THURSDAY, JUNE 28

Key people, key dates

Today, after two full days of King's activities, I'm looking forward to meeting with David Stroud and the eldership team of Christchurch London. I count it a privilege to meet up with the leaders of this strategically placed, strategically thinking church right in the centre of London. I hope our time together will be fruitful!

Tomorrow Deb and I will be visiting Bournemouth, meeting up with our good friends Guy and Heather Miller. Guy leads Citygate, the growing Newfrontiers' church in Bournemouth, and has an increasing number of churches looking to him for apostolic care in their mission.

On Sunday I plan to be at all the King's sites and meetings throughout the day, speaking on the important subject of Diversity at the Downham and Lee sites, while adding my voice to the live recording of our second worship album during the three meetings on the Catford site. I have offered to sing a solo - a prophetic song - but surprisingly have not yet heard back from Phil Varley...!

Finally, can I ask you to prioritise next Wednesday evening's Vision Night - 4th July at the Catford site, 7.45 for an 8pm start. This event will provide an important opportunity to report back to the church and update everyone on a number of areas of progress towards our vision, we will have more time to communicate further details on the budget behind that vision than a Sunday allows.

 

SUNDAY, JUNE 24

Another King's worship album!

Make a particular note not to miss next Sunday (1st July) at King's! Phil Varley and his brilliant team of musicians and singers will lead us in the recording of our second live worship album at our Catford site throughout the day. Following the success of Mercygiver we expect another great album - no pressure, Phil!

Because of this unique occasion we are asking everyone to come to church twice on the day! The Downham and Lee sites will have their usual Sunday morning meetings where I will be speaking - and I believe God has given me a particular word for both of those sites. Catford will also have their two morning meetings at the usual times. Then in the evening we are asking for as many as possible to attend the 5.30 meeting at Catford, to support the live recording with your presence and your voices!

Another date for the diary - Sunday 15th July - when we will have three church picnics after the morning meetings. The Catford picnic will take place at Elm Lane Sports ground, where we were last year, between 1 and 4pm. The Downham picnic will be at Chinbrook Meadows from 12.30pm, and the Lee picnic will take place at Manor House Gardens following the morning meeting. Come along with friends and family and the members of your community group and also be ready to get to know others who also attend your site. It's a great opportunity to make new friends and learn more about those you already know!

 

FRIDAY, JUNE 22

Further encouragements...!

In my opinion Scott and Clare Marques are complete heroes when it comes to serving God and reaching a nation. It was fantastic to reconnect with them on our recent time in Harare, Zimbabwe and a delight to be able to return their hospitality last weekend when they were in London. Scott was with us throughout Sunday and enjoyed meeting up with a number of our own key leaders at King's through Monday and Tuesday before returning to Zimbabwe and Mozambique.

Over the weekend we had another amazing Alpha ‘Holy Spirit Day' - I was informed that 13 people have become Christians on this particular course. Praise God!

Also on Sunday morning we had over 30 people attend our Membership Morning. I was very encouraged with the general maturity of that group on that morning. King's is growing fast numerically but it is equally important that we also build a church of maturity. Quality and quantity together! I felt that his last weekend was another sign that behind all the numerical growth we have an ever-increasing number of amazing committed disciples - that's very exciting!

This coming Sunday is the second week of our latest Gift Day, our target for June is £70,000. Once again, please come prepared to give...!

 

THURSDAY, JUNE 14

Membership matters!

This coming Sunday sees another of our Membership Mornings taking place. This is an opportunity for me to present the Vision and Values of Kings to those who are considering joining with us in our Great Task! It is normally a well-attended morning and I am hoping that yet another 40 people will attend which will push our membership total toward 700. Praise God!

We will also have the second week of our multi site offering, the target for June is £70,000 - continued generous giving is an important element in being able to provide the facilities needed to reach more people for Jesus!

If you currently attend the 11.30 meeting at our Catford site, have you considered my request for those living nearer Lee and Downham to move to those sites in the coming months? As we plan to launch second meetings at Lee in October and Downham in January, it will be important that we can send some extra people to support those meetings - and also to make further room at the 11.30 meeting for the new people we believe God will also send us! Opportunities to meet up with Phil Varley who leads the Lee site will be provided on July 8th - listen out or watch this space for further details.

Finally, I'm aiming to play a little more golf across the summer, with the intended result that my golf score and handicap will reduce! Now that's one of the very few numbers that I like to see getting smaller... lower scores, lower golf handicap!

 

THURSDAY, JUNE 7

Home again...

We arrived back into the UK from Zimbabwe early this morning - we had a great time away but it is good to be home and to see the boys again! I will say more about my trip to Zim on Sunday and there's a good chance I may show some photographs. My focus now is on preparation for preaching this coming Sunday at all five meetings across our three sites. The Old Testament character we will be looking at from the list of the heroes of faith in Hebrews 11 is Jacob - with particular emphasis on verse 21, ‘By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph's sons, and worshipped as he leaned on the top of his staff'.

It is also the first of our two next multi-site offerings for the month this Sunday, with our target for June at £70,000.

The coming week brings the chance to meet up with many of my friends in the Newfrontiers family - this will be another important occasion as we seek to implement well those changes announced at our recent elders' and wives' conference. We will also pray for the life and health of the Newfrontiers churches in our nation and beyond - please stand with the leaders who will be there in that task and join us in earnest prayer. It is our desire to see the gospel go out to many more people and to see churches planted and established in even more localities, both here in the UK and across the world.