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Posted on 10th Aug 2010
by Gordon Brook
Church Elder and Team Leader
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Re:Act 2010
What a great Family Fun Day on Sunday afternoon. Over 2,000 people, lots of fun, entertainment, tea and burgers and Church Outdoors in the evening. Christians like to have fun and to share it. And all free! Thanks to all who worked hard to make it possible and to the Re:Act Team for coming.
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Posted on 2nd Aug 2010
by Alan Newbury
Church Elder
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Joy?
Over the last few weeks we have been looking at "joy" as it is one of our five values as a community. Exploring what it is, is not and how it impacts our lives has been fascinating so far. Chris talked on Sunday about joy welling up from within, and whilst the dictinary defines joy and happiness using the same words the two are clearly quite different.
I am always slightly amused when science "discovers" what is already set out in Scripture. It is now accepted that laughter de-stresses you and strengthens your immune system - yes, happy people are healthier! Proverbs 17.22 says "A joyful heart is good medicine; but a broken spirit dries up the bones". Having confessed my amusement, science is helpful in enabling us to understand more about how this works (why it is true). God knew from the beginning, of course, both that it is true and why. We can therefore fully rely on Scripture, for the author of the Bible is also the author of all science too.
There is plenty around most of the time to rob us of our joy, but the promise in Job 8.21 is that "God will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy". So, let Him do just that, right now, today, where-ever you are and whatever you are doing..........
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Posted on 30th Jul 2010
by Gordon Brook
Church Elder and Team Leader
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Teddy Bears Picnic
WOW! Biggest and best afternoon ever yesterday. Over 360 adults and 420 children plus many babies had a great time with teddy based activities, races, puppet shows and refreshments. All free!
Thanks everyone who helped.
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Posted on 5th Jul 2010
by Alan Newbury
Church Elder
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Is Your Mood Worth Catching?
Hi, Alan here.
For those of you at the first leadership training morning that we held on Saturday (great time?), I said that I would blog something of interest as a follow up. Although this is "for leaders" the content is relevant to us all and I would appreciate comments from anyone who reads this - we all exercise leadership in one capacity or another.
I heard this phrase sometime back (can't recall where now) and it is one of those that stuck with me - do people feel better or worse having spent time with me? Am I good to be with or an emotional drain? Is my mood worth catching?
If we have the abundant life that Jesus talks about and promised us, our mood should be worth catching, shouldn't it? But what would people really say of us? Would they be able to correlate how we appear to them with the riches of heaven, the grace and promises of God and the redeemed, abundant life in relationship with God, empowered by the Holy Spirit?
Take a look at this Harvard Business review article (scholar.google.co.uk/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=2000&as_vis=1&q=harvard+business+review+2001+primal+leadership) from 2001, entitled Primal Leadership, which looks at the impact leadership mood has on any organisation - shouldn't we be leading the way in this?
Let me know what you think...........
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Posted on 3rd Mar 2010
by Gordon Brook
Church Elder and Team Leader
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Church Weekend
How was it for you?
Great weekend of time to talk to people and meet with God. Now to continue to walk in the light of what God said to me and the changes being in His presence made in me.
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Posted on 11th Feb 2010
by Gordon Brook
Church Elder and Team Leader
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Church Weekend
It's nearly here! The church weekend our triennual event. Friday week we cleave through the M25 parking jam and up the A10 to High Leigh for a weekend of fun, spiritual invigoration, good food and great company. In-house speakers talking about vision and the future, guest prophetic input, special worship leader and, by popular demand, the cabaret! Come prepared to enjoy yourself, talk to anyone on their own and be challenged and changed by the Holy Spirit. Roll on the 19th.
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Posted on 14th Dec 2009
by Gordon Brook
Church Elder and Team Leader
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A Night in Bethleham
For the second year running you can spend "A Night in Bethlehem". 4pm at The Assembly Rooms, Surbiton for drama, carols, children's crafts, under 5s area and an original retelling of the story of the first Christmas. Come in costume if you can but it is not obligatory.
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Posted on 10th Aug 2009
by Gordon Brook
Church Elder and Team Leader
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Two kinds of passion
Yesterday Lynn spoke about our search for a building and a possibility we are investigating and there was excitment in the meeting. Chris then spoke about prayer and it was quieter although without prayer we will never fulfill all that God has for us.
There is a passion at the prospect of something new and exciting. There is a passion which perseveres and achieves great things because it has fixed it's sights on the goal. The first is fun and good but the second is what will count in the end.
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Posted on 28th Nov 2008
by Gordon Brook
Church Elder and Team Leader
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A Night in Bethlehem
A dramatic presentation of the nativity with everything from Carols to an enactment of the events of the first Christmas day to a toddler play area.
4pm Sunday 21 December at the Assembly Rooms (Surbiton High School), Maple Road, Surbiton KT6 4RT.
Refreshments included, all free.
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Posted on 22nd Oct 2008
by Gordon Brook
Church Elder and Team Leader
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Love, fear or duty?
Came across this quote, seems pretty biblical to me.
"A healthy Chirstian spirituality is centred in our relationship with God. If that centre of love for God is not present we have a significant difficulty. A healthy spirituality cannot be centred in fear of God or flow out of a sense of duty alone."
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Posted on 7th May 2008
by Gordon Brook
Church Elder and Team Leader
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New Wine Leaders Conference
Heard some great quotes worth meditating on at the New Wine Leaders Conference last week:
• We are called to be the visible presence of the invisible God.
• Primary place for ministry is in our daily lifeplace, not a church meeting.
• If it stays inside the church it dies inside the church.
• Righteousness is contagious. Under OT law: touch a leper and you became unclean. In NT: Jesus touched a leper and he became clean.
• How to stay encouraged every day – feed yourself on what God is doing (if you don’t know what God is doing then feed on what he has done) not on what He hasn’t done.
The importance of prayer in deepening your relationship with God also stood out.
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Posted on 18th Feb 2008
by Gordon Brook
Church Elder and Team Leader
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Lets go with God.
Wanted to mention something I said on Sunday morning right after Christine spoke. It was unpremeditated so I guess came from my heart. In 1 Chronicles 20:6, part of a passage Christine read, it says, ‘power and might are in God’s hands’. I had the impression God was saying his power and might were going ahead of Him and ahead of us. If we wanted to experience them we had to move in the direction He is moving in because that is where they are. If we stay still they will not touch us because they are moving forward with God. I was reminded of this thought when by accident I came across a short article called Go, by Pam Spinosi on www.ibethel.org. Worth having a look at, especially the part about Jonathan.
So what direction is God moving in for us as a church? Of course there will be ways God is moving for you in your family, work, relationships and so on. But for the church I believe he is moving in prayer, relationships, and the experience of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. But we “Have to take what God gives us outside the church or it will die”. How much time do we spend praying? I include talking and listening to God as we do the daily routine as much as times set aside for these, both are prayer. How much do we invest in relationships - small groups, a coffee together, sharing meals and holidays? Do we earnestly desire spiritual gifts and to use them dangerously outside of church meetings? I believe God’s journey for us includes a building but it is not here, it is ahead, and we have to move with Him now to reach it. It will not be a destination, just a tool to use in reaching more people.
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Posted on 4th Feb 2008
by Gordon Brook
Church Elder and Team Leader
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How do you feel about the future?
I have been thinking about a saying I came across recently.
HOPE is hearing the music of the future,
FAITH is having the courage to dance to it.
I find it encouraging and inspiring but I have realised this is at least partly because I believe God is composing and conducting the music and He loves me, wants the best for me and the church and supplies what is needed for each day. I also believe much of the music is for orchestra not a solo performance (makes me wonder what instrument I would like to play, perhaps one of the trombone parts, nice and loud but not on my own).
I think there is a parallel between the saying and John 5:19 where Jesus says he only does what he sees his Father doing. He hears the music and dances to it, infectiously.
Lets dance with him.
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Posted on 15th Jan 2008
by Gordon Brook
Church Elder and Team Leader
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God's Presence
Great talk by Tony this Sunday, I felt he was sharing God’s heart as he encouraged us to enter into God’s presence, pray and become like Jesus. Coincidently, at a breakfast meeting the day before (do try breakfast muffins with freshly cooked bacon – great combo) I heard something related from Psalm 73. King David felt oppressed by what he saw happening around him until he “entered the sanctuary of God” and then he understood and began to encourage himself and to guard his heart (see my earlier blog). God’s ways and thoughts are not the same as ours and we need to learn from Him in order to understand and copy them and walk more closely with God.
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Posted on 4th Jan 2008
by Gordon Brook
Church Elder and Team Leader
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Made me think
Good thing about a blog is that I can’t cough germs all over you!
Yeah, I am usually healthy but a bad cold hit me Monday afternoon and Tuesday, I slept badly for two nights, worked just half a day on Wednesday and am only now feeling somewhat better, apart from regular coughing.
Not just writing this for sympathy though, welcome as that is, but to say that feeling weak and out of energy for just two days made me think about those in the church who have to battle with such an experience on a long term basis. Long term does not mean permanent and we have to support them and find a place in prayer where we can hear God’s voice and then pray effectively for our brothers and sisters. We need to be determined to see them well and perhaps offer some practical help as well.
Have a Happy and HEALTHY New Year.
Gordon
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Posted on 18th Jun 2007
by Gordon Brook
Church Elder and Team Leader
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Guard your heart
It's precious. It's good. Jesus has given you a new heart. It will be attacked by discouragement and the values of our culture: materialism, lust, short-termism, etc. Protect it by listening to the voice of Jesus, the voices of those walking close to Jesus and by persevering. Prov 4:23 says,"ABOVE ALL ELSE, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life." (NIV) Hear more by listening to the talk from 10 June.
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Posted on 1st Aug 2006
by Gordon Brook
Church Elder and Team Leader
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New Wine
25 adults, youth and children went to the New Wine event at Shepton Mallet at the end of July this year. Apart from the exceptional weather, ideal for camping, everyone enjoyed the worship (2 styles offered), teaching and just being together in such a relaxed spiritual atmosphere. The organisation of the event was really good, the result of 17 years refinement, and the provision for youth and children really appreciated.
We’ll be there again next year: 28 July to 4 August.
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Posted on 12th May 2006
by Neil Beckett
Youth worker
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Youth Achievment Awards
Youth Achievement Awards - Feedback
On the 25th of April Nikki and I attended Kingston's Youth Achievement Award ceremony on Ravens Ait. The Youth Achievement Awards are to recognise the young people of Kingston and to highlight their achievements. 'We want to highlight the positive profile of our young people and give them the reward they deserve'. It celebrates the young people in Kingston who have not had it easy so their sense of achievement is all the more special and significant.
Nikki and I love this event and often get very emotional listening to all the amazing things the young people have achieved throughout the year. This year I was honoured to be asked to be a judge for the 'Caring' category. Nikki and I were very privileged to be sat at the top table with the other judges and get a close up view of the proud young people receiving their awards. It was a great opportunity to encourage young people, many of whom hardly ever receive any praise.
This year a member of the churches youth group received an award for all the hard work he does in helping with church activities and how he had developed greatly in his new school. Unfortunately he didn't win his category (he deserved too) but he still received a certificate from the Mayor for all his hard work.
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Posted on 12th May 2006
by The Elders
Gordon, Alan, Lynn & Christine
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Church blogs are here!
We've now introduced this Community Church blog page so that Elders and staff can keep you up to date with exciting news, prophecies and encouraging words.
On a regular basis we will post blogs with Elder's news, answers to prayer, words for the church, encouraging testimonies and resources you'll find useful such as books, albums and websites.
We hope you'll find this a productive way to find out what's on our heart for the church.
God bless
The Eldership Team.
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