UNIVERSITY PRAYERS

Please continue to remember in your prayers Gemma Gibbs, Janine Bovey and Andrew Bovey who have all started University this week.

THIS SUNDAY

Captain Denise Cooper will be leading Sunday Worship at Courtwood School this week at 10am. Please join with us. Ian will be away at Wokingham for the weekend leading the Harvest Celebrations. Sue had planned to go with him, but now Adam has chicken pox. Thats all three now!!!! Denise Cooper is the Salvation Army's London South East Divisional Childrens Officer

SWITCH

A GROUP from the church met together last evening to discuss development in youth ministry, and expanding our current programme. SWITCH currently is a monthly group for girls, but it is hoped to expand this over the next year. HOWEVER we need your prayers - we need you to pray with us that God would send us people with a heart for youth ministry, sports minded people who could run our football clubs, a youth team to serve at a youth club, and finances needed to support this ministry too. PLEASE do join us in prayers at this time.

Sunday 21st September 2008

A good number gathered for worship today - which was led by Ian. we started with a time of prayer and preparation, which included praying for that meeting as well as world situations and our Kids Alive. WE also prayed for those starting university this weekend, including our Gemma, Jeanine and Andrew. Songs used in worship included:- Here I am to worship; I Stand amazed in the Presence; Your LOve is amazing; When I was lost You came and rescued me; To God be the Glory. THE SUNDAY CHALLENGE this week included mind reading, and included time for people to reach each others minds. The only successful team were Ian and his daughter Grace, but he did admit she had been told before!! But he related this to how our Father wants us to know His mind and share His thoughts with us. Thats the special relationship that we share. Susan spoke on Whose mind is it anyway? Looking at a mind that loves, serves and is humble. Acknolweding that it is the mind that controls actions, feelings, speech, decisions, the congregation were encouraged to allow Christ - the mind of Christ - to be united with theirs. Accepting that each day there are many influences on our mind, that clutter it with bad feelings, misguarded fears and hopes. If we allow the mind of Christ to be ours then we would live very differntly in the communities that we live, and we would reveal the Father and bring eternal life to many!

SUNDAY 14TH SEPTEMBER 2008

CREATOR GOD was the focus of our worship and teaching today. Ian led the whole meeting, due to the fact that Susan was at home with two poorly children. We started by focussing again on the Holiness of God, and that He is worthy of our Worship. Time to pray for the world around us and the needs of people within our church was a helpful time, as was the Sunday Challenge in which people were given one minute to create something amazing. Songs included:- O Worship the Lord in the beauty of Holiness; Come, Lord Jesus; When I was lost; Teach me to dance; Beatiuiful Lord; Change my heart O God; Have Your own way, Lord. Ian took Ezekiel 36 as his teaching points, reminding us that it is God who wants to do that work in us, and wants to bring us to that point of relationship with Him. We recognised the hype of the past week in the big bang machine and looked at how all the answers are in God - and its a lot cheaper. Taking this passage we were reminded that the work of God in us, and His Church needs to be (1) cleansing and cleaning (2) change (3) baptism in His Spirit.

SUNDAY 7TH SEPTEMBER 08

Susan led worship this morning which included songs such as Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God Almighty; Great is the Lord and most Worthy of Praise; King of kings, Majesty; Jesus is the Name we honour; Rejoice! Rejoice! Christ is in YOU! Time was given to rejoice in the past week as well as ask for God's help and strength, and people wrote prayers on bricks which then formed a cross, reminding us of a God who upholds us and gives us rest, strength and salvation. Susan also reminded us of the mark that we bear as Christians, and that we should reflect that Christ is in us. Ian spoke, looking at Isaiah 6 and 61, reflecting on the churches mission statement to reflect God's Glory, and asked how we do this, and how we can be Jesus to this world. We were firstly reminded the importance of experience His Glory for ourselves and then it will shine out of us. We were then reminded with Isaiah to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, to recognise who we are, but to let God in and change us. We were then reminded that we need His Spirit to infill us and to use us to people of healing, cleaning, wholeness, freedom - proclaiming this in the Name of Jesus and to those in this world. Time concluded with space for prayer, and the singing of Send a new touch of Power on my soul, concluding with You Servants of God, Your Master Proclaim

FORESTDALE MATTERS

forestdale matters is a weekly newsletter that will be produced to keep everyone in touch with what is happening in the growth and development of this church community. don't forget to collect your copy