrick Sookhdeo the founder of the Barnabas fund. He was in the bed next to me in the Wycliffe Summer School at Merstham in 1967!
Then we were young and sprightly. Tempus fugit as they say!
We have been reaching out with the gospel into the villages. In recent days we have visited Lyford and Garford and yesterday we were in East Challow putting gospel tracts into letter boxes. On Saturday we hope to be with John Hawley of the Open Air Mission in Cornmarket in the heart of Oxford. Please pray for these outreaches.
May God bless you, our love in Christ, Maurice and Marthe
Thank you once again and God bless.
As I said these are excerpts from Maurice’s letters and he did not do all these things on one fortnight, but it does show that Maurice is tireless in his work for God.
The Second is Joy Rao; Joy is involved in working with children in Nagpur in India. I asked Joy for an item for this newsletter and what follows is her submission, I was going to edit this, but I could not find anything that I could cut out. So here is Joy’s message in full.
Dear beloved ones in the Mission Church. You are always in my thoughts and prayers and I pray that the Lord may bring an increase upon His Grace and Favour towards each one. His Word in Isaiah 30:18 say “He longs to be gracious unto us” …The Amplified version says “ The Lord earnestly waits expecting, looking and longing o be gracious to you; and therefore He lifts Himself up, that He may have mercy on you and show loving kindness to you. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed, happy, fortunate, to be envied are all those who earnestly wait for Him, who expect and look and long for Him, for His Victory, His favour, His love, His peace, His joy and His matchless unbroken companionship!” This is what all of us long for… MORE of Him, MORE of His Grace, MORE of His Mercy and MORE of His Love.
We can together praise Him for His grace mercy and love is new every morning. Lamentation 3:22 says” It is because of the Lord’s mercy and loving kindness that we are not consumed, because His tender compassions fail not, they are new every morning: great and abundant is Your stability and faithfulness” It’s wonderful to think that a year unfolds 365 NEW measures of compassion and love…How can we ever be consumed??
He IS a good God and His goodness endures for all time, all through this year we have been blessed by the goodness of God….His goodness in being present with us, in never leaving or forsaking us, in meeting us at the point of our needs, in being our protector and provider, in being our good shepherd – in leading, never misleading. We have experienced the goodness of God in the way He has been ministering to us, speaking to us with the presence and power of the Holy Spirit, in speaking to us through His Word and in having wonderful times of fellowship & communion through prayer. He has been an ever present help in times of trouble, He has answered our cries by giving us a deep sense of assurance that He has heard us. In living in a country such as this, I exalt the name of the Lord for being able to share the message of a God who is able to hear, see, sense, speak, feel & understand….A God who is alive, alive everyday in us and therefore proves Himself through us.
The last two months have been festive months in this country, so many festivals, one after another. People everywhere are tightly wrapped up in the powers of darkness unable to see the Light that could set them free from every tradition & superstition. We have not just a great Commission but a great Challenge, the more we are enlightened, the more is the burden to enlighten. The greatest thing that can change lives is the Light of the World- the Light of the World at work in the lives of people. When the Light comes in, people recognize their position, path & purpose. The Lord is Calling us more than ever to meet the Commission & the Challenge to set people free….we see the people around of us as His people…people He loves…people He died for…people He ants to save…People He does not want to perish…people He is waiting for. Do support us with your prayers for this desperate need in this land.
The Lord longs to be gracious to all those who do not know His grace……As you stand bye with us in prayer, I do believe the Lord will move with His mighty power and work in a way that is beyond all that we could ever ask, think or imagine even beyond our prayers and petitions. He is a great God and expects us to expect great things from Him. He is a great God, not to do tiny, tiny things but He is a great God to do great things for His children i.e. you and me!!!!! Praise His name!
We praise God for the wonderful doors He has opened this year to work in and through the lives of so many, many children in city slums. It all started with one girl who was so keenly taken up by the singing of choruses and the sharing of the life of Jesus. This girl has not stopped bringing in more and more children. It always is such a joy to see new faces and also the faces of the children who have become regular members of the club. A marked change is noticed in the lives of the children, they live in utter poverty but always have a big smile on their faces, they run & come to greet by a hand shake with a loud “Praise the Lord” - their faces are so full of the joy of the joy that is embedded in their hearts.
On the 14th of November is Children’s Day in this country and already great preparations are being made for this day. The children are preparing to take part in a Quiz competition and a competition of recitation of Bible Verses; they have been given the portion of St John’s Gospel Chapter 1 to 10. The child who will recite the most verses from within these ten chapters will be given a special prize; two other special prizes will be given to children reciting verses and then common prizes to all the participants. The children are very excited and are seen with their new testaments trying to memorize verses. The kids will be inviting their parents on the 14th of November, so it’s going to be a great way to enter into the hearts of Mothers and fathers who perhaps have been observing a definite change in the lives of the children since coming to our children’s club. Children have also now become familiar with a lot of praise and worship songs and enjoy singing to the glory of God with the beats of their loud claps.
It is so awesome to notice how the children make themselves look special when they come to the club, they live is such desperate conditions, many of the children do not even have a change of clothes, but when they come to the club, they have a nice wash & comb their hair the best they can and their clothes even though badly torn here and there, they try to keep themselves clean. Coming together gives them a sense of being presentable. Whatever…greater is their joy of knowing they can come as they are and they will always be loved and counted as Special….they long for love and attention, they come running into the club, each having some prayer request for someone in the family or in the slums; with great excitement many of them even go on to say ….”I prayed for him/her in the name of Jesus and know he/she will be well”; the utterance of these words from the little lips truly brings on a smile!
The Good thing that has come about within this year among the children is that a high percentage of them have been motivated to attend school, there is a great temptation for them to work in houses to clean floors, utensils, wash clothes, sell vegetables etc. Parents too want the little ones to work and supplement the income; fathers in most families take good advantage of this, by getting more and more into drinking and gambling, they themselves stay off work and expect their little boys and girls to go and earn a wage. Change has come in slowly. For the kids too it has been difficult to settle down to a full day of school, being in a habit of a free life, they would run away from school or stay off school for several days at a stretch but this year is a marked change and a difference in the children’s attitude and attendance at school as well as a marked change in the outlook of the parents. The Children now seem to enjoy not just attending school but are enjoying being part of the competition at school.
The Children are also getting ready for the month of December, there is an exciting programme made out for the children. On the 7th each child above 8 years will share a few sentence about Jesus. It will be a joy to hear them, I do know some of them will share of wonderful little experiences that they have had with Jesus. On the 14th December will be sports and games (fun time) for the children. A Christmas drama is planned for the 21st of December in the morning and a Carol singing evening the same day. On the 28th will be the love feast, children will invite their friends to join in the love feast, this will give the kids an opportunity to share about the reason for the season to their friends. For many children, this will be the first Christmas experience and we want it to be special. Gifts of clothes, blankets, toys, books, sweets etc will be given to the children as Christmas gift; this will give us a grand opportunity to share of the greatest gift of all.
The Lord is working in an awesome way in the lives of the believers; since the last several months, some of the ladies of the church are very burdened to gather regularly in the church, during week days, to seek the face of the Lord regarding needs in the church, families and in the lives of the believers and also to pray for the persecuted Christians in States surrounding our State. Since the last couple of months, persecution has been increasing in the States that surround our State of Maharastra. Many, many churches, Christian villages are burnt. The Pastors, Roman Catholic Priests and nuns are tortured and persecuted. It has become vital to seek the Lord for Wisdom and direction concerning every aspect of ministry. The enemy a roaring lion is always prowling seeking whom he may devour. Every opportunity the devil seeks to grab should be crushed and destroyed through much prayer and the wisdom of God.
We praise God for one baptism last month of Homi sixty five years of age. Homi has been a Parsi all the days of his life (Parsees are Zoroastrians, they come from Iran worship their prophet and fire). Homi has been deeply touched by the love of God and has realized how vital it is to repent of his sins and to establish a relationship with Jesus, once he sensed the truth of the Word of God; he wanted to be baptized without delay. In this country, it’s rare to see a Parsi accepting the Lord, they are a very small community and they do not mix with communities other than their own, they are also not people open to the Word of God but the Lord has had a very special way of entering into Homi’s life, he now is a changed man and we praise the Lord for transforming Homi’s life!
The church ministry is experiencing the blessing of God. Pressures are there, pressures such as never ever before but the Lord is on our side and He is fighting for us against all the attacks of the enemy, He is fighting all the powers of darkness that are trying to come against us. Truly, God IS fulfilling His promises in our life and ministry. He is a promise keeping God. We are experiencing if God is for us, no one can come against us also experiencing the mighty power of God’s protection, He says in His Word, In Jeremiah 61:19 “When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him and put him to flight for He will come like a rushing stream which the breath of the Lord drives.” His standard is our protection, it’s a mighty Hedge – a Hedge Satan cannot scale. The Lord has been our peace, He has blessed us with the peace the world cannot give us and His peace is our treasure. In the midst of the storm at sea, it was Jesus who was fast asleep in the boat. He expects this from us, an inner calm and confidence in the Lord will enable us to be at peace in the midst of deep trouble and turmoil.
Do prayer much for us, for the church and all the activities also for the children and all that has been planned for them in the days that are ahead. Your prayer support is appreciated very much, we also appreciate your love, concern and thoughtfulness and want to thank you and the church for standing-by with us and the work the Lord has entrusted to our care. May the Lord Bless and enrich your lives and may each one shine with the glory of God.
Lots and lots of love and appreciation to all the dearly beloved ones. Joy.
The day was made even more special by the presence a former Minister of the church the Rev John Williams and his wife Dorothy. Other guests from churches within our circuit of the Wesleyan Reform Unio
and with Sandra after the service.
The Mission Band joined members of the Church, friends and passers by on the Car Park to sing carols and to enjoy soup and jacket potatoes. Here are three pictures, click to enlarge.
