Would you please pray?

Last year during September we asked you to pray for more team members and God answered by providing Liz. She is an amazing gift, however four years into our adventure we still feel we could do with another couple of people willing to move onto the hill to share in this incredible adventure.

I'm sure all churches would love extra servants living for Jesus, here is why we are praying for more.

The harvest is plentiful but the shorters and Liz can only stretch so far! We know so many people, but only have so much time.

Much relies on Rich and Alison and this can't be healthy in the long term for the church we are planting, nor is it healthy for the shorters in the short term!

Iron sharpens iron! We'd loved and needed Steve and Lauren's company, Liz is so wise and full of energy but others would help us bring the best out of each other.

To help make this work of God sustainable we need to bring in different gifts and life/ God experiance. ( for example Rich is doing a lot of admin- I know scary)

So for September would you pray the following? Put it in church notice sheets. Pray it at small groups- every time you pray it we would be very grateful.

Father, we thank you for your love of Harold hill, we thank you for those who know you and serve you on the hill. We praise you for all you have done through the urban expression team over the last 4 years. Please send others to live on the hill and join in the adventure of serving and living for Jesus. Holy Spirit stir those you are calling to explore this adventure of faith.

Many thanks

rich.

our New Wine experience

Alison, the Kids and myself went to New Wine last week with some friends of ours.

New wine is a Christian family week, camping in summerset with 15,000 others. This was our first year. We choice to go because Alison and I used to enjoyed Soul survivor, the youth version of this event and because this event has a charismatic expression of spirituality which both of us would say is part of our spirit shape.

There are two main sessions a day and many different seminars throughout the day.

Taking kids to an event like is knackering and does change how much you can go too, but we still managed to get to all the seminars we wanted to. We even got to hear the Arch bishop of Canterbury, who came across as a very likeable and deep person.

The main highlights/ challenges for us were.

Hungry venue:

There was an alternative morning worship and teaching venue for those in urban settings. We were nervous going to New Wine, we know we needed to spiritually refreshed and recharged, but main stream church now makes us a little twitchy!  Hungry for us was honest, creative, raw and had a great balance of word and spirit.  Its was focused on sending us back out to serve the poor and needy for Christ. It was just what we needed.

Generous spirit.

There was the room to be different and think differently to others. The leadership of new wine come across as very generous and this is reflected in the tapestry of speakers that they have. I was very humbled by this.

Kids work.

The Kids work was amazing in both quality and content. Listening to our kids pray and talk about God, it is clear they had so much more than a good time.

Band trinity

On the Thursday night we went to see a band called trinity. This was the most multi cultural band I have ever seen- if you get a chance hear/ experience them.

 Friendship

Being with another family whom all the kids get on and the adults could share an honest place to be real and laugh together was for me the biggest highlight of the week.

Over all we come back inspired, reminded of our call and God’s ability to fulfil that call.