SUNDAY, APRIL 29

Welcoming newcomers

Today I met with over 40 people who are new to King's! In these sessions, designed specifically for those who have recently joined us - or who are still thinking about doing so, there were many great questions about our church which I trust I was able to answer to their satisfaction. These are also really helpful occasions for me to connect with people who are joining us, as well as helping new folk to connect with us.

I always ask newcomers what they like about Kings; their replies today included the preaching, receiving a warm welcome, the fact that we are a diverse church, our great children's work and our commitment to work amongst those who are disadvantaged in our community. I am very encouraged by these responses from those I met today and I am grateful to God that we continue to be a growing church family!

I hope that you all enjoyed Phil Varley's message opening up our latest series called Inspired, based on Hebrews 11 - that famous chapter on the heroes of faith. As I do my own preparation for the series I am already beginning to experience an increase in faith for all we are about as a church and all that is before us.

With that ongoing vision and mission in mind please remember that our next Alpha course begins at the Catford site with a meal next week - Thursday 3rd May at 7.15pm. Contact the church office to sign up!

 

SUNDAY, APRIL 22

�508,000

Our church here at King's gave an amazing £508,000 to our multi-site building fund in the last year, including a remarkable £90,000 in March alone. It is quite difficult to find the words to express my thanks to you all for this amazing amount of money raised, especially taking into account the fact that this follows £1 million raised in the 17 months before - and with an economic backdrop which is the worst it has been in a number of decades. God is at work in our church! We are witnessing God's blessing on so many fronts and here is yet another indication of that blessing.

In the light of all this I would especially value your prayers as the Elders, Trustees and I continue to grapple with the joys of leading such a growing church; it seems we are continually experiencing an Acts 6 moment. If you don't know what I mean, read the chapter! Having to make appropriate practical and pastoral responses following gospel breakthrough was the pattern for the early church and we are seeing some of the same!

In the coming weeks we will be launching into a new teaching series from Hebrews 11, looking at the lives of the ‘heroes of faith', learning lessons and receiving encouragement and inspiration from their stories. Mick Taylor has helped us prepare this series before he takes a three month sabbatical from May - we look forward to benefitting from this time of investment in his ministry when he returns. It is amazing to realise that he has been part of King's for over seven years! Sabbaticals are a way of investing in our ministry staff, refreshing them and enabling them to bring yet greater blessing (and even more effective work!) to King's. Please pray for much fruit from this time for Mick!

 

THURSDAY, APRIL 19

A fantastic response...

What a joy to return from a lovely week's holiday in Sidmouth to see each of the three sites of King's church packed for the 11 baptisms taking place throughout last Sunday. Powerful testimonies and a great word from Mick Taylor, these provided the foundation for another remarkable response to the gospel with 5 people making a first commitment to Christ and 17 people responding for baptism. And this is the third week running we have seen well over 1400 in attendance - we continue to grow at a fast rate with hundreds of new people stepping towards us.

So, this week I began looking (again!) into ways we can provide more room for people across all of our sites, while also taking some time out on my regular study week to do some background reading and preparation.

I am now looking forward to this coming weekend when Deb and I, along with Mick and Val Taylor, are leading a weekend away for pastors and wives from the London training base. Our aim is to help these (usually!) younger leaders and their spouses to establish a strong marriage that will strengthen and not detract from their ministry. Deb and I will return to London in time for me to attend our 5 meetings this Sunday at Kings - these will include parents bringing their babies to dedicate themselves to the task of godly parenting at all our morning meetings. We expect many visitors - look out for them and give them a friendly King's greeting! It looks like it could be another High Sunday!

 

THURSDAY, APRIL 5

Babes in Christ and babes in arms!

This Sunday we have our Easter meetings, following which I am also looking forward to the following two Sundays. On the 15th there will be baptisms at all five meetings on our three sites and then the following Sunday, on the 22nd, dedications across all sites. King's is a growing family - on the first week we will hear the testimonies of new-born believers, the following week we may hear the voices of new born babies!

Both of these Sundays are likely to see multiple visitors who have come to see their friends baptised or to stand with family and friends as they bring their new babies to dedicate themselves to the task of godly parenting. Pray for those who will be baptised and for the families who will bring their children - but pray also that their visitors, who may know little if anything of the love of God, will meet with the risen Lord Jesus in our meeting and be won to Him!

And church, rise to the challenge to speak to and greet our visitors with your usual warmth and friendliness! There are many lost and lonely people out there who may cross our doorstep on this Sunday. God is at work in our family at King's - don't let us keep the news to ourselves...

This will be my last posting for a week or so - I'm taking some days of annual leave which will include a bit of golf and time with the family. Later today I will be driving down to Winchester to pick up Ben whose first year at university continues to fly by. It will be good to have him home again for a while.

Have a great Easter yourselves!

 

SUNDAY, APRIL 1

1983 - my first Easter

It was a great privilege to have Terry and Wendy Virgo with us at the Catford site this evening for the 5.30 meeting. Before Terry spoke I had the opportunity to show them both around our new building at Lee - I have shown many people around over the last couple of years and each time it still amazes me to think what remarkable provision from God it is! It is easy, in the press of all that we are doing, to forget what a fantastic resource that facility is! Our visitors are always amazed.

I am confident in the years and decades to come that hundreds more people will find the Easter story relevant to them at King's because of His provision and our venture of faith!

I will never forget the first Easter I enjoyed as a new Christian. It was 1983 and so exciting to celebrate the sacrifice and victory of Jesus on the Cross for me! I had been brought up in church - had been dragged, encouraged and taken to church - but now the message of the Cross was real to me. I had come alive, been born again to God! Nearly thirty years later my heart still burns with passion for Christ, as the apostle Paul says in Phil 3:10, ‘I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection'.

Whether this is your first Easter as a member of God's family or it signals another year or another decade for you in Christ, let us all rejoice! He is risen! He is victorious!

This week, on Wednesday at 7.45pm there is an opportunity for all three sites of King's to gather at Catford as part of the family of God and worship our wonderful Saviour God together! Malcolm Kyte will speak and we will break bread together. Don't miss it! And next Sunday (8th) we will celebrate the Resurrection at each of our five meetings...