God's zoo II
We went to the zoo yesterday. Some of the people were a bit annoying. But who can say God is anything but amazing for the things he has made?
Becoming a church member
Somebody asked recently, ‘How do you become a member of
Wellfield Church?’ I hope this is a clearer answer to the one I gave then!
It would be possible to set up something to sign - an
agreement or set of beliefs to swear assent to. But church is not a club or
organisation. It’s a family. You know when you’re a member of a family. So
becoming a member of a church means you relate to the other people in it as a
family, because you have the same Father: God. Let’s explore what that means in
practice.
Why you should give 'Christianity Explored' a go
Well, the ladies' group has been going 2 or 3 weeks now, and they're having a great time. The men's group will start on Sunday evenings (8pm) a couple of weeks from now. The question is, why would a normal man in his right mind want to come along to a church group, even if it is in a barn, and watch a dvd about Jesus?
I'd like to give you 7 reasons why you should...
I'd like to give you 7 reasons why you should...
Sparkford 3, 2014 - a lesson in power
See that picture? That, right
there, is the scene of a spiritual battleground. While nearly 60 teenagers were
having the holiday of their lives (including the six from Wellfield), huge
forces were at work behind the scenes. I don’t know the details. I don’t
know the precise outcomes of it all. But I can tell you what we experienced.
Why the Big Week Out was better with fewer…
Hope you all enjoyed the ‘Big Week Out’! We had four really
nice mornings out (to Astley Park, White Coppice, Worden Park and Ainsdale
Beach), where we had games and a little bible story for the kids, and a chance
to hang out together. Slightly fewer people came along than in the previous
couple of years. We are aware of some of the reasons for that. But there can be
much greater value in a small group on an outing than a massive ‘holiday club’,
which some of us have done in the past. Here’s a few of the benefits …
Why don't we say the "Our Father"/Lord's prayer at Wellfield church?
We had a very good question the other day. From a very lovely lady. Why don't we say the Lord's prayer at Wellfield church?
Well there's a very good answer. We do love the Lord's prayer because it's the words that Jesus taught to his disciples when they asked him how to pray. We had some great teaching at our Wellfield Weekend Away in April 2014 about this very issue from the great friend of Wellfield Church, Jonathan Milton-Thompson. Jesus said (in Matt 6v5-9):
Poverty in England
An honest look at much of the rest of the world means that the word 'poverty' should not be used of much in our country. But here's part of an article from the 'Church Urban Fund' website:
Poverty is a very real phenomenon in England. Around 13 million people, including 3.5 million children, are estimated to be living in poverty.
Yet poverty is not just about income. It is a complex experience that impacts every aspect of people’s lives. At Church Urban Fund, we group the different aspects of poverty into three categories:
Book Review: 'Mountains and Molehills'
Available on the bookshelf at the barn.
This is an autobiographical account of a pair of missionaries (Bill and Mollie Tett) who take the gospel to un-reached parts of Africa in the 1920s-1960s.
They were part of the SUM (Sudan United Mission). This was set up in 1904 with the aim of planting a chain of gospel churches across the African continent, running from Nigeria to Cameroon to Chad to Sudan. Bill and Mollie started their work in Sudan and moved Westwards, taking the gospel to the unreached mountainous tribes of central Africa. They finished in Jos, Nigeria.
This is an autobiographical account of a pair of missionaries (Bill and Mollie Tett) who take the gospel to un-reached parts of Africa in the 1920s-1960s.
They were part of the SUM (Sudan United Mission). This was set up in 1904 with the aim of planting a chain of gospel churches across the African continent, running from Nigeria to Cameroon to Chad to Sudan. Bill and Mollie started their work in Sudan and moved Westwards, taking the gospel to the unreached mountainous tribes of central Africa. They finished in Jos, Nigeria.
May news
There have been some real
highlights over the last few weeks. There was the Heather Henderson evening,
with wonderful stories of God’s power and grace in Borneo, as well as a clear
testimony of the gospel to so many of our friends and visitors. Several guests
have never been to church before. Others spoke sincerely of their intention to
find out more.
Before that, we had the
Weekend Away. On top of the usual joy of proper time together (which is a good thing, isn’t it!), Jonathan
and Lynda Milton-Thompson are something special. At least for now, my prayers
have taken on a little more urgency, confidence and clear thinking as I
remember what’s worth praying for.
In terms of praying for our
church, I outlined a couple of things I thought we need to particularly work
towards as a church in the near future:
The amazing evening with Heather Henderson!
Ok - first, we shouldn't have said 'Jungle'; we should have said 'Rainforest'. That's what it's called these days. But it's still full of orangutans (make sure you pronounce it right), snakes, frogs and poison dart blowpipes. And Heather told us some unforgettable stories about her birth and childhood in Borneo, and the work of God through her parents and other Christians there.
Chewing it over, there are a few things that stand out to me for us to take to heart:
Chewing it over, there are a few things that stand out to me for us to take to heart:
Weekend Away 2014!
A few pictures from the brilliant weekend! What was your favourite bit? ... And how about a caption contest?!
Value your local church!
Some words from a friend's letter, after returning from a country in Asia:
"[Here's] what ‘church’ means to Christians in that country. They take it immensely seriously. It’s not a question of “I might go to church if I can” but “Of course I meet with other believers … if I can”. The main thing that stops them meeting together is persecution – eg unbelieving family members making it impossible. They always begin meetings with a meal, then pray about each others’ needs. Each week they talk about who they’ve spoken with about Jesus, and pray for them. They sing – but only whispering, because they mustn’t be found out. That’s why every week, they meet in a different place, at a different time, lest someone finds out and reports them. The Bible teaching alternates between a sermon and a bible study."
Grateful for what we've got? Do we value church like that?
"[Here's] what ‘church’ means to Christians in that country. They take it immensely seriously. It’s not a question of “I might go to church if I can” but “Of course I meet with other believers … if I can”. The main thing that stops them meeting together is persecution – eg unbelieving family members making it impossible. They always begin meetings with a meal, then pray about each others’ needs. Each week they talk about who they’ve spoken with about Jesus, and pray for them. They sing – but only whispering, because they mustn’t be found out. That’s why every week, they meet in a different place, at a different time, lest someone finds out and reports them. The Bible teaching alternates between a sermon and a bible study."
Grateful for what we've got? Do we value church like that?
Church and World
Are Christians really so different from everyone else? What’s the big deal when someone becomes a Christian? Foundations part 3, this week, gave us some pretty surprising answers …
Ancestor worship in Madagascar ... and Leyland
These are the words of “Barakasy”, the King of Nosy Mitsio
(sub-King of the Antakarana people in Madagascar). It is copied out of
literature from Africa Inland Mission. The language is quite exotic; but let’s
not dismiss it as foreign craziness - this is our society too...
January News
It’s been a good month to look back on (as well as a good year!), on the whole. Some of the highlights?:
Intro to 1 Thessalonians
Between now and March, we’re going to be in the Greek resort
of Thessalonica. Still a happening place, and the second city of Greece - a
sort of Manchester with olives - it was the place to be way back in the year
50AD, when Paul wrote his first letter to the young church there. That’s the
letter we’re going to get stuck into as a church, and one we’ve got so much to
learn from.
Acts 17 gives us a feel for the background. Paul and his
friends had walked the 90-odd miles from Philippi (remember that, last year?),
bruised and beaten, but still going. The next major stop was Thessalonica. As
usual, Paul found the synagogue for his starting point for telling people the
good news of Jesus. For three Jewish Sabbaths, that’s what he did, “explaining
and proving that the Messiah had to suffer and rise from the dead” - telling
them that that “Messiah” was Jesus.
Some of the Jews believe. So did a whole stack of the local
Greeks too - people who’d been interested in the God of the Jews. Also, quite a
big stack of VIP ladies - wives of some of the city big-shots, maybe.
Naturally enough, most of the Jews got pretty cheesed off.
Most of the Greeks they’d influenced suddenly went off after this ‘new’
teaching! Their church was emptied by it! So they got a lynch-mob together to
do Paul and friends in. They had to do a quick night-time bunk, and leg it to
the next city, Berea.
Would this new bunch of believers in Jesus keep believing?
They had every reason not to - Paul had gone; they were getting beaten up by
the Jewish establishment, and not popular with the city authorities either;
they could have put Paul’s message down to a new fad, given by a hit-and-run
preacher. But they didn’t. They knew what Paul had said made sense and was
true. And they kept going, in spite of such a quick and difficult start.
The letter was Paul’s first opportunity to get in touch. He’d
heard that amazingly, they were still going - but of course, there were loads
of things to iron out. The main point is, though, they needed reassurance. They
could be sure that they were safe in God’s hands; nothing else could explain
how they kept living for Jesus.
I’m sure Paul’s letter to Wellfield Church in Leyland would
have had it’s own things to say. But the assurance he gives this bunch of young
believers is just what we need to hear at the start of 2014. I can’t wait to
hear what he says!
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