tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84903103077176213492024-03-14T06:46:28.257-07:00TOGETHERAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02774507464092388367noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490310307717621349.post-36624856439080558532015-01-12T11:28:00.001-08:002015-01-26T07:18:11.538-08:00Christmas missionIt seems that many, many churches took the opportunity at Christmas to be part of some amazing mission initiatives. Maybe some of these stories will inspire you for next year.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg34ZtdoC_SpIYSQ1U1JjEiP_b_q3bG-_o44KNAEeUYRWmCkYrt0R3axsLZTE0iI1k0M5MnQQac9QZ3WYv4gpZrRZBbj79HONfOd4w3sY-Tc5w0ZZy5yPrMluKEFn2Ziz8gjHRhZS72iW0/s1600/angel3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg34ZtdoC_SpIYSQ1U1JjEiP_b_q3bG-_o44KNAEeUYRWmCkYrt0R3axsLZTE0iI1k0M5MnQQac9QZ3WYv4gpZrRZBbj79HONfOd4w3sY-Tc5w0ZZy5yPrMluKEFn2Ziz8gjHRhZS72iW0/s1600/angel3.jpg" height="148" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg24pRIUk-LXupVEeY74L_Oujs4Mcs_E5jTMHM-zooHa5nfbWEuQGEyqdhBzZE-FE2Mpgsy2VnGYZuNeYElAbk9u97UgNEnhvIapmVVtMh3VyA8QgOQecnlrJGF_tQzAYrBGJHTjM-xAgU/s1600/angel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg24pRIUk-LXupVEeY74L_Oujs4Mcs_E5jTMHM-zooHa5nfbWEuQGEyqdhBzZE-FE2Mpgsy2VnGYZuNeYElAbk9u97UgNEnhvIapmVVtMh3VyA8QgOQecnlrJGF_tQzAYrBGJHTjM-xAgU/s1600/angel.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a>First we had the Christmas Angels. This original idea came from Rob Wylie but it didn't take long for the people of North Shields & Whitley Bay Circuit to catch the vision. This was a great initiative which brought people of all ages together. Over 2000 Angels were knitted and placed all around Tynemouth for people to pick up and keep. Each had a tag with a link to find out more online. This really caught the communities imagination and it was lovely to see it being reported on in the press and on TV <a href="http://www.newsguardian.co.uk/news/local/yarn-bombers-help-to-bring-some-christmas-cheer-to-tynemouth-1-7025497">News Guardian</a>.<br />
Christians in Blackhill also gave out Angels when they went carol singing around the community. Read more from Rob's perspective here <a href="https://beachcomberfx.wordpress.com/scavenger-2/christmas-angels-a-reflection/">Rob's Blog</a> and get knitting those angels for next Christmas.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg34ZtdoC_SpIYSQ1U1JjEiP_b_q3bG-_o44KNAEeUYRWmCkYrt0R3axsLZTE0iI1k0M5MnQQac9QZ3WYv4gpZrRZBbj79HONfOd4w3sY-Tc5w0ZZy5yPrMluKEFn2Ziz8gjHRhZS72iW0/s1600/angel3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; color: black;"></span></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYv3erY2Ym1Zk9lPMfIryV6fgOUVzNpNTFKTTrrVZ5gnkRb5fkA4gUDeahLyPiXztuxzxvd-8jiyc1xu-AEhHNF6B7zFEU0bV4h8emUZrd1xSJW_gbteGSohGqwM-ahnQUI5KquV3tTsI/s1600/window2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYv3erY2Ym1Zk9lPMfIryV6fgOUVzNpNTFKTTrrVZ5gnkRb5fkA4gUDeahLyPiXztuxzxvd-8jiyc1xu-AEhHNF6B7zFEU0bV4h8emUZrd1xSJW_gbteGSohGqwM-ahnQUI5KquV3tTsI/s1600/window2.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoiO7EKOeczGhKRrAcFSbJb1etOn_IayJdBqoMOs63LAqG1STlsZwkelmg5a_R9rFgEf5Ndd4n-m6VD1GsF9IbR1hiZvzuTa7ny0ldBvssxsdEiQErHDznnJhvjzJb46RRYXCBFzpozLk/s1600/window.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoiO7EKOeczGhKRrAcFSbJb1etOn_IayJdBqoMOs63LAqG1STlsZwkelmg5a_R9rFgEf5Ndd4n-m6VD1GsF9IbR1hiZvzuTa7ny0ldBvssxsdEiQErHDznnJhvjzJb46RRYXCBFzpozLk/s1600/window.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a>Up in Hexham, Trinity Methodist Church had a new notice board made as an Advent Calendar window that changed each day. The idea came from their minister David Goodall & you can read more about it in the Hexham Courant - just follow this link <a href="http://www.hexhamcourant.co.uk/news/hexham-advent-of-outdoor-calendar-spreads-christmas-message-1.1178503">Hexham Trinity</a>.<br />
Different individuals and groups took responsibility for different days and created some wonderful windows which expressed the advent season. You can see them all here <a href="https://hexhamadvent.wordpress.com/">advent windows</a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvFDA5Luo_gwyCW9Ufn0_qrqCTB1L8Eqfa5umrSV_MgGbm66XtHzy7SM_IfR7VwcTVXKWnNokyJ3-3CbwTFiw6l1iFqWiwsO5BoK90lMno-bhybQAzFMMbsf5K62Xp0jWg9BvTGSn7Bxc/s1600/shop1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvFDA5Luo_gwyCW9Ufn0_qrqCTB1L8Eqfa5umrSV_MgGbm66XtHzy7SM_IfR7VwcTVXKWnNokyJ3-3CbwTFiw6l1iFqWiwsO5BoK90lMno-bhybQAzFMMbsf5K62Xp0jWg9BvTGSn7Bxc/s1600/shop1.jpg" height="304" width="320" /></a><br />
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And finally, in North Shields, a team of volunteers worked very hard indeed. A shop unit was leased and opened with prayer stations, free coffee and the opportunity to sit and chat for a while. You can read more about it here <a href="http://www.shieldsgazette.com/news/education/south-shields-shoppers-can-have-their-prayers-answered-1-6999349">West Harton</a>. Angela Lishman came up with the idea after the Together Mission when the team in Whitley Bay did something similar. So it's good to share stories and ideas....you never know what might come from it!<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">It made me
smile to see the church totally empty. Ten thirty on a Sunday morning and not a
soul was in sight. No music, no people, no service, not even a coffee in a
green cup in the hall. For some this would be a depressing sight, but not for
me, because I knew where all the people were.....they were outside serving
their community.</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 19px;">In the Newcastle
Upon Tyne District, local churches have been encouraged to join in with a new
mission initiative called 'Get Out Of Church Sunday'. The idea being that
during any Sunday in October, in place of the normal Sunday Services,
congregations leave the premises and go and do something different as a way of
engaging in mission and serving those around them.</span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 19px;"></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 19px;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjo9f9huZ88muy9X3liij0qNR9pUhmnyGsORoaBOQu25LT4MHuMXaGhl7001Sy2QwtvjNHIXfGBi5O7Tx7upS92bCmLogCFPXoYVCKK2ZgFErFzDDJVtMN7RlvZpnR_fedAmH56ZOFGGI/s1600/kids+games.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjo9f9huZ88muy9X3liij0qNR9pUhmnyGsORoaBOQu25LT4MHuMXaGhl7001Sy2QwtvjNHIXfGBi5O7Tx7upS92bCmLogCFPXoYVCKK2ZgFErFzDDJVtMN7RlvZpnR_fedAmH56ZOFGGI/s1600/kids+games.jpg" height="185" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Games in the park</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-bidi-font-family: Cambria; mso-fareast-font-family: Cambria;">Great Lumley Methodist Church, like many others, took up this challenge, & after a great commissioning from their minister, Ian Kent, they left the building! All of them!!! </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 19px;"></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 19px;"></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7yy1R175YXSgera6T-G4x-lTGuTnSV4WrS_Rt8F-V3ZpHFKBOe3XKquoPVc7KayJF4nDXHxH_G34wg8qjE860-MuQfNGETbWhXTUoGVoOZ-pLF-iod10MRvttOcSezxDaacHTCF_-HUc/s1600/litter+pick.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7yy1R175YXSgera6T-G4x-lTGuTnSV4WrS_Rt8F-V3ZpHFKBOe3XKquoPVc7KayJF4nDXHxH_G34wg8qjE860-MuQfNGETbWhXTUoGVoOZ-pLF-iod10MRvttOcSezxDaacHTCF_-HUc/s1600/litter+pick.jpg" height="200" width="143" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">litter picking</td></tr>
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The 1st group was made up
mainly of children & a couple of Sunday School teachers. Carrying a large box
of games they were heading for the park to play games with any other children
who happened to be there. The next team were dressed very casually for a Sunday
morning...this was because they were off to the village green to do some
gardening and pick up litter. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 19px;"></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 19px;"></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYHahJ5xebpiWvWvF9rnMghIv06Frw9RrtV3dWsn8X0JBqUJk6Rw1cynB07QkbDtBo20-0sCIRF3bzSxyHu1XJT3aFz-41_0dAJjmMNUX_Ls5w0A4Z2vaKD9SXrTkQqUQCOI-sUZMhe0k/s1600/prayer+walkers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYHahJ5xebpiWvWvF9rnMghIv06Frw9RrtV3dWsn8X0JBqUJk6Rw1cynB07QkbDtBo20-0sCIRF3bzSxyHu1XJT3aFz-41_0dAJjmMNUX_Ls5w0A4Z2vaKD9SXrTkQqUQCOI-sUZMhe0k/s1600/prayer+walkers.jpg" height="149" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">off on a prayer walk</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 19px;"></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 19px;"></span></div>
<div class="Body">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 19px;">Then came the team who wanted to prayer walk
around their village and ask for God's blessing on their community. </span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgULdmRNqetyTjiFtfNxyKUU_6-q18sKgyWORUMThqxWudFgm9lO0v3VRmwZkNpJ3eaCz-eeDIzlG6PsNMdGBNGlNrMWhX2ANYFQyKws08ZLa4p922EbrN8QuuR4y7j504Ba9BY7XALulo/s1600/free+coffee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgULdmRNqetyTjiFtfNxyKUU_6-q18sKgyWORUMThqxWudFgm9lO0v3VRmwZkNpJ3eaCz-eeDIzlG6PsNMdGBNGlNrMWhX2ANYFQyKws08ZLa4p922EbrN8QuuR4y7j504Ba9BY7XALulo/s1600/free+coffee.jpg" height="149" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">free coffee at the football</td></tr>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 19px;">The next
team were headed for the coffee shop in the community centre where they were
going to use a great resource called Table Talk to hopefully spark
conversations. Finally a team laden with flasks and drinks left the building.
They were off to the sports field to offer free, hot drinks to the parents as
they watched their children play football. A couple of people did stay behind
as their job was to get a barbecue lunch ready as everyone was going to gather
back there and invite others to join them for some free food. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgex3P3TIxP_EutnMUtIuaBA4Ry1UB6lK0bb4jlUC8rTl0i6LjiwHgc57Q5XdViIMKCQ_ePy2GP3Q-htMPO_7QaeEZoP-By5vLL3jA6b7qexe32UMkZFZdVwbsJzkXs1a51TDhmMKObQaI/s1600/table+Talk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgex3P3TIxP_EutnMUtIuaBA4Ry1UB6lK0bb4jlUC8rTl0i6LjiwHgc57Q5XdViIMKCQ_ePy2GP3Q-htMPO_7QaeEZoP-By5vLL3jA6b7qexe32UMkZFZdVwbsJzkXs1a51TDhmMKObQaI/s1600/table+Talk.jpg" height="149" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Table Talk in the cafe</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">After leading
a team in the morning, David Brown said '</span><i><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">Get out of church Sunday has provided </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">Great Lumley Methodist Church</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";"> with an opportunity to reignite its vision to be at the
heart of the community and with a heart for the community. We haven't moved
mountains yet but it</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">'</span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">s definitely given us the boost we need to get back out
there and be sharing God's love with our community</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">.'</span></div>
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<!--EndFragment--> <span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">Lots of churches engaged with many great, yet simple, mission activities, most of them finding to their surprise that not only could they do it, but they actually enjoyed it. Lots of
prayer walks, visits to those who can no longer attend, songs in the park,
launch of messy church, youth activities, gardening, litter picking, coffee
drinking, time to talk with local residents, the offer of free food, picnics in
the park, Table Talk in community areas, Bible studies in caf</span><span style="font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-font-family: Helvetica;">é</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">s, cake making and then taking them to visit those who
are lonely...the list goes on. All on one day in October. A Sunday when Christians decided to 'get out of church'.</span><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02774507464092388367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490310307717621349.post-41335409273593878282014-07-02T03:04:00.000-07:002014-07-02T03:04:17.055-07:00Bucket List for The Methodist ChurchI'm sat at home watching the Methodist Conference via the live streaming....watching godly people walking forward to receive bread & wine. Today they have many important things to debate & consider (and one or two less important things too!).<br />
<br />
One report before them today is the wonderfully named <a href="http://www.methodistconference.org.uk/birmingham-2014/2014-07-02/1700-pm/37-statistics-for-mission">Statistics for Mission</a><br />
<br />
If you haven't yet read the report can I suggest you <i>don't</i> do it just before going to bed! Not if you want to sleep that night. I felt deeply affected after reading it & was left pondering the implications for many days. Asking God, 'so what do we do?' the answer seemed to come to me, surprisingly, from a letter in the Methodist Recorder, from Dr Richard Vautrey (pasted in full below). His hope is that the report will both sound a wake up call but will also enable us to speak honestly & openly about our inevitable death. Dr Vautrey then goes on to relate how patients who know they are going to die often take on a very different outlook on life, making the most of each & every precious day. Some compile a bucket list & find themselves doing things they never thought themselves capable of doing (often using the inheritance in order to achieve this). He concludes by saying,<br />
<br />
<i>'The Statistics for Mission should therefore be a signal that it is time to party. Who knows, rather than visiting us on our death bed, perhaps people in our communities might be interested in coming to find out why we are enjoying ourselves so much.'</i><br />
<br />
Goodness, how amazing would it be if the people called Methodists started to party, spend the inheritance & take risks with their last few years instead of worrying about the pain of what is to come.<br />
Let's spend the new roof fund, let's plant new projects, let's share our faith, let's demonstrate love in every area of our communities, let's tell people about this Jesus who is supposedly so precious to us, let's do all of this BEFORE it's too late to do any of this.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Let's compile that bucket list & start living before we die.</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<i>In May 2002 I wrote to the Methodist Recorder saying, “if the British Methodist Church continues to decline by an average of 8,762 members each year (as it has done over the last six years) then the British Methodist Church has only 37 years left.” The publication of the latest “Statistics for Mission” (Recorder, June 6) suggests that this prediction is still on target and there will not be a Methodist Church in Britain by 2039 – now just 25 years away.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Of course our decline is unlikely to follow such a simplistic linear fashion.</i> In fact it could come <i>quicker as the current annual 3.7% rate of decline is likely to increase because of the age profile of our membership. Our Church has benefited from the fact that Methodists in Britain are a pretty healthy lot and many of us live long in to old age. However that also means we could be facing more of a cliff edge rather than a steady decline. </i><br />
<br />
<i>My hope then was to both sound a wake-up call but also to enable us to speak honestly and openly about our inevitable death. I concluded that a “Church that preaches that new life follows death should itself trust in God and not be afraid of what is to come”. I believe that to be true as much today as it was then.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Patients who know they are going to die often have a very different outlook on life. They make the most of every precious day. Yes they prepare, and put their affairs in order, but many also compile bucket lists of exciting and challenging things to do whilst they have the strength and energy to do them. They do things they never thought themselves capable of.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>So let’s not dwell on our pain but instead celebrate each God given day we have left. Let’s not worry too much about long detailed plans and being too “methodical”, let’s instead experiment, take risks and have fun whilst we do so. Let’s share our joy for life with those around us and let’s spend the inheritance saved up by the saints who have gone before us, not with a sense of gloom as we mourn our own loss, but with joy and gratitude for the generosity of an ever-present God. </i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>The Statistics for Mission should therefore be </i><i>a signal that it is time to party. Who knows, rather than visiting us on our death bed, perhaps people in our communities might be interested in coming to find out why we are enjoying ourselves so much.</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Dr Richard Vautrey</i><br />
<i>Leeds</i>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02774507464092388367noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490310307717621349.post-60377715343796030592014-03-25T09:50:00.000-07:002014-03-25T09:50:00.193-07:00<div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt;">I could complain, I often do....but for now I choose to be thankful. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12pt;">This mornings quick look at twitter took a little more time than I expected. I was drawn to this blog </span><a href="http://god-loves-women.m.webs.com/site/mobile?dm_path=%2Fapps%2Fblog%2Fentries%2Fshow%2F41983526%2Dthey%2Ddid%2Dnot%2Dbelieve%2Dthe%2Dwomen%2D&fw_sig_url=http://god-loves-women.webs.com/&fw_sig_session_key=944c1f96b46dede94eabb7ff1cb302200671cb94f3d531ae4c599e935e896c9e-82811861&fw_sig_premium=0&fw_sig_social=1&fw_sig_time=1395764179912&fw_sig_is_admin=0&fw_sig_locale=en-US&fw_sig_permissions=none&fw_sig_access_token=378ead2f8adca7b44c7dc579a8984d2d1e380ae5&fw_sig_tier=0&fw_sig=3a521a0e27f804c4f8aac6a8227e2927&fw_sig_permission_level=0&fw_sig_api_key=522b0eedffc137c934fc7268582d53a1&fw_sig_site=82811861&fb_sig_network=fw#0010" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px;">http://god-loves-women</a><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-size: 12px;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">and then several conversations online in response to it. </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-size: 12px;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="font-size: 12px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-weight: normal;">On numerous occasions I have stood up and complained about the lack of women involved in teaching and preaching at large conferences. I've often then found myself angered at the response...a token woman in the program. At times I have been that token woman myself! </span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-weight: normal;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-weight: normal;">But I'm not going to complain or shout today. Instead I choose to be thankful.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-weight: normal;">Thankful that today someone else has written a blog and championed the cause.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-weight: normal;">Thankful that I belong to a church that has been ordaining women for 40 years.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-weight: normal;">Thankful that I belong to the <a href="http://www.freshexpressions.org.uk/">fresh expressions</a> network who I think are the most naturally inclusive group of people I have ever worked with.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-weight: normal;">Thankful that I'm NOT the token woman at this years <a href="http://www.freshexpressions.org.uk/">ECG</a> conference...there are lots of us. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-weight: normal;">Thankful for a husband who has often put my name forward for an appointment when he could have done it himself...because he wants women to have as many opportunities as men. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-weight: normal;">Thankful that in Christ I don't need to shout to be noticed. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-weight: normal;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-weight: normal;">Yes there's still a long way to go, and on other occasions I will probably be pulling my hair out.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0); font-weight: normal;"> But today I choose to be thankful. </span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02774507464092388367noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490310307717621349.post-63867703741997562392014-02-14T08:41:00.000-08:002014-02-14T08:41:40.938-08:00Today I met....Today I had a coffee and chat with a great guy. He's fairly young, articulate, bright, good looking and well dressed. We spent around half an hour chatting over our coffee, and during that time he shared with me some of his hopes for the future. He talked about how he'd done pretty well at school and that he hoped for a career that would challenge him and give him the kind of income he needed. He talked of his girlfriend and his hope of finding a home that they could move into together. In one respect there was nothing unusual about his hopes and dreams - they are similar to what most people look for in life.<br />
<br />
You might be surprised when I tell you where the conversation took place, as it wasn't in a cosy coffee shop - it was in a Foodbank. This bright, articulate young man is homeless. His dream of having a job that provides the kind of income he needs is having a minimum wage job. In his words, 'minimum wage is enough for me, it's more than I have now'. All he wanted was a bit of stability. Is that too much to ask for?<br />
<br />
His story (like many of the stories I've heard at the Foodbank) shines a spotlight on the injustices and inadequacies within our society and welfare system. There are people who fall through the gaps and seem to lie forgotten. They are not just statistics, they are real people. Each one with a story. And when you meet the people, instead of debating the reason for 'the problem' you find that they are just normal folk who've hit a rough patch. They are our neighbours.<br />
<br />
Thank God for the Foodbanks, the Churches, the Citizens Advice Bureau and the like who work selflessly to reach out and let people know that they <i>are</i> important, the <i style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875);">are</i> worth something, they deserve respect.<br />
<br />
<br />
(Blog posted with permission).Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02774507464092388367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490310307717621349.post-31239579997016061932014-01-21T12:12:00.000-08:002014-01-21T12:12:08.084-08:00'Methodism doesn't need evolution - it needs revolution.' '<b>Methodism doesn't need evolution - it needs revolution.'</b><br />
<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />
These words were said to me at the end of a conversation about itineracy and the circuit system in Methodism. A few of us had been chatting around the dinner table about some of the blockages to growth, and indeed about some of the possibilities too. I found myself defending our structures as being workable (I know, very unusual for me!) if we approach them in the right way. I mentioned how with some tweaking we could make our structures much more workable. One of the guys as he walked away, said, 'Methodism doesn't need evolution - it needs revolution.'<br />
<br />
Almost immediately I realised that he was right and I was wrong. The more I thought about these words, the more I realised the weight of them. I feel unsettled in my spirit. Perhaps his words were more prophetic than a throw away comment at the end of a conversation....at least that's what I'm thinking. <br />
<br />
So I'm left wondering, 'how desperate are we for transformation?' Desperate enough to do things very differently....and even to be different? Revolutions are never a walk in the park! People get hurt. Mistakes are made. And that might make us hesitant because we avoid pain and upset....that's only natural. But is it really our business to worry about others if it takes our focus away from Christ? Or are we supposed to fix our eyes on Jesus the pioneer and perfect or of faith? <br />
<br />
Revolutions start with individuals. Please don't think for one minute that I'm advocating a violent power struggle with our denominational leaders....I'm really not. These are godly people whom I love and respect. But a revolution can equally be about a change in attitude and actions that brings about wide-reaching change.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />
I'm not sure how to finish this post as everything I try to write now just seems trite, as if I'm looking for an easy answer to neatly wrap up and conclude with. So instead I'll tell you that I expect to keep on feeling unsettled, and I'll pray, and think, and when I next see you, let's talk about revolution.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02774507464092388367noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490310307717621349.post-25708078033070963172013-11-03T07:36:00.000-08:002013-11-03T07:36:13.414-08:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUIrMxH9aA-buCQR5NaYFjHHvNPrIc-8QFKXIqVS8BmD8KwskTOE7NE63POZeQFfYI48mIWyiFO-0Rg_G6wtV1LbnbX34R_lFOacKE7oc5zCsRn3wvZV5GAddaj3Jht5HH9pftXOIV7Nk/s1600/splat+a+rat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUIrMxH9aA-buCQR5NaYFjHHvNPrIc-8QFKXIqVS8BmD8KwskTOE7NE63POZeQFfYI48mIWyiFO-0Rg_G6wtV1LbnbX34R_lFOacKE7oc5zCsRn3wvZV5GAddaj3Jht5HH9pftXOIV7Nk/s200/splat+a+rat.jpg" width="150" /></a>Saturday morning....can't quite believe that we are at the end of the week. Although this will be my last blog from visiting the teams, I will add some reflections over the next couple of weeks. If you have been involved with TOGETHER in any way I'd appreciate your reflections, comments & good news stories so please send them to me. This morning I went along to North Shields Methodist church for a family games morning & lunch. A great reminder that offering simple activities, hospitality and a safe place to meet is often all that is needed.<br />
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The Consett/Delves Lane team had sent out prayer requests as they'd changed the time of their open air service at the market place because of the weather forecast. It seems they got it right as they had only just finished when the rain came. Over the last 3 days the team has given away well over 1000 Bags of Hope & talked to many, many people.<br />
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Then off to Wrekenton for the joint youth event 'CONNECT'. DJ Sean kicked the night off then it was over to youth workers Andy & Jill who hosted the evening & kept the event rolling. KoGs (Kids of God) from Lanchester led worship & MAD from Delves Lane shared 2 amazing dances. Local leader Ian Stimpson shared his experience of bungee jumping in New Zealand & linked that to our need to trust God. Over 100 people attended this - the majority being young adults or under 18's. It was a very diverse group (a good number had never been to a church event before TOGETHER) and<br />
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everyone involved did a great job interacting and keeping people engaged. This was a great way to round up the youth work that's been going on through the week. And a good reminder that young people ARE still interested and do still want to know more about God...particularly when good folk get alongside them & demonstrate that God has made a difference in their lives. Everyone has worked incredibly hard on TOGETHER, but I have to say that those who'd been involved in youth work through the week looked particularly exhausted. Once more, a huge thank you to those who have given so much of themselves. Even though it was late when we'd packed up and everyone was tired, people just weren't in a hurry to go home. I'm praying that the experience of this week will be something that God uses to change us & transform us more & more into the likeness of Christ. Many of us are already thinking & praying 'what next Lord?' - watch this space....<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02774507464092388367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490310307717621349.post-88587359145535585432013-11-02T02:35:00.000-07:002013-11-02T02:35:51.897-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-SHwD5H4vVFjSXS-HV7X2BaCUq9z6A14xE5lXK-Vay9ekgUG7LuTSosi6_8eO4cF4DkQBiRD8lpoTnnm2bNL19FDjj2ycPkBq-6NRlo0gtElejQY1Su70Ah_XDsXWFxaPD-FdaCVfDbw/s1600/logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="61" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-SHwD5H4vVFjSXS-HV7X2BaCUq9z6A14xE5lXK-Vay9ekgUG7LuTSosi6_8eO4cF4DkQBiRD8lpoTnnm2bNL19FDjj2ycPkBq-6NRlo0gtElejQY1Su70Ah_XDsXWFxaPD-FdaCVfDbw/s320/logo.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjayae_Vz_JoRQgenUq9GZNWRb3qEEfinynQZQ2VqW6ZK-WmljcIDa3x9Cf-31hV4YuLJvx3CKdRS8vH8fscqHrpJZp9APbWjnLlR7JXc7c2dPqxIqhtKHwlciy0n-Z3NOsxnAUDc1GBUo/s1600/Consett+Market.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjayae_Vz_JoRQgenUq9GZNWRb3qEEfinynQZQ2VqW6ZK-WmljcIDa3x9Cf-31hV4YuLJvx3CKdRS8vH8fscqHrpJZp9APbWjnLlR7JXc7c2dPqxIqhtKHwlciy0n-Z3NOsxnAUDc1GBUo/s200/Consett+Market.jpg" width="200" /></a>Friday morning and Rob Wylie & I set off to the team at Consett & Delves Lane. Thursday, Friday & Saturday they are at Consett Market place giving out Bags of Hope, free literature, chocolate and lots of smiles. Like the Alnwick team & the Bede team they were also collecting prayer requests from anyone who was happy to stay & chat for a while. Considering it was Friday I was impressed with the energy & enthusiasm of this team....it really was contagious. We were invited back to the church for lunch (a BIG thank you to all the good people who have baked & supplied food for the teams this week). At the lunch an interesting conversation arose from some of the younger members of the team. They'd been asking the team leader for my address so they could write to me & tell me we MUST do TOGETHER again next year! One of the young people then started to tell the minister how they could raise money to do it too. It was just so wonderful to be part of their loud, exuberant excitement and their delight at having been part of this special week.<br />
Fantastic team!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOtZuM6LyrqmNTYoX_UXuvTaW36BWn_-FNtomJ0YMoWTyb26Wd9ROtXTsPihA6iRUO6XkjsRuqwacweQYP2Xp-oKs88gbHOmS6JKqCQmd9NRj6-Dw-LCfLQ0jKrWUcyXynNdtMzBTVJ1o/s1600/magic+act.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOtZuM6LyrqmNTYoX_UXuvTaW36BWn_-FNtomJ0YMoWTyb26Wd9ROtXTsPihA6iRUO6XkjsRuqwacweQYP2Xp-oKs88gbHOmS6JKqCQmd9NRj6-Dw-LCfLQ0jKrWUcyXynNdtMzBTVJ1o/s200/magic+act.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
Then over to Sunderland, St. Andrews Southwick, for their Light Party. Great to see families engaging in crafts, games & quizzes. Local leader Eunice gave a short talk about Saints and then team leader Graham presented a magic show (so many talents on these teams). We left just as they were having tea (we really can't eat at every visit). Then travelled over to Windy Nook to pop in & see the team who were facilitating an Urban Skills youth night. The football cage was a hit again, and some of MAD dance group from Delves were there to lead a dance workshop.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAkNsYF_WnrkzMH6plpGR1MQvzaOB660PApa6k9mU5-3BpNY_g6DJWQeePbUem_fsLshQQb85YZPTva03dTqurudI3nsK_hFebj0YQPsd3xtTtYnmsUidOUIDi_UbhyphenhyphenKZp9NSVwFDv1hY/s1600/youth+president.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAkNsYF_WnrkzMH6plpGR1MQvzaOB660PApa6k9mU5-3BpNY_g6DJWQeePbUem_fsLshQQb85YZPTva03dTqurudI3nsK_hFebj0YQPsd3xtTtYnmsUidOUIDi_UbhyphenhyphenKZp9NSVwFDv1hY/s200/youth+president.jpg" width="200" /></a>Then the final event we visited today was back up at Delves Lane for their youth drop in. Wonderful again just to see a place full of non-church kids. Yes its loud, yes it's messy...but I found it a very exciting environment to be in. Good news - some of the kids from this week have asked to join MAD (music & dance group) so keep praying for the leaders up at Delves as they continue this work. Our Youth President Tamara Wray visited last night too, as did our new Regional Team Coordinator Tricia Mitchell who has been traveling around with me to meet the teams. Tricia said, 'Wow! What wonderful people - team, guests and passers by. I've been touched by God through this week.'<br />
I think though TOGETHER many of the volunteers, and myself, have rediscovered some of our roots. Things we maybe used to be involved in but had presumed were dated and wouldn't work anymore. But on the whole, when invitations have been given in love and with respect, people have responded.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02774507464092388367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490310307717621349.post-75653520213042403382013-11-01T02:04:00.000-07:002013-11-01T02:04:30.747-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjghMeLEy_CBK-48XqYQFrY0OCeZbVQzpHGrU2ADWBwGr3NW5F0rsQQqYMd3z1U3ITpoLVvswBagrSlncVEE6ZinPRvUfJArkmv0bZP4z-ChWb6upZ-X-g-kQ71-1swMJzfSv782sSABjc/s1600/logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="61" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjghMeLEy_CBK-48XqYQFrY0OCeZbVQzpHGrU2ADWBwGr3NW5F0rsQQqYMd3z1U3ITpoLVvswBagrSlncVEE6ZinPRvUfJArkmv0bZP4z-ChWb6upZ-X-g-kQ71-1swMJzfSv782sSABjc/s320/logo.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU-juKIl207lqneMkQVwbH_p_u2iPleSF4envI7iWNKs-ePC4JtvvCe4BvU3fbTxlCrCYnk8GGAYGppK_9ZlKI5gPywRrvvpsTF4MYYMCsc6__mtiOjAM5DQz1omePrYmLOg2Q1vH64oU/s1600/lemington+team.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU-juKIl207lqneMkQVwbH_p_u2iPleSF4envI7iWNKs-ePC4JtvvCe4BvU3fbTxlCrCYnk8GGAYGppK_9ZlKI5gPywRrvvpsTF4MYYMCsc6__mtiOjAM5DQz1omePrYmLOg2Q1vH64oU/s200/lemington+team.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_5zXX_81V1T4iMjGe63J-lo14Slxbfd3hZ4FjDsULbcCzgaFbD2tMRssV5cc8jMwaZTvpMasQSDja_l20oXpyVaYf_LgRJe34asQ8kwvFD6kLGeZQcyEdbHdVJ0mWfhLPCboy7R8kN_g/s1600/Alistair+@+Pelton.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_5zXX_81V1T4iMjGe63J-lo14Slxbfd3hZ4FjDsULbcCzgaFbD2tMRssV5cc8jMwaZTvpMasQSDja_l20oXpyVaYf_LgRJe34asQ8kwvFD6kLGeZQcyEdbHdVJ0mWfhLPCboy7R8kN_g/s200/Alistair+@+Pelton.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbmzQ8oBw12LtWc5ZdvUkUeYzhL0TxbIJDWjYlU41QZWH54bXLP4B-LCxhgJwxT3VmrxV3iXtBHbLTF1Nvd1bTU0UwSjKUbC9BqVi-ZezzynCoYz-EN41vNpK80usCfpm1QUpFlyaRo6k/s1600/kids+playing+cards.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbmzQ8oBw12LtWc5ZdvUkUeYzhL0TxbIJDWjYlU41QZWH54bXLP4B-LCxhgJwxT3VmrxV3iXtBHbLTF1Nvd1bTU0UwSjKUbC9BqVi-ZezzynCoYz-EN41vNpK80usCfpm1QUpFlyaRo6k/s200/kids+playing+cards.jpg" width="200" /></a> Thursday morning I visited the team at Lemington in Newcastle. A small team who are encouraging prayer and bible study in the congregation and then going into the community prayer walking. I was chatting to one of the Lemington members who told me that her and another lady prayer walk and meet each other to pray every week. I came away from Lemington thinking that while there are still pockets of praying people in our churches there is hope. Then in the afternoon Rob & I went through to visit the team serving in Pelton/Birtley. Not many adults had come into the Labyrinth & coffee that day but they had attracted a group of boys who were enjoying the tea & biscuits & playing games with the team. The boys also interacted with the labyrinth....one of them seemed to be dropping a lot of stones into the water at the table that talked about giving worries to God. I asked if he had a lot of worries, 'I have' he replied.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ3HZQ0zHZUgEA2p3nUp17TOcU1SeOGhPCZvM8-BIX5KugkPvdetupjeIjL4PLauc-pLzRUs3G-PXUDhgZ1E-ghXKPaJdtCdagwMH0SHH32MKMo8bbJJExBxMY0F3eyzQZ9MveFPM7Zws/s1600/pics+of+love.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ3HZQ0zHZUgEA2p3nUp17TOcU1SeOGhPCZvM8-BIX5KugkPvdetupjeIjL4PLauc-pLzRUs3G-PXUDhgZ1E-ghXKPaJdtCdagwMH0SHH32MKMo8bbJJExBxMY0F3eyzQZ9MveFPM7Zws/s200/pics+of+love.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzf6qH3O9ivbkMgrZMLCKJ3mcfvJRwnlHBxyFh60aA4M6aeJ4L9uLnZTMt2QUdRf0pl7BT61fYESWvdww1vuMPgHqhaAXzT3jne6ze-SfUviACUjrcuXlfES2SUVBLeBg_qXuEdoCDR1U/s1600/Bill+carving.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzf6qH3O9ivbkMgrZMLCKJ3mcfvJRwnlHBxyFh60aA4M6aeJ4L9uLnZTMt2QUdRf0pl7BT61fYESWvdww1vuMPgHqhaAXzT3jne6ze-SfUviACUjrcuXlfES2SUVBLeBg_qXuEdoCDR1U/s200/Bill+carving.jpg" width="150" /></a>Then in the afternoon I was delighted to finally visit the 'Pictures of Love' exhibition & craft activities in a shop in Whitley Bay. 'Pictures of Love' was a project Rob Wylie had initiated and it was good to see it being used so well. Around 60 people have been visiting this each afternoon, & I can understand why. There was something for all ages, crafts, art exhibition, a cup of coffee and a warm welcome...and all for free. It was interesting to think about how on Halloween the TOGETHER team had provided a space to engage with crafts on the theme of love.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6GskTuo2nwttOZGNGH3p5EZWwax2u2Yy5L-wamJuiiNvftrbxtTmvCBmA3xwA04Ud44e333un4GZh4Tr7fYSu85vFomz_kI6wGIjW6O8Bj1UjRtqSYGnj6KZvj6VZU0Uvevvqa214rRE/s1600/Alnwick+light+event.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6GskTuo2nwttOZGNGH3p5EZWwax2u2Yy5L-wamJuiiNvftrbxtTmvCBmA3xwA04Ud44e333un4GZh4Tr7fYSu85vFomz_kI6wGIjW6O8Bj1UjRtqSYGnj6KZvj6VZU0Uvevvqa214rRE/s200/Alnwick+light+event.jpg" width="200" /></a>In the evening we travelled back up to Alnwick for their final evening celebration & thanksgiving (on the theme of Light). What a way to finish their week. There were testimonies, tears, hugs and promises to keep working together. So many lives have been touched here & almost everyone involved has been challenged to keep on sharing the light & love of Christ. Church member Joy said, 'every minister, lay person, village & town should be out there listening to the hurts of the world'. Team member Hodge said, 'This week has completely blown me away'. Team leader Alan said, 'Going out on mission has helped me recognise again the priority of mission which is why I was called to be a minister in the first place.' They all have become very aware of the deep need of people on their doorsteps and their faith has been lifted to the point where they feel they CAN do something. Please keep praying with me that this link between Alnwick & the team from Rowlands Gill (plus one from Stakeford) continues to flourish and bear fruit.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02774507464092388367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490310307717621349.post-35836257831918493092013-10-30T15:15:00.002-07:002013-10-30T15:37:39.331-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBxYV8E9U9CA4wlTQvjmnJrbunUZxfJBRy3KswnDYgOvAqXtLBvQOyyCtQXzQRpkRs6H6xRMeit8Fi6MxT90OVUF8j5me8R-7AfWdTAXZrnQxFWPvdqXvQeSLYrrNfrR63GTAVCtp8lIg/s1600/Birtley+free+lunch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBxYV8E9U9CA4wlTQvjmnJrbunUZxfJBRy3KswnDYgOvAqXtLBvQOyyCtQXzQRpkRs6H6xRMeit8Fi6MxT90OVUF8j5me8R-7AfWdTAXZrnQxFWPvdqXvQeSLYrrNfrR63GTAVCtp8lIg/s200/Birtley+free+lunch.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyZqdQTL-WFDXMK1oih1RollO1bZJCx_br_tryGDy4SWi2LY2EQWWWKvETYt12csyJlZ53_wrvDhm3Kp92GFrOucVh7WGa8cIQSvy1Ymkiw6BiTGEI1pkYdB1LpdMxauYIX5k44zToWZM/s1600/Gwenda+@+Birtley.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyZqdQTL-WFDXMK1oih1RollO1bZJCx_br_tryGDy4SWi2LY2EQWWWKvETYt12csyJlZ53_wrvDhm3Kp92GFrOucVh7WGa8cIQSvy1Ymkiw6BiTGEI1pkYdB1LpdMxauYIX5k44zToWZM/s200/Gwenda+@+Birtley.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
Well we are halfway through the week & already conversations are starting along the lines of 'how do we build on all this?' First visit today was to the team at Birtley who are having a great time just engaging with the general community who come onto the premises for coffee mornings, craft groups and drop in lunch. I was particularly impressed that the church have said that this week everything is free...they want the community to receive their hospitality as a gift. This is a photo of Gwenda who's done an amazing job as a local organiser (HUGE thanks go to all the local organisers). As you can see from their notice board the publicity was good too....in fact as a Birtley resident myself, I received an invitation through the door to call in for some of their events. Well done Birtley.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjthw818CkYyaXdYcV3D5jU4DOuero_-ubfsIDmyDc_3OTPFnWVV4nWiLTTQZWexXMAhbB7RelTGHMGCN-iyXkIGeVPije5Hh0596ji32mnq0gkO_pCWUiyy02wnIHQfGFOGVYE7xwXBSE/s1600/4+kids+@+Alnwick.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjthw818CkYyaXdYcV3D5jU4DOuero_-ubfsIDmyDc_3OTPFnWVV4nWiLTTQZWexXMAhbB7RelTGHMGCN-iyXkIGeVPije5Hh0596ji32mnq0gkO_pCWUiyy02wnIHQfGFOGVYE7xwXBSE/s200/4+kids+@+Alnwick.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirC_YwzzXndGVFU_0QMEg8xIAlzVF3sPrGhNx3Vf1JFHKo0-mte_md627CIzmLnAiOu-233Q_HCh3MwvALoKBKcfncK5dK6T20bXUq3QmaiI4ZLG5agnKfqkn9jZVmPZfszBG2dakrW18/s1600/Alnwick+prayer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirC_YwzzXndGVFU_0QMEg8xIAlzVF3sPrGhNx3Vf1JFHKo0-mte_md627CIzmLnAiOu-233Q_HCh3MwvALoKBKcfncK5dK6T20bXUq3QmaiI4ZLG5agnKfqkn9jZVmPZfszBG2dakrW18/s200/Alnwick+prayer.jpg" width="200" /></a>Then Rob Wylie & I visited Alnwick. They have a prayer table in the market place & have been inviting people to go into the church to engage with a beautifully thought out labyrinth. They'd found the street work really hard on Monday & almost felt like giving in. But they sent out lots of requests for prayer & since then have been engaging with lots & lots of people. Their despondency has turned to huge excitement & amazement at all that God is doing. Look at these 4 youngsters writing prayer requests underneath the table...how cool is that?<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN5Psz-KJxO4LHRUKVL_pp22-tgRIX5JMLlUHYJjC7hwbK8xiTj7WJyPLohdJgzJJVhOhTwt5ybl2acuuFTn9h0QYKcCmSrYGcXVBzn9chfb_NCrXCgfQe7FNzF08sAsx6VfAvTaiS1Hs/s1600/BB+lads.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN5Psz-KJxO4LHRUKVL_pp22-tgRIX5JMLlUHYJjC7hwbK8xiTj7WJyPLohdJgzJJVhOhTwt5ybl2acuuFTn9h0QYKcCmSrYGcXVBzn9chfb_NCrXCgfQe7FNzF08sAsx6VfAvTaiS1Hs/s200/BB+lads.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
As well as 'Prayer on The Streets' the team in Bede have been out every afternoon doing community clean ups & gardening with some lads from Wrekenton Boys Brigade joining in the fun. We then had a whistle stop visit to Hettons Holiday at Home....I was a little disappointed to have arrived too late to experience their nail bar. Tomorrow they have a trip out then Songs of Praise.<br />
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In the evening we went to Cullercoats Methodist Church to share in a community meal. The team had done a great job inviting people.<br />
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The two women I sat with had both come along simply because they received an invitation through the door. We had a wonderful meal with lots of laughs as we embarked on a quiz. This is team leader Andrew eating his 3rd helping! No one seemed in a hurry to go home. It was lovely to see the community police call in to see what was happening....and then stay for dinner (they were rubbish at the quiz though). So, another inspiring day. For those of you who pray, ask God to give us all energy to keep going for the next 3 days.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02774507464092388367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490310307717621349.post-59239797754126867722013-10-29T12:19:00.000-07:002013-10-29T12:29:05.526-07:00<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicOb-Au469fRJfNvwo7G_HxG4AApBpb8Cl9Tz-3H3Fmp1dP1_bftMYGofIKhVfXwyfSSCp76qABJW3xxofwSvQzmwDVLXxlX2YcOwieAW2Qhix2369PccwfREqxJkc7EvZmzyfXryFSzY/s1600/logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="61" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicOb-Au469fRJfNvwo7G_HxG4AApBpb8Cl9Tz-3H3Fmp1dP1_bftMYGofIKhVfXwyfSSCp76qABJW3xxofwSvQzmwDVLXxlX2YcOwieAW2Qhix2369PccwfREqxJkc7EvZmzyfXryFSzY/s320/logo.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxc7ZcN-HKWO6ukZ-H2cgVTzlgvDuGFs945ib70co6zGTsCxL7XXnVidCEim7R5SmwI_6MD37QfcR6RwrRsBysJKJyCGD37QlvHGV-jwYiCDWxVglfcn_lcHqY4suUBnoDALuEcpPXDZM/s1600/Sunderland+team.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxc7ZcN-HKWO6ukZ-H2cgVTzlgvDuGFs945ib70co6zGTsCxL7XXnVidCEim7R5SmwI_6MD37QfcR6RwrRsBysJKJyCGD37QlvHGV-jwYiCDWxVglfcn_lcHqY4suUBnoDALuEcpPXDZM/s320/Sunderland+team.jpg" width="320" /></a>This week continues to excite people as we hear of folk stepping out in faith & serving God in new ways. This morning Rob Wylie & I visited North Shields to spend some time with the team. We presented some training on the theme of 'Journeying In Faith'. I just love it when groups of people are enthusiastic about learning. It was good also to hear their stories and then to pray together for all the people we encounter. After a yummy lunch, we headed off to St.Andrews Southwick in Sunderland to visit the team. They were still on a high after the morning's Kids Club. They'd had a great morning & more kids had turned up than they expected. We stayed for a while & joined the team as they went on a prayer walk around the surrounding estate.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi43PNxQsiAKGxpNxNIuhzA94UGv9cRiBK_utRqAU2Pc-3K7a13hci7HB8yvtBLy4eMDeAC1cAVPHN5Ncu54vZ8oIg0czh7olo7580rgXRmirmnvZPCzJd-mNgRd3ZZdJYVe50WriXyU4/s1600/Hetton.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi43PNxQsiAKGxpNxNIuhzA94UGv9cRiBK_utRqAU2Pc-3K7a13hci7HB8yvtBLy4eMDeAC1cAVPHN5Ncu54vZ8oIg0czh7olo7580rgXRmirmnvZPCzJd-mNgRd3ZZdJYVe50WriXyU4/s200/Hetton.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg59VxIcORxc2_LvaEgfvxmvFxL7qd8gs_a6a2F-wjHcjRkocWyDYY2QawALE1wm8Gaja0qbhxhmBycdDIJk-Xow01K4Oq9ai-Vt0AtnyjFloglv3-Or7y14gbjq5x7xviVd3itmspYEJI/s1600/Hetton+crafts.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg59VxIcORxc2_LvaEgfvxmvFxL7qd8gs_a6a2F-wjHcjRkocWyDYY2QawALE1wm8Gaja0qbhxhmBycdDIJk-Xow01K4Oq9ai-Vt0AtnyjFloglv3-Or7y14gbjq5x7xviVd3itmspYEJI/s200/Hetton+crafts.jpg" width="150" /></a>Then I went down to Hetton in East Durham. As I walked through the door I was greeted by lots of smiling faces. They'd had a wonderful time working with older people in their Holiday At Home event. They'd started the day with seated aerobics...this really has to be seen! If you're a member of the Newcastle District Methodist facebook group go & have a look at the video clip - I promise you it will make you laugh. They'd had such a good time that the feeling of general goodwill & joy was very much evident. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSQwvOxsI7MK0JShzjsOs4ShX069zg4jqnsThkgALO9FhThpCZKUwr0gWtnq-6Pjw44vxrpKA-SuyoLn7dHQQOorlJ7D_3UEGX1cffKdJ5c-jBTUF-GdkdwDdxx4GHkJs00DmoYVm1ao8/s1600/prayer+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSQwvOxsI7MK0JShzjsOs4ShX069zg4jqnsThkgALO9FhThpCZKUwr0gWtnq-6Pjw44vxrpKA-SuyoLn7dHQQOorlJ7D_3UEGX1cffKdJ5c-jBTUF-GdkdwDdxx4GHkJs00DmoYVm1ao8/s320/prayer+1.jpg" width="320" /></a>I'm so thankful for the many people who are praying for TOGETHER - please continue to do so. All the teams are writing down their prayer requests and these are being sent to prayer partners & to the other teams. It's so important to keep our focus on God. I'm delighted with all that the teams are doing, my prayer for them this evening is that their energy levels will stay high!<br />
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God bless you.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02774507464092388367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490310307717621349.post-30976573757762134492013-10-28T16:44:00.002-07:002013-10-29T01:34:54.296-07:00<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ruth & Beth in the prayer room</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Team leader Dave offering prayer<br />
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<span style="mso-hansi-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS";">Monday....and it seems we all hit the ground running. My first visit of the day (alongside Rob) was to the team
serving in the Bede circuit - they have a very full program. I met with them this
morning to do some training & preparation before they went out on prayer walks. A group of us then went down to Gateshead centre to offer prayers on the street. It was a bit blowy so people didn't seem to want to stand and chat much, but we still had some interesting conversations and requests for prayer. A messy church craft stand was set up outside the supermarket for children to engage with. Others from the team went to do some gardening on one of the estates...several of lads from the Boys Brigade turned up to help.<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0fJBAk7hvvIval8GTxZICEGEfkAYFiBKr2DegdwTLjI5RpFMEaipNWEqvGxSsDuX0R5pMPY2Xa5zr98rgfXJ8wMsJaXBF3sGebnR9l11lM6L8xdjcNPRIA4MIgfr-5e7bOurfvqX2UB0/s1600/messy+church@+Tesco.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0fJBAk7hvvIval8GTxZICEGEfkAYFiBKr2DegdwTLjI5RpFMEaipNWEqvGxSsDuX0R5pMPY2Xa5zr98rgfXJ8wMsJaXBF3sGebnR9l11lM6L8xdjcNPRIA4MIgfr-5e7bOurfvqX2UB0/s200/messy+church@+Tesco.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Messy Church @ Tesco</td></tr>
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Then off to Allen Memorial in Wallsend. Ken and the team had provided a kids club, and whilst that was happening there was a showing of the film The Nativity and several parents stayed to watch that and have a chat. They've recently launched messy church and it's already attracting new families.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;">The football cage <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></td></tr>
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Our evening visits consisted of 2 youth events. First at Wrekenton where there was a great turnout of young people who joined in with the football cage, large screen games/dancing, hot chocolate bar, quizzes, prayer room etc. Then off to Delves Lane to visit their youth event. They were delighted that a good number of young people had turned up who are not already involved in the Church.<br />
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2 youth clubs in 1 night was</div>
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They held a fairly traditional youth club night with table tennis, pool, LOUD music, dancing & crafts. Great to see the team members interacting with the young people and building relationships.<br />
Then home to countless messages from other teams - one in particular brought a big smile to my face. Sue Carr on the North Shields & Whitley Bay team, is involved in the 'Pictures of Love' art, craft & prayer space in a shop in Whitley Bay. Sue writes, '<i>55 people came through the doors in the two hours Pictures of Love was open today. One lady came in with her grandaughter of 11 who had some learning difficulties. They stayed for nearly the two hours. Gran sat in the quiet area and her grandaughter did 5 activities. Gran said she was amazed by her concentration and enjoyment. It was all worth it just to make that space for them today</i>.'<br />
So, another great day with lots to thank God for.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; padding-top: 4px; text-align: center;">Heegon teaching us TOGETHER in Korean</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">DJ Sean led workshops at both venues</td></tr>
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<!--EndFragment-->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02774507464092388367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490310307717621349.post-7048966280623006462013-10-28T01:42:00.000-07:002013-10-30T15:50:10.726-07:00<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkFwKJ_9c-npTvrtQE5id3Mwxa3Ot0lj5NI2KGzuPfd6Ag1Sw4YNZU4eVsU6eqiyfRYwGArVyQCMI1gn7Gv7MFLV6lLApvncm49se0cxPSo4AQBV-OPKx2rn43xm4dCIr9mmZeWzVmsmU/s1600/today+I+shared+my+story.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkFwKJ_9c-npTvrtQE5id3Mwxa3Ot0lj5NI2KGzuPfd6Ag1Sw4YNZU4eVsU6eqiyfRYwGArVyQCMI1gn7Gv7MFLV6lLApvncm49se0cxPSo4AQBV-OPKx2rn43xm4dCIr9mmZeWzVmsmU/s320/today+I+shared+my+story.JPG" width="240" /></a>Sunday was a very moving day. I visited Alnwick in the morning. Before the service we prayed as a team and there was a genuine sense of anticipation. At the beginning of the service a steward got up to give the notices....then she very movingly shared with us how the church had been praying and how they were believing God was going to great things this week. It's not often church notices make people cry! The Methodist Minister there, Pauline, a wonderful woman, then told us that the church nearly closed a few years back but they decided to keep going. Since then the congregation has doubled and there's new life. The only thing that worried me was if anyone else turned up for the service as I think there was only one seat left in the room! The team did a marvelous job....but a highlight for me was listening to Linda (from Rowlands Gill) share her story. She was just so natural and her words made us all laugh and cry. Well done Linda! And what an encouragement to others to try something new. I was sad to leave Alnwick but very much looking forward to popping back later in the week.<br />
In the afternoon it seemed there was a constant stream of messages, emails, texts, tweets & calls from<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDMGgI2nJQpSllVsKxYdsOk0gHK9Y46jDZLWWBi20H4LpkJaPTnlRZbK37waHTmNx9TKEOY6wEMxMVBpOsMcI-M2Vt3b8b3M2-fSSZNWR7wINaegXhEpxPQYAhG4TT6BTE3dLxzUQg6c0/s1600/Mari%252C+reading+in+church.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDMGgI2nJQpSllVsKxYdsOk0gHK9Y46jDZLWWBi20H4LpkJaPTnlRZbK37waHTmNx9TKEOY6wEMxMVBpOsMcI-M2Vt3b8b3M2-fSSZNWR7wINaegXhEpxPQYAhG4TT6BTE3dLxzUQg6c0/s1600/Mari%252C+reading+in+church.JPG" /></a>TOGETHER folk telling me how things were going so far. In the evening I visited Birtley. Again a really good service was delivered and the good folk at Birtley were warm, appreciative and seemed ready to be involved in the weeks activities. They are hosting a messy church, lots of coffee mornings, a community lunch, a Light party, and at nearby church Pelton they are setting up a Labyrinth and inviting the community to come & experience prayer. This picture is Mari, and as a member of the team she also tried something new. Well done Mari! The service was led by Carol who is in training as a Local Preacher. My goodness she preached well. She reminded us all that God has given us gifts and we should use them for His glory. It was hard to believe that she's a new preacher. She wasn't sure what to write </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuqXB6co8KOy57cYUl64OxxA873K7_lCZlIk0DX8l96qbQqDd8j0cf49b_BB4WGYy3HMRfnGn43UKCS0aPrH1EYzZTlnSFZlu8dm3AVpXvIPbP9giqxjFfyk_hT3xZkUvF1l_xvIq2q1Y/s1600/Carol%252C+God+using+me.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuqXB6co8KOy57cYUl64OxxA873K7_lCZlIk0DX8l96qbQqDd8j0cf49b_BB4WGYy3HMRfnGn43UKCS0aPrH1EYzZTlnSFZlu8dm3AVpXvIPbP9giqxjFfyk_hT3xZkUvF1l_xvIq2q1Y/s1600/Carol%252C+God+using+me.JPG" /></a>so I encouraged her to say 'God is using me' as without doubt that is what happened last night. On a personal note, I couldn't help but reminisce about a Share Jesus mission team who visited Birtley in 1988. I was there and on the last night my dad came to faith and had his life transformed by God. It was that same night that the team leader (Paul Smith) encouraged me to go to Cliff College....how life has changed since then. The last HIGHLIGHT of the day comes in the form of a message I received when I got home. A young woman had come along to one of the other host churches and told how she used to believe but had drifted from God. The team leader prayed with her and she's no longer drifting!!! Praise God. </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02774507464092388367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490310307717621349.post-28235970722779810252013-10-27T01:09:00.000-07:002015-02-23T04:58:56.426-08:00Together. A week of focussed mission in the Newcastle District<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1DMVPijY7TRx4x83vDdr4pkHMgnibsfhGEOtn8W5xwFb3UUThMX9qa01Xj55OK8kq6hOAfS8UmyUz9shL2BrZ2nR-1OfSKMiHf1vuhUy4IxhLpXbgVpMV2DY3KokUs_Wqxq1CVdo-wZU/s1600/logo.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1DMVPijY7TRx4x83vDdr4pkHMgnibsfhGEOtn8W5xwFb3UUThMX9qa01Xj55OK8kq6hOAfS8UmyUz9shL2BrZ2nR-1OfSKMiHf1vuhUy4IxhLpXbgVpMV2DY3KokUs_Wqxq1CVdo-wZU/s320/logo.png" height="61" width="320" /></a></div>
Today was one of those days. By that I don't mean 'one of those days' where you collapse in a heap and wonder what it's all about! Rather, 'one of those days' when I'm so delighted, encouraged & filled with hope. Today was the training & commissioning service for all the volunteers who will be serving on mission teams this week in various churches around the Newcastle Upon Tyne Methodist District. It was fantastic to see folk gather in anticipation of all that's going to happen. People of all ages too! Two highlights;<br />
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First, in the morning each team leader stood up and briefly shared what their team would be doing. There were some incredibly creative ideas, and many of the events could be initiatives in themselves. We heard about youth nights, film nights, Holiday at Home, community meals, knitting & natter group, celebrations, training events, d-church, urban skills, football cages, children's holiday clubs, messy churches, Light Parties, labyrinths etc. etc. etc. Brilliant opportunities to invite people to. But what moved me most was the amount of activities taking place outside of the church buildings; community clean ups, lots prayer walking, prayer stand in Gateshead centre, prayer & discussion space in Alnwick fish market, a shop offering creative arts & prayer in Whitley Bay, community acts of service, home visits with offers of DIY help, a messy church table in Tesco Gateshead. I'm praying particularly for the folk who are getting outside that they will have lots of opportunities to demonstrate the love of God.</div>
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The second highlight for me was the Commissioning Service. To be honest I don't always 'feel' the presence of God...but I did today. </div>
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So, if you're a praying kind of person, please pray for TOGETHER this week....I'll keep you updated as the week goes on.<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: red;">(If you've just discovered this blog now, you'll find a blog for each of the days, recording the events of the Together mission when you click on the links on the right of this page). </span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02774507464092388367noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490310307717621349.post-84513464427531619332013-03-28T02:44:00.001-07:002013-03-28T03:44:29.419-07:00Easter Nails<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;">At d-church last night the challenge was to post a pic of nails & say what easter means to us. If you image search 'easter nails' you get loads of pics like this one. It came as a stark reminder to me that for many, Easter is just about eggs, bunnies & a few days off (all of which are great) but they have very little to do with the real meaning of Easter. At some point this weekend I'm going to sit, be quiet, and think about a God who died for his people because he loved them that much. Surely Easter is worth a few minutes thought & reflection...even if it's just the time it takes you to paint your nails.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmtv1ojyitz8-xMvnPZEZlOmuKgTXec5liiHJlIqL-_8XvmPMtBMZEc7KhYjI63cN1DCmJ3G_BkpQZPffcNy6t3XClniecR-TDEcE5F6FxyR3HxUl6FPY-1q7QjXJ6SvYN2k9P90CWDjQ/s1600/easter+nails.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmtv1ojyitz8-xMvnPZEZlOmuKgTXec5liiHJlIqL-_8XvmPMtBMZEc7KhYjI63cN1DCmJ3G_BkpQZPffcNy6t3XClniecR-TDEcE5F6FxyR3HxUl6FPY-1q7QjXJ6SvYN2k9P90CWDjQ/s320/easter+nails.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 16px;">dchurch - 'exploring spirituality, creating community in an online world'. Find us on facebook, twitter </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="username js-action-profile-name" style="color: #999999; direction: ltr; font-size: 12px; text-decoration: none; unicode-bidi: embed;"><a class="account-group js-account-group js-action-profile js-user-profile-link js-nav" data-user-id="432544856" href="https://twitter.com/dchurchtweet" style="color: #999999; text-decoration: none;"><s style="color: #bbbbbb; text-decoration: none;">@</s><b style="font-weight: normal;">dchurchtwee</b></a>t or d-church.blogspot.co.uk</span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02774507464092388367noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8490310307717621349.post-1527218304319494622013-01-30T05:53:00.001-08:002013-01-31T10:03:07.996-08:00<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Brothers and sisters in Christ,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">For some time I’ve had a growing uneasiness
as </span><span style="color: black; font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: "Arial Unicode MS"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">I consider people's various responses to the changes facing </span><span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Methodism and the direction of travel we have embarked on. Not, I
hasten to add, because of my own personal opinions on the rights or wrongs of
any recent decisions made by conference or proposed by the leadership. I
genuinely believe this uneasiness is being used by God to provoke me to exhort
us all to pray fervently for one another. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">My concern comes from the polarisation of
views and opinions that have been so readily given, and at times the tone in
which that has happened. When division is apparent in the Church, a new, more
prayerful path should be sought. In no way do I suggest that the path we are on
is wrong – what I do suggest is that despite differing views we join together
in praying that God will continually lead us. Heated debate and letters show
the depth of feeling, hurt and even fear that many are feeling when considering
the future of the Methodist Church. Regardless of our own opinions, can we not
set aside time to pray with one another?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">So then let us pray, and in particular I
exhort you to pray in groups. As Ash Wednesday quickly approaches, let us take
and create every opportunity to gather with those around us to pray on that
day. Asking God to help us dig deep into the DNA of our Methodist roots and
rediscover our mission and passion. Praying also that we will be shown a godly
path…a path free from dispute but not discussion, a path free from incriminations
and flavoured with love and respect for our sisters and brothers (Colossians 4:
2-6).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">So on Ash Wednesday I will be inviting others
from my locality to join with me in prayer. Would you please consider doing the
same? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02774507464092388367noreply@blogger.com12